I interviewed Kristina Buožytė & Vitalijus Žukas about Creation of the World on Monday, September 1, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for Creation of the World:

"Creation of the Worlds is a VR experience inspired by the visionary art and music of Lithuania’s most renowned artist, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. This poetic VR odyssey is both a meditation on creation and a metaphor for the human journey toward inner maturity. Created by Kristina Buožytė and Vitalijus Žukas, the experience blends immersive storytelling with interactive elements, inviting viewers into a dreamlike world. With the freedom to navigate and soar through evolving environments, the viewer gradually discovers they are not merely an observer — but the creator and caretaker of timeless worlds. Inspired by over sixty of Čiurlionis’s paintings, the experience blends visual art with a contemporary reimagining of Čiurlionis’s music by Phil Von and Rokas Zubovas."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

[9] Surreal art [5] inspired by religious themes [9] and creation stories with a bit of a pagan edge.

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Spatial journey of the Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.2nd Center of Gravity of Water Element / Emotional Presence: Musical score. "Immersive Cinema"3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: Very subtle gaze detected navigation mechanic. Mostly on rails, but there's quite a lot of variation.4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: No words or narration. You're left to discern the meaning of the symbolism on your own.

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Explorations of the blending of different modes of artistic expression with the transcendent realms of mythology, religion, and symbolism. "Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis — painter, composer and visionary... His worldview and artistic depth reflect a Renaissance-like spirit, blending music, visual art and philosophy into unique and timeless universes." Also explorations how this transcendent is ingressed into physical reality, and the relationship between the two. The piece is also described as "an immersive VR fairy tale exploring the connection between the material and spiritual realms. A subtle, symbol- and metaphor-rich journey through human maturity and the awakening of creative power, told in the timeless language of myth. It is an ode to creation — divine, natural and human"

Artist Statement:

"Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis — painter, composer and visionary — is one of Lithuania’s most important cultural figures and a unique voice in global art history. His worldview and artistic depth reflect a Renaissance-like spirit, blending music, visual art and philosophy into unique and timeless universes. Creation of the Worlds is our homage to his legacy — an immersive VR fairy tale exploring the connection between the material and spiritual realms. A subtle, symbol- and metaphor-rich journey through human maturity and the awakening of creative power, told in the timeless language of myth. It is an ode to creation — divine, natural and human — inspired by Čiurlionis’s art and music."

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Jung Ah Suh & Cristina Rambaldi about Alien Perspective on Sunday, August 31, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for Alien Perspective:

"Carlo Rambaldi was a visionary architect of the unimaginable. Through his groundbreaking work on E.T., Alien, and Dune, he expanded the boundaries of cinematic reality — conjuring lifeforms and worlds that defied perception and reshaped the imagination. As we mark 100 years since the birth of Carlo Rambaldi, Alien Perspective resurrects his legacy in a bold new form: a sensory portal into the unknown. At its heart lies Città Spaziale 2 — a never-before-experienced masterpiece where painting becomes a living arena of exploration. Rambaldi’s vision invites us not only to remember but to take part. In the hands of a new generation, the impossible becomes undeniable."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

Dreamlike and surreal journeys into other imaginal realms [9] by artist Carlo Rambaldi [5]

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Spatial journey through the art of Carlo Rambaldi. Starts off with some Mixed Reality with a painting in a gallery-like space, then moves into VR. "A sensory portal into the unknown." And "painting becomes a living arena of exploration." Moving "from passive observation into embodied experience."2nd Center of Gravity of Water Element / Emotional Presence: Musical score. Leaning on "Immersive Cinema" genre3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: Mostly fixed way-point exploration through the space, with some variations and choices that eventually converge. "inviting audiences to step inside his imagination and engage with his art as a dynamic, navigable universe." Aspire to bring "legacy artworks into interactive spaces where millions of users can explore, play, and participate." While some freedom to explore, it's still mostly on rails and most folks will see the same experience. Not any true branching4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Many aspects of Rambaldi's IMAGINATION. A bit of associative dream logic when it comes to the underlying narrative. "This project is a call to democratise access to imagination"

