Designing Connection through Immersive Experiences with Leigh Sachwitz

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Dec 5, 2024

Leigh Sachwitz, Founder of flora&faunavisions, crafts award-winning immersive experiences that merge art, technology, and education. In this conversation, she shares insights on her stunning installation at the WNDR Museum, where visitors collectively experience the sensation of rain and lightning. The discussion dives into her work on projects like the digital opera 'Ring Cycle' and the Utopian Garden, highlighting the transformative potential of immersive storytelling. Sachwitz also reflects on the role of cultural connections in design and the importance of emotional engagement in creative projects.

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ADVICE

Designing for Diverse Audiences

Consider diverse perspectives when designing experiences, like a grandparent unfamiliar with technology or a well-traveled entrepreneur.
Adopt these personas during the design process to create a more inclusive and engaging final product.

INSIGHT

The Power of Small Actions

Experiences should foster empathy and emotional connections, leading to lasting change.
Even small actions, like turning off the tap while brushing, can make a big difference collectively.

ADVICE

Tool Outcome and User Intent

The outcome of any tool depends on the user's intent.
Consider ethical implications when designing powerful, immersive experiences.

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Many months ago now, I had the chance to go to the WNDR Museum in Boston. If you google that, it will come categorized as a “tourist attraction.” but it is a lot more than that, especially considering that I wouldn’t classify myself as a “tourist” since I live outside of Boston. More specifically, and even importantly, WNDR is an interactive art museum with immersive art installations. And it was very interactive and immersive. There were a lot of great exhibits that invited you to engage and become surrounded by the creations that were provided there. Whether you are a tourist or not, it is definitely worth a visit.

So it was a very pleasant surprise to find that my guest today actually had an installation at the WNDR Museum. It was this very cool outdoor-type of building where you could be with others and experience an audio and visual immersion of rain and lightning. One of the fun things about it was that you were there with strangers, basically arranged in a way that you were experiencing it together.

I didn’t know that when I first met Leigh Sachwitz to discuss being on the show. But it was one of the, dare I say, “wonderful” things I found out about Leigh and her work with her Berlin-based company flora&faunavisions (FFV). I got to learn about their award-winning work on projects like the Ring Cycle, a digital opera that creates an immersive experience of the work by Richard Wagner. I also learned about her work on the Utopian Garden, described as a story-based immersive, interactive show where participants can tour the world. She described their Flying Up Sparrows event in China, where Buddhist paintings were brought to life.

Finally, she explains their work behind the Genius DaVinci Show that just opened up in Florida this past November. “This exhibition invites you to step into Renaissance Italy to explore Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces and inventions up close.” And the great thing about this is the way that educational and entertainment come together to form what Hip Hop artist KRS-One described as “Educatinment.” Or, in Leigh’s words, how do you create experiences that draw people into the moment and produce, empathy, emotional connection, and curiosity.

We covered a lot of other ground, including the science of immersive experiences, how we can co-create our futures together using these kinds of experiences as a prompt, how we can inspire our imaginations to unlock the possibilities of ourselves, and the intersection of Detroit and Berlin as hubs of techno music.

Leigh Sachwitz - http://leighsachwitz.com/

flora&faunavisions - https://www.florafaunavisions.de/