After suffering a paralyzing viral infection, XR Director Naima Karim started to notice the natural world around her in a more visceral way, She “experienced the monsoon even more intensely than usual: the initial gusts of wind, the rapidly darkening sky, the oppressive humidity and finally the downpour of rain, which washes everything clean and leaves behind a fresh scent.” A painter by trade, she took up virtual reality painting with Open Brush, and created a romantic and poetic sim tribute to Monsoons with a multi-sensory piece called “The Anticipation of Rain.”

I had a chance to briefly catch up with Karim at IDFA DocLab 2022 to hear more about her journey into VR & immersive storytelling. I also wanted to learn a bit more about what’s happening with VR in Saudi Arabia, as she was one of five selected projects amongst a tout of 231 in a competition there.