In an increasingly divisive and polarised world, the power of storytelling has never been more crucial. Three VR narratives—Iris van der Meule’s Lesbian Simulator, “JustJaime” Smith’s un_comfortable.exe, and Screaming Color’s A Wonderful Thing To Realize—illuminate the stage with stunningly original, vividly colourful journeys into the LGBTQIA+ experience. Through bold visuals and raw honesty, they embrace vulnerability and authenticity, leading us towards acceptance and self-love.

Each creator will introduce their work before joining a panel discussion moderated by Raindance Immersive Curator Jo Leigh. Together, they will explore radical vulnerability and the transformative potential of sharing lived experiences through VR.

Iris van der Meule (she/her) is a queer digital artist and director (Lesbian Simulator) based in Amsterdam. Iris researches immersive storytelling and creates VR experiences, animation films, illustrations and other interactive curiosities. In her work she discusses socially relevant  theme’s, like discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community, climate change, mental health and gender inequality. With her work she explores innovative ways to hold a mirror up to society. Her projects are equally cutting as they are light hearted, usually wrapped in a layer of humor and sarcasm. Iris also works as VR Curator at Kaboom Animation Film Festival. 

"JustJaime" Smith (they/them) is creator of un_comfortable.exe) and a multifaceted creative professional, graphic designer, and yoga instructor who blends digital artistry with mindful movement. By day they are a marketing graphic designer, crafting aesthetic visual stories to ultimately sell a product. By night they escape corporatization, melding physical consciousness with a virtual body and immersing themselves within a worldwide digital community. Within VR, Jaime is Director of Media for Trans Academy, a traveling yoga instructor, a cathedral witch, and always ready to dance! They are inspired by and credit the VRChat community for reigniting their creative and spiritual sparks. Raindance Immersive 2026 is the first time they have publicly submitted personal artwork since their university days.

Christopher Lane Davis (he/him) aka Screaming Color, is a VR/XR creator, composer, and immersive theatre artist based in Taiwan. First on the VR map for creating the surreal VRChat worlds Gumball Lounge and Club Gumball, he later became a founding member of Ferryman Collective, where he co-created immersive VR theater works including Welcome to Respite. Gumball Dreams and Uncanny Alley: A New Day. His work blends music, interactive worldbuilding, live performance, and emotional storytelling inside virtual reality. These projects have been featured at Venice Immersive, SXSW, Tribeca Festival, Kaohsiung Film Festival, and Sanrio Virtual Festival, earning awards from Raindance Film Festival, XR Must, and the Auggie Awards. Christopher specialises in transforming VRChat into a platform for deeply human experiences that blur the boundaries between cinema, theatre, games, concerts, and dreams.

Dr. Joanna Leigh (she/her) is a Curator at Raindance Immersive and Producer of the festival’s XR showcase in London. With an MA and PhD in Screenwriting from the University of the Arts London, she brings a strong narrative focus to her curatorial and production work in immersive storytelling. She works as a Narrative Consultant for immersive and screen-based projects, and as a VR Facilitator at Virtual Reality Experiences (VRE), delivering corporate training experiences. She also works freelance as a VR Host and Tech Manager for immersive events including the BFI London Film Festival Expanded and at the Barbican Centre, helping audiences engage with immersive work while supporting the technical delivery of XR installations.

EXPLORE PASS OPTIONS

Join the session live on Zoom on Friday, 12th June or watch the replay. Please see the schedule below for your local time. For sessions that fall too early or too late in your time zone, we highly recommend catching up via our on-demand replays.

  • EUROPE – FRIDAY, 12 JUNE

    • 2 PM - 3:20 PM BST (UK)

    • 3 PM - 4:20 PM CET

    • 4 PM - 5:20 PM EET

  • NORTH AMERICA – FRIDAY, 12 JUNE

    • 9 AM - 10:20 AM EDT

    • 8 AM - 9:20 AM CDT

    • 7 AM - 8:20 AM MDT

    • 6 AM - 7:20 AM PDT

  • ASIA & AUSTRALIA – FRIDAY, 12 JUNE

    • 9 PM - 10:20 PM CST

    • 10 PM - 11:20 PM JST

    • 10 PM - 11:20 PM PM KST

    • 11 PM - 12:20 AM AEST