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Realms of speculative imagination that is boundless and unknown, and it's interface with Reality and potentially beyond. "the impossible becomes undeniable." Aspires to transform art by "shifting it from passive observation into embodied experience." Leaning into imaginiing the future of art: "By merging visual art, narrative design, and real-time interaction, we are forging new pathways between cultural heritage and future-facing media"

Artist Statement:

"With Alien Perspective, my aim is to transform how we encounter art — shifting it from passive observation into embodied experience. In close collaboration with the Carlo Rambaldi Foundation, we reimagined Rambaldi’s visionary works as immersive cinema, inviting audiences to step inside his imagination and engage with his art as a dynamic, navigable universe. This project is a call to democratise access to imagination. In a world where museums and galleries can be exclusionary, immersive technology allows us to break those boundaries — bringing legacy artworks into interactive spaces where millions of users can explore, play, and participate. By merging visual art, narrative design, and real-time interaction, we are forging new pathways between cultural heritage and future-facing media. At its core, Alien Perspective is more than a tribute. It is an argument for the future of art: one that is active, inclusive, and infinite in reach."

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Elisabetta Rotolo & Siobhan McDonnell about Black Cats & Chequered Flags on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for Black Cats & Chequered Flags:

"Black Cats & Chequered Flags begins with a haunting Spatial Memory Fragment that immerses viewers in the emotional world of Alberto Ascari. Echoes of his father, legendary driver Antonio Ascari, blend with childhood flashes and the superstitions that shaped his fate. The experience then shifts into high gear with a multiplayer MR pit stop — a collaborative challenge that brings users into the adrenaline and precision of a 1950s Formula 1 team. The journey continues in a stylised VR narrative that weaves archival footage, interactive storytelling, motion capture actors, and immersive sound to explore Ascari’s victories, rituals and tragic destiny. 360° films shot on location in Turin, the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, and the Monza racetrack add historical depth. Ascari — the only Italian double Formula 1 World Champion with Ferrari — was fearless, superstitious, and chivalrous: a man both heroic and haunted."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

The personal biography of Alberto Anscari [1] including his career [10] within the context of the entertainment of racing [5], but also the inspiration from his father [4] and showing him as a kid [5], but also his various beliefs and superstitions that shaped his fate [9], and ultimately his death [8].

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Anscari's racing career, childhood, and various supersittions. Some cinematic immersive documentary footage. Mostly a diembodied ghostly character for the story, but you do have some presence, but nothing narratively beyond the pit stop crew at the start2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Blending of CGI, VR, 360 video, theatrical elements - Most a disembodied character through most of the story, but there are some embodied interactions that places you in the garage, car, museum3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: gamified pit stop at the beginning done as a multiplayer experiene - timed context - Taking photos, handle various objects connected to Anscari4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Social experience to be done with friends / family

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Courage, competition. Fates, ultimately his death, sense of time, sense of history, sense of identity expression of living on the edge

Artist Statement:

"Black Cats & Chequered Flags is a tribute to the thrill of speed and the fragility of destiny. Through immersive storytelling and multiplayer MR, it brings viewers into 1950s racing — into the pit stop, the roar of engines and the shadow of myth. At its core is Alberto Ascari — fearless, superstitious, and shaped by fate. This art piece lets users race circuits, live defining moments, and step into Ascari’s pit crew. A story in motion: mythical, intimate, unforgettable."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJHGVNuf9tg

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Mo Huang & Eric Zhao about Mulan2125 on Sunday, August 31, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for Mulan2125:

