The 5th annual PXR Performance in XR festival just wrapped up. The DSSS Lab was thrilled to be able to help fund 5 students at UVic take part in the XRtist Link-Up, in which they joined students from York University and Emily Carr, to learn the design process and create an immersive VR experience using VRChat. The Lab added 2 Meta Quest 3S headsets for students to use this year and into the future—to open up the creative possibilities of experimental, artistic virtual reality.

The virtual experience created by Zoe, Abby, Nick, Leslie and Stella—a mix of Music, Writing, Visual Arts undergraduate and graduate students—and their peers from across the country was a spooky, whimsical and occasionally unsettling virtual world called “Cabin Fever”. Students were funded thanks to a CEWIL grant, to acquire work-integrated digital storytelling skills, thanks to Yvonne Coady and Derek Jacoby of the Coady Lab in Computer Science.

We hope to continue this exciting partnership with the team at PXR to benefit future students.