SIGGRAPH 2025 is set to spotlight a range of extended reality (XR), motion capture (mocap), and spatial storytelling technologies next week, as part of its Experience Hall running August 11–14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The event’s new Spatial Storytelling program will debut as an evolution of the former VR Theater, and will focus on live demos that showcase how creators use XR, mixed reality (MR), and mocap to craft immersive narratives.
Designed as a creator-first format, the program will provide behind-the-scenes access to real-time workflows, blending performance and technology to explore how emotion, imperfection, and interactivity shape spatial experiences, according to SIGGRAPH.
Notable projects in the new Spatial Storytelling program include:
- “What If…? An Immersive Story” by ILM for Apple Vision Pro, exploring cinematic MR storytelling;
- “Puppet In The Room”, combining physical puppetry with live digital animation;
- “BEASTS”, blending Korean folklore with XR puppetry;
- “Psychonauts in Water”, a synchronized underwater VR journey.
“Spatial Storytelling is built for creators. It’s about real-time, real-world engagement — with story, space, and audience. It’s a spectacle and a masterclass,” Spatial Storytelling Chair Marco Cermusoni explained. “You see the magic, and then learn how it’s done.”
Additionally, the Immersive Pavilion at SIGGRAPH 2025 will host interactive XR and AI-driven experiences, with a focus on emotional presence, cultural exploration, and embodied interaction.
Attendees will be able to step into sensory simulations, reenactments of historical events, and experimental game worlds that merge digital content with physical environments. The Pavilion is set to highlight how VR and AR are being used not just for entertainment, but also for empathy-building, heritage preservation, and hybrid social connection.
Featured experiences include:
- “Primordial Reality”, recreating an infant’s sensory world through VR and a bodysuit;
- “Palace Immersive Goong”, a virtual reconstruction of a Joseon Dynasty banquet;
- “Blossoms Across Time”, blending AI and VR in a cultural heritage artwork;
- “Monsteroom”, pairing digital pets with substitutional reality setups.
“At its core, immersive technologies are about stepping into someone else’s world — and in many of these pieces, that’s exactly what you do,” said Immersive Pavilion Chair Saskia Groenewegen. “You might see through the eyes of a newborn, a stressed parent, or a historical figure. These works aren’t just simulations, they’re emotional experiences.”
As part of the event’s Emerging Technologies program, XR-adjacent highlights will include a “Wide Field-of-View Mixed Reality” system featuring compact headset designs, and “DreamPrinting”, which uses volumetric 3D printing to capture ephemeral visuals in high fidelity.
Finally, the Labs program will offer developers 28 technical sessions that emphasize experimentation, education, and access, including a session on “Optimizing Real-Time Gaussian Splat Rendering for Mobile and Standalone VR,” as well as other workshops.
More information on SIGGRAPH 2025 is available at s2025.siggraph.org.
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Foto: Vib Soundrarajah / ACM SIGGRAPH
