Digital art in forests and caves, art and science in Singapore, simulations as art, a passionate curator, and Aboriginally determined research and practice in Canada. — Shining a spotlight on people, collectives, and organizations doing wonderful things: Abandon Normal Devices Abandon Normal Devices describes itself as “a nomadic commissioner and born-digital producer unafraid to enter new territories and broker new partnerships.” The company produces the incredible AND Festival, which moves around the UK, mapping different terrains and modes of…

Making museums accessible through VR, cultural institutions in Australia, groundbreaking experience design, virtual exhibition walkthroughs, and art in VR — Kai Kai is the founder and CEO of Curated x Kai, an award-winning virtual reality company which films inclusive VR field trips in museums and other cultural institutions. Through outreach, CxK delivers those experiences to students and young adults, including those in underserved communities. You can browse through all the field…

An Interview with Barry Threw of Gray Area — This weekend, the Gray Area Festival is plotting “the future of world building through AR, VR, XR, installation, and immersion with four days of art, technology, music, and culture.” …

Nigerian XR, civil society research, cross-artform collaboration, immersive media in China, and public media innovation — Imisi 3D Imisi 3D is an Extended Reality (XR) creation lab focused on building the XR ecosystem in Nigeria and beyond. Imisi 3D is dedicated to growing a community of African AR/VR creators and providing educational and engagement experiences. Imisi 3D is led by the inimitable Judith Okonkwo, who produced a pan-African…

How do we continue to grow distribution and exhibition of virtual reality? — Working in the VR industry, I have become very used to living between perpetual hope and despair. …

Joburg tinkerers, wildly imaginative creations, AI thoughtfulness, UK funding opportunities, and VR in India — Eden Labs Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Eden Labs use a variety of mixed reality technology and other digital media to tell stories. They are true tinkerers, using whatever it takes to make ambitious and often jaw-dropping work. They have created a range of beautiful 3D printed headsets for VR projects, making…

Thinking through practice, (really) extreme immersion, Shakespeare re-imagined, VR podcasting, and challenging biased algorithms — Jessica Brillhart Jessica Brillhart thinks deeply about immersive media and she knows what she’s talking about, because she experiments with everything she writes and talks about in her story-making practice. She has her own immersive studio, Vrai Pictures; has made beautiful VR projects such as Beethoven’s Fifth, and has just released a…

Delicious VR, accessible gaming, the alchemy and chemistry of good design, a conference for creative technologists, and the lyrical work of an incredible Australian artist. — Here’s our next installment that shines a spotlight on people, collectives, and organizations doing wonderful things. Marshmallow Laser Feast Marshmallow Laser Feast is a London-based collective making gorgeous interactive installations.The group is headed up by Barney Steel, Ersin Han Ersin, and Robin McNicholas, with producer extraordinaire Nell Whitley making sure the trains run…

Digital arts in Africa, Australian interactive comics, food sensplorations and vibrant projects by artists with disabilities — Our column that shines a spotlight on people, collectives, and organizations doing wonderful things. Fak’ugesi Fak’ugesi is a digital arts festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. Led by artist and academic Tegan Bristow, the festival is a wonderful, interdisciplinary mix of different arts practices with collaboration, experimentation and a maker spirit at…