Heritage for the Future (HEFT)

A good example of an immersive experience is Lacuna, by immersive artist Nienke Huitenga Broeren. In this virtual reality documentary, that premiered in May 2025 at the Cannes film festival, you can use virtual reality to search through the memories of an 86-year-old woman about how she lost her parents as a little child during World War 2.

Another striking example is the VR opera Songs for a Passerby by immersive artist Celine Daemen, in which the VR lets you walk through a musical dreamscape while you reflect on how we relate ourselves to the surrounding world.

Collective approach

Immersive experiences (IX) like these, can increasingly count on international recognition at festivals and in museums. They let the public experience stories in a spatial and sensory way, from various perspectives. Developing such experiences demand a collective approach to designing, maintaining and re-using such complex productions. With this project, carrying the name HEFT (Heritage for the Future), the consortium wants to contribute to a future-proof ecosystem for Immersive Experiences.

Central role for makers

HEFT is represented by the Dutch Institute for Sound and Vision, the main media archive in the Netherlands. Next to HKU, represented by the professorship (Dis)Connected Technology & Creativity, other partners are EYE Film Museum, Netherlands Film Festival, University of Amsterdam and Satore Studio partner.

Also involved as partners are various experiences creators of immersive experiences. These creatives and their processes play a central and crucial role in the project. They use their creation processes for research purposes, by (re)designing existing and new immersive productions, prototyping them, and testing them with a broader audience. The makers involved are Studio Nergens (Celine Daemen), Studio ZZZAP (Nienke Huitenga Broeren), Richard Vijgen and Nullshima Studio (Anne Fehres & Luke Conroy).

Strong foundation

For the coming two years, the consortium will investigate methods to develop immersive experiences in an artistic and sustainable way, and to maintain them as cultural heritage, allowing them to be re-experienced in the future. In this way, the partners buld a strong foundation for this remarkable form of media, ensuring that the power of these experiences can also remain available after the project will be finished.

HKU’s involvement

HKU carries responsibility for the research activities in the field of embodied and meaningful immersive experiences. Professor Nick Degens and associate professor Joris Weijdom of the research group (Dis)Connected Technology & Creativity are proud that HKU has been appointed this role: 'In the research group and in the HKU AXR lab, we are already closely collaborating with various creators and artists within artistic technological creative processes. With HEFT we can now take the next step: by organising IX-Design Labs on subjects such as dramaturgy, interaction and storytelling we can gain knowledge that is not only relevant for practical purposes, but also for educating our art student at Games, Media and Theatre.'

Stimulation fund

The project is supported by a government grant of 1,3 million euros from the programme Artistic & Design Research for Immersive Experiences (ADRIE) of the Stimuleringsfonds. HEFT is also part of the broader Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition (CIIIC) growth fund programme, that aspires to allow the creative industry and content makers to benefit from the opportunities offered by immersive experiences.