"In 2125, a century after the green-comet “Emerald Fall,” the alien substance Muk still taints Earth. Two powers remain: Ant City and PAC, a militarised regime ruling from the sea fortress, the Crown. Ant City’s flagship, the ARK — a retrofitted WWII battleship — carries a giant repair mecha meant to restore the city’s shield. PAC plans to hijack the ship, impersonate its crew, and deliver the mecha embedded with malware to disable the shield from within. 18-year-old Mulan, raised aboard the ARK by her father, Captain Hua Muzhi, is unknowingly the only human fully bonded with Muk. Anticipating sabotage, Hua hides in a panic room and locks the engines. As long as he remains hidden, PAC cannot proceed. When the assault begins, AI drone MUV-I is activated and executes Hua’s secret Shan Hai Guan protocol, guiding Mulan through hidden corridors. But her search for Hua accidentally helps PAC mole Aiden trace his location. Aiden detonates charges, separating them, and PAC regains control. Hua reaches the bridge to destroy the mecha but is killed. Mulan awakens Muk’s power, defeats Khan, and fires the main gun — vaporising the Trojan mecha. Muk glows again as PAC retrieves her body. She lives."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

On some sort of military [10] ship at the sea [9], but also set in the future in a speculative sci-fi world [9]. Dynamics of father [4] and his daughter [5] and the various people who are trying to capture or kill her [7]. A pitched battle between these two main opposiing forces [7]

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Described as "Cinema 2.0" & "pioneering the future of storytelling." Episodic cinematic immersive story experience with "ultra-high audiovisual standards and interactive design." First episode. Sci-Fi, Action Thriller Genre -- Attack forces 18-year old Mulan into an escape that was prepared by her father"2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Crafted for Immersion - Sci-Fi futuristic universe set in 2125. A comet shattered the world and two powers are fighting each other. Mostly a ghostly character throughout, but you do have an embodiment at certain points. Unclear as to who you are. Are you a main character? I forget, Real-time Unreal Engine with mocapped actors3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: Some light interactions at various points in this storyworld -- They say, "As traditional film nears the limits of its century-old form, we aim to chart a new path — where stories aren’t just watched, but lived." Still mostly a cinematic universe as it is more about light interactions that are within a very tightly bound possibility space of the film. More about the story than your agency4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: A lot of dialogue within the context of a story. Possibility space very much leans towards authored narrative, as there doesn't seem to be very many different choices involved

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

'"It's all about who are you when everything is falling apart, and the invisible bonds that keep us together"

Artist Statement:

"MULAN 2125 is a bold step toward Cinema 2.0 — a genre-driven, emotionally resonant narrative built for immersive media. Unlike many XR projects that feel experimental, niche, or underpowered, it combines cinematic storytelling with ultra-high audiovisual standards and interactive design. This is not a tech demo in disguise, but a sincere attempt to bring the emotional depth and visual polish of commercial cinema into the XR space. As traditional film nears the limits of its century-old form, we aim to chart a new path — where stories aren’t just watched, but lived."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8z1hFV8Pag

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Leo Metcalf & Michael Golembewski about The Time Before on Friday, August 29, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for The Time Before:

"Trapped between waking life and dreams, Olly delves into his childhood memories, navigating the fantastical dreamscapes his sister created to shield them from a fractured home. A journey into the buried past that shapes who we are. His story unfolds across two realms: raw, hand-drawn memories captured in childhood sketches, and surreal underwater live-action dreamscapes. As memory and imagination blur, The Time Before explores the emotional weight of a volatile father, a mother lost in the fog of memory, and a sister who offered escape through imagination and dreams. A meditation on the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and what is lost in the telling."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

Combination of personal memories [1] as well fantastical dreamscapes [9] created with the help of his sibling / sister [3] in order to preserve identity and Self [1] in the context of a dissolving and traumatic family and home [4]. The neighborhood with nature [3]. Implicit themes of death [8], and the existential suffering from loss & grief [12]

