Dr. VR

In December 2024, live from Stereopsia 2024 in Brussels, I sat down with Alexandra Gerard, Co-Director and Co-Founder of UnitedXR Europe, and Managing Director of Stereopsia, to explore how one of the continent’s leading XR events has evolved over the years. Alexandra shares how she fosters collaboration across Europe’s diverse XR ecosystem, the growing presence of women in immersive tech, and her mission to create a circuit connecting XR events across the continent.

In this episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Jon Yu, founder of Elysium AR, a no-code AR co-creation app designed to make worldbuilding accessible to everyone.

We talk about the inspirations behind Elysium, the challenges of designing for AR in vibrant public spaces, and why user experience is becoming the true “moat” in immersive technology. Jon shares his thoughts on the upcoming wave of wearable devices, from the Meta Ray-Ban Display and Orion to the Spectacles by Snap, as well as the Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro passthrough technologies, and what they mean for the future of creativity and connection in AR.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about accessibility, storytelling, and the social dimensions of AR, and why the next chapter of immersive media might not be built in code, but through collaboration.

In this powerful episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Māori filmmaker, educator, and immersive media innovator Wiremu Grace, the creative force behind "Atuatanga," a groundbreaking VR experience told entirely in te reo Māori. Premiered at the 2025 Imaginative Festival in Toronto, "Atuatanga" brings Māori spiritual narratives, environmental awareness, and ancestral wisdom into the immersive realm of VR.

Together, we explore the cultural and creative journey behind "Atuatanga," the role of Indigenous storytelling in XR, and the future of Māori participation in immersive technologies. From community engagement to language revitalization, this episode shines a light on the transformative power of VR when rooted in Indigenous identity and knowledge.

In this powerful episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Māori filmmaker, educator, and immersive media innovator Wiremu Grace, the creative force behind "Atuatanga," a groundbreaking VR experience told entirely in te reo Māori. Premiered at the 2025 Imaginative Festival in Toronto, "Atuatanga" brings Māori spiritual narratives, environmental awareness, and ancestral wisdom into the immersive realm of VR.

Together, we explore the cultural and creative journey behind "Atuatanga," the role of Indigenous storytelling in XR, and the future of Māori participation in immersive technologies. From community engagement to language revitalization, this episode shines a light on the transformative power of VR when rooted in Indigenous identity and knowledge.

In this episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Jonathan Griffith, director, producer, and sports photographer, to explore the making of his groundbreaking VR film Touching the Sky, co-produced by Meta and Red Bull. Filmed across the French Alps and the Himalayas, the documentary captures wingsuit flying, paragliding, and other adrenaline-fueled sports in stunning stereoscopic 360°.

Jonathan reveals the creative and technical challenges of filming extreme sports in VR, why this medium demands raw honesty with no retakes or tricks, and how immersive media is reshaping storytelling for audiences worldwide. Whether you’re passionate about virtual reality, filmmaking, or extreme sports, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to capture the impossible.

In this episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Jonathan Griffith, director, producer, and sports photographer, to explore the making of his groundbreaking VR film Touching the Sky, co-produced by Meta and Red Bull. Filmed across the French Alps and the Himalayas, the documentary captures wingsuit flying, paragliding, and other adrenaline-fueled sports in stunning stereoscopic 360°.

Jonathan reveals the creative and technical challenges of filming extreme sports in VR, why this medium demands raw honesty with no retakes or tricks, and how immersive media is reshaping storytelling for audiences worldwide. Whether you’re passionate about virtual reality, filmmaking, or extreme sports, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to capture the impossible.

In this episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Stephen Henderson, multidisciplinary artist, programmer, and spatial designer, to explore tAxI, a groundbreaking immersive installation that invites passengers into a driverless cab for a deeply human conversation with an AI, presented at the Immersive Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Co-directed by Henderson alongside Yamil Rodriguez and Michael Arcos, tAxI challenges our expectations of immersive media by removing the headset entirely. Through spatial design, AI-driven dialogue, and real-time responsive visuals, it becomes a space of confession, memory, and reflection.

We discuss what it means to create presence without VR hardware, how AI can be designed to truly listen, and why a driverless taxi becomes the perfect vessel for storytelling. From linguistic nuance to emotional resonance, this experience raises profound questions about intimacy, technology, and the future of narrative design.

In this episode of Dr. VR, I sit down with Stephen Henderson, multidisciplinary artist, programmer, and spatial designer, to explore tAxI, a groundbreaking immersive installation that invites passengers into a driverless cab for a deeply human conversation with an AI, presented at the Immersive Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Co-directed by Henderson alongside Yamil Rodriguez and Michael Arcos, tAxI challenges our expectations of immersive media by removing the headset entirely. Through spatial design, AI-driven dialogue, and real-time responsive visuals, it becomes a space of confession, memory, and reflection.

We discuss what it means to create presence without VR hardware, how AI can be designed to truly listen, and why a driverless taxi becomes the perfect vessel for storytelling. From linguistic nuance to emotional resonance, this experience raises profound questions about intimacy, technology, and the future of narrative design.

Dans cet épisode de Dr. VR, je reçois Dominic Desjardins et Rayne Zuckerman, créateur·trice·s basé·e·s à Toronto et fondateur·trice·s de Zazie Films, à l’origine de l’expérience en réalité virtuelle La maison de poupée / The Dollhouse, présentée à la Compétition Immersive du Festival de Cannes.

À travers le regard sensible d’une enfant et un univers de papier qui se déploie, La maison de poupée explore les dynamiques de pouvoir, la culpabilité, et la responsabilité individuelle dans l’intimité des foyers. Ce récit interactif donne au spectateur un rôle actif et engageant : que feriez-vous si vous teniez une poupée fragile entre vos mains, seul, avec tout le pouvoir de choisir ?

Dans cet épisode de Dr. VR, je reçois Dominic Desjardins et Rayne Zuckerman, créateur·trice·s basé·e·s à Toronto et fondateur·trice·s de Zazie Films, à l’origine de l’expérience en réalité virtuelle La maison de poupée / The Dollhouse, présentée à la Compétition Immersive du Festival de Cannes.

À travers le regard sensible d’une enfant et un univers de papier qui se déploie, La maison de poupée explore les dynamiques de pouvoir, la culpabilité, et la responsabilité individuelle dans l’intimité des foyers. Ce récit interactif donne au spectateur un rôle actif et engageant : que feriez-vous si vous teniez une poupée fragile entre vos mains, seul, avec tout le pouvoir de choisir ?