【 XR INDUSTRY EVENT 】Bringing Taiwanese Stories to the Global XR Stage

• Panelists

1. Director of The Guardians of Jade Mountain | Hayoun KWON
2. Director of PELAGOS | Ugo ARSAC

• Moderator

Curator of XR DREAMLAND |
Kuan-Jen WANG 

This session features two French directors whose recent XR projects were developed through the "Taiwan XR Prototyping Residency Program." Both creators chose Taiwan as their starting point for XR storytelling. They shared insights into their works and discussed how their projects engage in a creative dialogue with Taiwan.

The Guardians of Jade Mountain

Director: Hayoun KWON

The Guardians of Jade Mountain is a multilingual roomscale XR experience that takes the viewer deep into the forests of Yushan. While navigating through native flora and fauna, audiences follow the story of a Japanese interpreter sent to research the region’s cultural and ecology. Amid the tensions between Japanese troops and indigenous communities, an unexpected friendship forms between the interpreter and a tribal chief.

Director KWON has long focused her research and creative practice on East Asian history for years, with particular interest in postcolonial contexts. This work is the second installment of her historical trilogy and explores power imbalances and interethnic conflict through the lens of the relationship between the indigenous people and the Japanese interpreter.

She noted that in previous projects involving colonial histories in East Asia, she often took a critical perspective. However, upon arriving in Taiwan and diving deeper into the story behind The Guardians of Jade Mountain, the friendship between the Japanese interpreter and the indigenous leader profoundly moved her. It prompted her to rethink the conventional binary of enemy versus ally and to adopt a more nuanced approach to examining history. She expressed hope to further explore this topic in her future work.

When asked about differences in the creative process between Taiwan and France, she laughed and said Europeans like to explore slowly, while Asians prefer to move fast. During her stay in Taiwan, she was impressed by the high efficiency and capability of local tech teams, who also provided her with new ways of thinking. One example of this creative exchange was her decision to use shadow puppetry to depict intergroup conflict, a technique inspired by collaboration with 2D animators. She expressed deep gratitude to the Taiwanese team for their support and creative contributions.

 PELAGOS

Director: Ugo ARSAC

PELAGOS is an experimental underwater exploration game that adopts a documentary-style narrative. As players dive deeper, they gradually uncover issues related to ecology and geopolitics. With a background in sociology, ARSAC is known for using 3D scanning technology to create immersive experiences. His works often aim to transport audiences to places they wouldn’t normally access, prompting reflection on their relationship with physical spaces.

Asked why he chose Taiwan as the foundation for his new project, ARSAC shared that he had studied in Taiwan ten years ago. Despite the many changes that have occurred since, he still feels a strong connection to the island. During his three-week residency, he received generous support from Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council. He interviewed a diver and spoke with captains of various types of vessels.

The project is still in its early stages, but he expressed enthusiasm for future collaborations with Taiwanese performance artists and technical engineers as the project evolves.

At the end of the talk, an audience member asked about plans for distributing and promoting XR projects. ARSAC acknowledged that interactive works still rely heavily on visibility through film festivals, but he is also very open to screenings in a variety of venues including cinemas, hospitals, and schools. He emphasized that XR offers high creative freedom and the potential to reach diverse audiences.

ARSAC concluded by saying he hopes to bring XR to those who have never experienced it before, allowing them to experience how the mind can transcend the body and freely explore the world beyond the physical limits.