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Narrative-driven, immersive animation that represent memories and juxtaposed with 360 videos that represent dreams. The collision of the past with the future. The struggle to try to feel FEELINGS. Emotional Stuntedness. [MEMORY] [DREAMS]2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Mash-up of the virtual and the real, combining cinematic 360 video with hand-drawn animations. Also the spatial ambisonic audio mixed with more traditional stereo. Explores the lines between dreams, memories, and the combination of the two. Also created multi-layered montages of 360 video underwater shots to create a surreal, dreamlike texture3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: A few embodied interactions that reflect turning points in the narrative4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Either Dialogue or narration. The speculative realm of dreams and imagination are core themes. [IMAGINATION] The normal RULES of reality have changed within dreams

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

This is a piece about escape, distortion, and the quiet cost of staying silent. Also, about MEMORY, IMAGINATION, and DREAMS. Dreams and Fantasy: "Olly delves into his childhood memories, navigating the fantastical dreamscapes his sister created to shield them from a fractured home." Ultimately trying to have a cathartic emotional expression. Battling all the ways in which we were shut down, locked up, or dealing with unexamined childhood traumas. "the difficulty many children, especially boys, carry into adulthood when taught to suppress emotion." Themes: "The Time Before explores the emotional weight of a volatile father, a mother lost in the fog of memory, and a sister who offered escape through imagination and dreams." A reckoning with the past and memories : "consider the fragility of their own memory"

Artist Statement:

"Much of who we are is shaped by childhood memories we can’t fully recall, let alone understand — yet their emotional ripples run deep. The Time Before explores this terrain through the eyes of Olly, a boy retreating into shifting inner landscapes shaped by memory, imagination, and loss. The piece invites not just observation but emotional and physical participation. In the darkness of the headset, I hope participants will consider the fragility of their own memory — and the difficulty many children, especially boys, carry into adulthood when taught to suppress emotion. This is a piece about escape, distortion, and the quiet cost of staying silent."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oahwg3hyE0

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Vincenzo Cavallo about Re-Launching-Luigi-Broglio on Monday, September 1, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for Re-Launching-Luigi-Broglio:

"This project gives the chance to dive into the legend of Luigi Broglio [11 November 1911 – 14 January 2001]— who audaciously catapulted Italy into the cosmos from the first space base built on an equatorial sea platform in the 1960s. Within a 360° theatre, audiences become voyeurs to a duel between Broglio and journalist Tristano Malaugurio, two prisoners of fading memory trapped in the ghostly command centre of Kenya’s San Marco space station. Through interviews and flashbacks, we plunge into the African expedition, the explosive encounter with oil giant Enrico Mattei, a near-diplomatic crisis with President Nasser, and a jaw-dropping climax to rewrite history. A group of Italian mavericks daring to compete with the space superpowers. This saga proves that the most impossible dreams ignite into reality when courage meets creativity and determination. Luigi Broglio inspires minds and warms hearts, which is why he deserves to be re-launched!"

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

Space exploration [9] and foreign African countries relative to main character's home of Italy [4], the various conflicts with various institutional entities [7] including the impact of capitalism and colonialism [2], his careeer and profession [10], His home of Italy [4] juxtaposing between these two worlds in the piece [9].

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Cinematic 360 video, and story of Luigi Broglio (1911-2001) Imaginal time with journalist while Broglio was still alive with flashbacks. Half of the world is present day, and turning around to the stage is the past.2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Theatrical staging, uses two 180-degree shots stitched together to travel between spaces. The environments are imagined as if it waa a play. One side is the present moment of the story, with the other side being the past. Spatial representation of time3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: As a viewer of 360 video, you do end up having to physically move your body to watch the video as the main fccus of action will split between these two sides, but these interactions are not impacting the story in any sense, and end up being more of an artifact of the 360 medium itself4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Most of the experience is dialogues and monologues. Characters speaking to each other. A confrontational journalist who is asking the questions and prompting the story to progress

