DOK Exchange XR 2025
Experts
Experts onsite
Marcel van Brakel is a founder and lead designer at Dutch XR studio Polymorf. His award winning projects on immersive storytelling and embodiment incorporates emerging technologies, multisensory design, and performativity. His work reflects on the now, the (post)human condition, and the shifting relationships between the body, technology and ecology, and ranges from interactive performances, theatre, operas, VR, AR,AI speculative designs, brain-hacking projects, multi-sensory, and interactive art installations. Marcel is fellow of the Sundance Institute, New frontiers story LAB, and senior lecturer at Avans University.
Rūta Kazlauskaitė is a political scientist at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her research explores emotional manipulation, disinformation, and propaganda in extended reality (VR/AR/MR), with a focus on how immersive technologies reshape political communication and public memory. She currently leads the project "Halbwachs in the Metaverse: Storyliving and democracy in the age of immersive spatial computing" (2025–2028), funded by the Kone Foundation. Her work has appeared in leading journals, including Memory Studies, Rethinking History, Memory, Mind & Media, International Journal of Heritage Studies, Journal of the Philosophy of History, Emotions and Society, and Ethnicities.
Ellen Kuo is a multilingual pioneering XR industry leader with 10+ years’ global experience in immersive storytelling, creator ecosystem growth, and strategic partnerships. She wotks with projects at the intersection of XR technology, cultural arts, and international business, dedicated to expanding the reach and impact of immersive experiences worldwide. Renowned for mentoring, launching innovative XR initiatives, and driving measurable impact, she empowers creators and shapes the future of digital experiences across markets. Since 2022, Ellen has served as Head of XR Market at NewImages Festival.
Pola Weiß has been part of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg’s New Media Funding division since 2022, working as Funding Executive for Innovative Audiovisual Content/XR. Prior to joining Medienboard, she was a journalist, blogger, and speaker specializing in immersive storytelling, and wrote copy for companies in the tech and XR sectors. She also spent around four years as a commissioning editor for award-winning interactive transmedia projects, documentaries, and web videos in television (SWR/arte, Deutsche Welle).
Deborah Reinmüller is Project Coordinator for Immersive Media at MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein. In this role, she oversees the fund’s activities in the field of innovative audiovisual content and supports creators working at the intersection of film, technology, and new storytelling formats. She coordinates funding programs, curates and speaks at networking and industry events, and serves as a point of contact for international partners. An XR artist active since 2016, she creates works at the intersection of visual art, performance, and digital storytelling. With her background in interactive media, she also teaches and mentors in the field, fostering trans-disciplinary collaboration and advancing new formats across the creative industries.
Supported by the Institute Français as part of the Novembre Numérique programme.
Experts online
“Show us how your vision can become shared reality. Craft a story that is personal/universal, local/global, magical/mysterious. Shift perspectives, not just showcase tech. DOK Exchange XR creates that rare space where artistic risk meets strategic support for international collaboration.”
“It’s about building a bridge from curiosity to conviction. When you tell your story as a journey, your audience doesn’t just listen – they travel with you.”
“Pitching gives you a chance to refine the thinking and practicalities around your project, and put your piece on the radar of industry folks from funding to exhibition. For me, it's important to understand a project's audience journey and feel the impact you want to make with your piece - whether it's to move people with a beautiful artistic experience or get people to think about something in a new way.”
“By presenting your project at an early stage at industry events and markets, you will benefit from creative partners and already start building an audience for the finished work!”
“A strong pitch transforms vision into opportunity – it connects creativity with the people and resources that can make it real. It’s more than sharing an idea; it’s an invitation for others to step inside your vision and believe in new worlds yet to be built. It should spark curiosity – and make others want to be part of creating it.”
“Be sure of your concept’s unique core, but also be open to new perspectives. An excellent project is one that has an individual identity, but is also shaped through a dynamic process.”
“A strong pitch flows when you believe in your idea. The art is knowing what matters to your audience - DOK Exchange XR is a great space to practice and refine this skill.”
“The strength of XR lies in diversity and inclusion — of voices, audiences, creativity, and cultural perspectives. By sharing our knowledge, we can expand its transformative potential together.”
Excited to hear inspiring ideas, especially those that experiment with human–machine interaction or that create excitement with new perspectives. Happy to share insights on GenAI tools and workflows to help projects take shape. I value straightforward pitches that present a unique easy to grasp concept first, then visuals.
“Between an inspired concept and a realized artwork lies a great amount of effective communication. The pitch aims to convey both why a work is meaningful, and how confident and prepared the creative team is, within an understandably unfair amount of time.”
“Pitching events are the best platforms to get feedback from your peers and clarify what the project‘s unique selling points are!”
“It’s the role of artists to shape the industry – not to be shaped by it.”
“A great pitch answers: Why this story? Why in XR? Why now? Then, it shows how your tech serves the narrative to deepen immersion, rather than distract from it.”
