As SXSW continues to expand the boundaries of storytelling, immersive creators from around the world are bringing projects that challenge how audiences experience narrative. Among those returning to Austin this year is the award-winning Netherlands-based Studio Biarritz, presenting the international premieres of two XR Spotlight experiences: Lacuna and Lesbian Simulator.
Led by immersive producer Corine Meijers, the studio has become a familiar presence at SXSW, previously captivating festival audiences with experiences such as Future Botanica, The Imaginary Friend, and the sold-out Symbiosis. With this year’s projects—both developed by predominantly female-led creative teams—Studio Biarritz once again demonstrates how XR can open new emotional and artistic possibilities.
The first experience, Lacuna, is a VR documentary created by Maartje Wegdam and Nienke Huitenga Broeren that invites audiences into a deeply personal exploration of memory and loss. The project follows Sonja as fragments of her past—shaped by the trauma of the Second World War—emerge through disjointed recollections, dreamlike imagery, and reimagined moments. Blending interviews, animation, 3D modeling, and archival material, Lacuna transforms remembrance into something immersive, allowing audiences to experience how memories—both vivid and incomplete—shape our understanding of who we are.
Taking a very different but equally engaging approach to immersive storytelling, Lesbian Simulator invites participants to step into a vibrant interactive world that blends video game mechanics with socially engaged art. Created by Iris van der Meule, the experience explores identity, love, and community through humor, playfulness, and a bit of glitter. While it celebrates queer joy, the project also acknowledges the discrimination many lesbians still face, using the immersive power of VR to foster empathy while encouraging audiences to reflect on perspective and lived experience.
Both experiences will be featured as part of the SXSW XR Spotlight, running daily from 11 AM to 6 PM at the Fairmont Hotel (3rd Floor) through March 17. For festivalgoers looking to explore how immersive technology continues to reshape storytelling, Lacuna and Lesbian Simulator offer two distinct—and unforgettable—ways to step inside a story.
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