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Power dynamics of the structures of captialism & colonialism- "the explosive encounter with oil giant Enrico Mattei, a near-diplomatic crisis with President Nasser" + "time to rediscover Italian colonial and postcolonial history through fresh eyes." "This saga proves that the most impossible dreams ignite into reality when courage meets creativity and determination." Memory, the past, history, colonialism: "two prisoners of fading memory trapped in the ghostly command centre of Kenya’s San Marco space station"

Artist Statement:

"As Italians who are living in Kenya we relentlessly hunt for untold stories woven between Africa and Europe. Italians who ended up in Africa during and after colonialism, Africans and Afro-Italians who helped forge Italy, before, during and after World War II — a vast cultural heritage overlooked for various reasons. It’s time to rediscover Italian colonial and postcolonial history through fresh eyes. We believe this immersive experience — designed for science museums and educational venues — will unlock new perspectives on both science and international cooperation."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo-L88oT7Y0

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Rose Bond about 1968 on Sunday, August 31, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for 1968:

"1968 is communal VR theatre that explores the transformative power of protest through allusions to 1968 — a year charged with societal, cultural and political unrest. Animated from still photographs of both the iconic and the mundane, the piece investigates international interstices of history, human bonding and power in times of socio-cultural upheaval. Rose Bond’s 360° hand-drawn animation interacts with Massimiliano Borghesi’s spatialisation of inti figgis-vizueta’s original recorded tracks of Seven Sides of Fire to ignite a dynamic, evocative and shared immersive experience. 1968 is a collaboration of international creatives and stands as the first movement of a longer, anticipated work. 1968 is experienced collectively under a geodesic sound dome."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

Power of people and culture [11] to change government [10], but also the modes of violence that are used against them [7]. The Transformative Power of Protest

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Story, Music - Visual storytelling language of abstract animatsion - Very tightly coupled with the patterns of music2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Spatial Audio via the Dome. There's a lot of void spaces here, and you end up seeing some hand-drawn animations that start to sketch out various scenes of political liberation from the 19683rd Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: No words, Poetic Dream Logic to evoke the memories based upon these iconic events from 1968. No explanation or discourse about anything, and so it does require the audience to be somewhat familiar with the specific cultural histories being referenced from both the United States as well as in France. This is shown as a group experience, but you don't see anyone else, and so it also feels like a solo experience that you are parallel playing with others as they watch it4th Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: No narrative agency or any embodied Interactions

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Revolutionary change and upheavel of the socio-political order of the 60s: "investigates international interstices of history, human bonding and power in times of socio-cultural upheaval" - Transformative power of Protest

Artist Statement:

"'VR, when combined with hand-drawn animation and immersive sound, can articulate complex emotional and lyrical dimensions with rare sensitivity.' Coming from a school of animation that values gesture over spoken word, I regard 3D space as a gift — an expansion from the flatness of film, a place for extended choreography. Sound has long inhabited the space between sense and sensation. This communal VR installation, ensconced in a geodesic dome mounted with fifteen acoustic speakers, seeks a shared experience — one that verges on the haptic, with exquisite spatial precision."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPgr1nul4ro

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Massimiliano Borghesi about 1968 on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy. We talked about the spatial audio mix of the orchestral score for 1968.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPgr1nul4ro

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Nicolas Bourniquel about The Sad Story of the Little Mouse Who Wanted to Become Somebody on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for The Sad Story of the Little Mouse Who Wanted to Become Somebody:

"Once upon a time, there was a little mouse who worked relentlessly to achieve a single goal: becoming somebody. Driven solely by her ambition, she slowly grew mean and arrogant, pushing everyone away. One day, she accepted a job offer from the most prolific toymaker in the world: Santa Claus. The little mouse was about to discover that climbing the corporate ladder was not all she had hoped it would be… La triste histoire de la petite souris qui voulait absolument devenir quelqu’un is a biting satire of corporate life in the form of a VR Christmas tale."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

