Sensory Storytelling - Using XR to Connect to the Body

Event ID: PP1162632

Mon, Mar 16, 2026 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Venue: Salon E (Hilton Austin Downtown)

View on Official SXSW

Summary

Touch, breath, viscera, pulsing sound - XR can be much more than a trick of the eye. Meet 4 artists developing revolutionary work supported by the UK’s Immersive Arts. Hear about their groundbreaking work that connects our bodies and senses; a multiplayer VR work redefining menopause (The Baby Factory is Closed); a multisensory dancefloor foregrounding access (Beat Blocks); explore breath as a symbiotic force fusing VR, networked performance, and biosensitive technologies (Breathscapes); and a hands on interactive sci-fi work exploring queer & post-human ecologies (Hermaphrogenesis).

Contributors

Raw Event JSON

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      "details": "Deepa Mann-Kler is a pioneering voice in feminist tech, de-colonial storytelling and ethical AI. She leads global interdisciplinary innovation as XR Lead at the Atlantic Institute, CEO of Neon, Director of Belfast XR Festival and Executive Producer at Aura Studios. A multi award-winning artist and Visiting Professor at Ulster University, she also serves on the Euromersive Board and is a BAFTA Connect member. Her globally recognised XR work, The Metaverse & Me, Discover ME, The Baby Factory Is Closed centres identity, justice and community voice in shaping our immersive futures. She drives strategic XR projects that deliver social impact at scale.",
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