From humble creative workshop [5] at home [4] to express her identity [1] through social media [3], but then becomes completely invisible [12]. Then a transition into the other worldly character of Santa's workshop [9], which becomes a professional workplace that is highly industrialized and automated [10] turning the creative work into a slog of manual tasks devoid of too much creativity or autonomy [6] work that translates into a bit of a situation of slavery [12]

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Narrative-driven, immersive animation. This very much a character-driven story2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Very detailed world that you enter into. From Paris streets to the speculative workshop of Santa updated with all of the latest gifts of automation3rd Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Dialogue amongst the characters - English and no subtitles.. is there any narration?4th Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: No narrative agency or any embodied Interactions

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Radical and Free, Bepoke and Handcrafted Creativity with unbounded creative imagination in tension with Automated Utility & a bit of structured authoritarianism. Certainly a modern day fairy tale that speaks about the dynamics of AI and automation. "The little mouse was about to discover that climbing the corporate ladder was not all she had hoped it would be..." -- "how difficult it is for artists to find their place in a hyper-competitive, automated world. On one side, there’s the struggle to exist and be seen when you’re as “small” as the little mouse and still need to earn a living. On the other, there’s the challenge of preserving craft and creativity in a world where machines increasingly threaten to replace creators altogether."

Artist Statement:

"With La triste histoire de la petite souris qui voulait absolument devenir quelqu’un, we aim to explore how difficult it is for artists to find their place in a hyper-competitive, automated world. On one side, there’s the struggle to exist and be seen when you’re as “small” as the little mouse and still need to earn a living. On the other, there’s the challenge of preserving craft and creativity in a world where machines increasingly threaten to replace creators altogether."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C83cO-zapE

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality

I interviewed Naima Karim & Aleena Hanif about Mirage on Saturday, August 30, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.

Here is the story synopsis for Mirage:

"Mirage is an interactive Virtual Reality experience of a young girl who is battling depression and anxiety. Set in a desert landscape, it is a metaphorical and stylised adaptation with visuals created by the artist Naima Karim and her lived experience with her daughter’s depression and anxiety. The audience embarks on an immersive journey through the young girl’s mind, using hand-tracking interactivity, spatial sound design, original music, and a haptic vest. With hand-tracking interaction, they will be encouraged to support her through her challenges. However, accepting struggles and accepting help from others is not easy for a person suffering from depression and anxiety. Mirage sheds light on the often-misunderstood realities of depression and anxiety, inspiring empathy and understanding."

Here are the contextual domains that are explored:

Mental Health and Depression and anxiety [6], [4] Family, specifically within the context of a parent [4] and their child [5] and her sibling [3], accepting help from others [7]

Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:

1st Center of Gravity of Emotional Presence: Narrative-driven, immersive animation in VR, but the center of gravity as a cinematic experience2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Spatial Quill Animations, but also quite a lot of Haptic Integrations ( to mimic aspects of chest pain and panic). There are moments where you embody and interact as a parental figure, but also many times you're a ghostly observer3rd Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: Some light, hand-tracked interactions spread throughout that serve to gate key moments in the story.4th Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Dialogue amongst the characters, is there narration from one of the character as well? I don't remember

Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:

Depression, Anxiety: "accepting struggles and accepting help from others is not easy for a person suffering from depression and anxiety. Mirage sheds light on the often-misunderstood realities of depression and anxiety, inspiring empathy and understanding." And to "bring awareness to the experiences of someone with depression and anxiety."

Artist Statement:

"For many children with depression and anxiety, happiness can feel unattainable and just out of reach, like a Mirage. Mirage is based on our personal experience. It was challenging to create because of how vulnerable we had to be to develop an honest experience. We wanted to leave room for audiences to connect in their own way, but still speak to common experiences they might find through our story. The essential purpose of Mirage is for us to share our story and bring awareness to the experiences of someone with depression and anxiety. Through Mirage, we hope to spark conversation and encourage people to empathise and support those with depression and anxiety."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9unNsHKGEc

This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.

Music: Fatality