XR Fall Residency in Vancouver

Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD), through its Basically Good Media Lab (BGML), and the Centre for Digital Media (CDM), an industry hub for digital product development embedded within Vancouver’s Creative District, will offer the selected artist a space in which to think and work.

During the XR residency, the selected artist will dedicate their time developing their immersive project, on which they are invited to collaborate with Vancouver-based professionals, as well as with local technical teams and production companies, and faculty and researchers from ECUAD and the CDM.

• Initiate and develop an XR project (writing, research or development).
• Participate in educational activities and student learning opportunities, such as presentations, panels, critiques, workshops, and informal mentorship.
• Network with and foster the promotion of the digital ecosystem of Western Canada, and foster collaborations with France.
• At the end of the residency, the artist will be required to provide a report on their experience, work, and the progress of the project during the residency period.

The selected creator will receive the following benefits:

• A round-trip flight (Paris–Vancouver);
• Accommodations at the Centre for Digital Media (45 m² apartment in the CDM residence, with private bathroom and a bedroom and access to campus amenities;
• A workplace at Basically Good Media Lab and at the Centre for Digital Media, on the same campus.
• A stipend of €2,000 (includes per diem and remuneration for participation in 3 half-day conferences/masterclasses during the residency).
• Participation in relevant events (e.g., artistic, creative technology, cultural, educational) in British Columbia.

Other possible benefits (to be determined with the artist):

• Presentation of the project at NewImages Festival 2026
• Accreditation for the professional days at NewImages Festival 2026
• Opportunity to showcase the outcome of their residency work (prototype, work in progress) at V-Unframed 2026 (Vancouver)

At Emily Carr University of Art + Design:

• Regular access to the Basically Good Media Lab as a workplace. This is a collaborative space shared with undergraduate and graduate students and research assistants. The Basically Good Media Lab has augmented and virtual reality headsets, along with 360° cameras.
• Access to state-of-the-art computer equipment: Dell Precision 3660, 32GB of RAM, i9-12900K (16 cores), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080.
• Technical support: occasional technical assistance to help the artist develop their project.
• Mentorship from members of Emily Carr University of Art + Design, who will provide feedback on the project and the artist’s approaches, help facilitate the use of resources, and provide networking opportunities within the community.
• Access to the state-of-the-art Integrated Motion Studio, when available, for use as a workshop or workspace.

At the Centre for Digital Media (CDM):

• 1 Project room, 1 sound recording room, 2 multi-purpose classrooms that are fully AV-equipped with Ethernet, electrical connections, and a whiteboard.
• Boardroom with a full AV system for smaller gatherings.
• Shared kitchen space.
• Desktop/laptop with GPU, monitors, various other IT/AV equipment as required.
• Support provided by the CDM’s IT and facilities management departments.

This programme is open to all types of XR projects (360° or interactive virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, installations involving immersive technologies, sound design or 4D technology, etc.).

Special consideration will be given to projects rooted in the local context.

The project must relate to at least 1 of the following themes:

1. Environmental sustainability
2. Environmental justice and climate action
3. Healthcare or educational innovation

Before you register, we invite you to carefully read the following list of information and documents that must be provided in the application file (in the same order as listed):

• XR Residency 2025 application form (available in English only): https://xrfall-residency-2025.paperform.co/
• A copy of your identity card or passport
• A biography and CV
• A portfolio of your previous projects
• A 1-page letter of intent outlining project goals and describing how you, as an XR artist, aim to become engaged and to add value to the research, teaching, and learning communities at Simon Fraser University SFU and the CDM.
• A detailed synopsis of your project
• A projected work plan for the residency
• Project stills (if applicable)
• A letter of recommendation (optional).
• A letter from a French institution or company recommending or providing support for the project with a view to a future exhibition or production of the work (mandatory).

The name of the selected creator will be officially announced in July 2025. Applicants will have been notified in advance by e-mail of the selection committee’s decision regarding their application.

A contract mentioning all commitments on both sides shall be signed between the selected creator and the partners.

Prior to the residency, the laureate agrees to send the partners the work plan for the residency and to participate in a few preliminary virtual work meetings.

During and at the end of the residency, the artist commits to:

• executing the work/production plan;
• splitting their time, approximately 50/50, between ECUAD and CDM, and engaging in both of these unique artistic and creative communities;
• presenting the writing/research project as part of the immersive exhibition V-Unframed in Vancouver in November 2025;
• participating in 3 formal engagements with students and community members (e.g., conference, master class, workshop);
• hosting office hours and informally engaging in educational activities in the classroom, such as testing interactive prototypes, student presentations, career and “ask me anything” discussions (e.g., what it’s like to work in France / abroad), etc;
• taking time in Vancouver to write a report on the residency, with support from the Institut français du Canada’s team on location;
• showcasing the outcome of their residency work (prototype, work in progress) exclusively at V-Unframed 2026 (Vancouver) and the NewImages Festival 2026 (Paris) (to be determined together);
• including partners’ logos in credits and communication materials;
• authorizing partners to use (meaning, but not limited to the following: reproduce, edit, adapt, publicly transmit, publicly broadcast, etc.) project materials such as images, texts, sound recordings, or videos for promotional/educational purposes or to include the project in their annual programming.

Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) is located on the traditional and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəyə̓ m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw
(Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. Founded in 1925, ECU is a global leader in education and research, encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media, and technology. The learning community integrates research, critical theory, and studio practice in an interdisciplinary environment.

ECU encourages students, industry, and society to continuously explore and rethink creativity and its role in shaping the world. The campus is located in the eclectic and vibrant Mount Pleasant neighborhood, popular among a diverse group of people, including many young creatives.

Basically Good Media Lab (BGML) is a research lab at ECUAD committed to seeing old and new media technologies through fresh eyes and ears for cultural, social, and ecological benefit. 

https://www.ecuad.ca/

https://research.ecuabsd.ca/bgml/

The Centre for Digital Media was established through the groundbreaking partnership between 4 leading academic institutions: The University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University (SFU), Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD), and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

Located at the heart of the Creative District on Great Northern Way in Vancouver, Centre for Digital Media (CDM) is a thriving campus with an earned reputation as a destination for collaboration amongst learners, educational leaders, industry and community-based partners.

Since 2001, CDM has been a leader in the development of Vancouver’s Creative District ecosystem, driving applied research and workforce innovation with hundreds of business partners from the creative technology, high tech, and citizen services (healthcare, education and government) sectors.

https://thecdm.ca/

Founding partner, organizer, and broadcasting platform Le Forum des images – TUMO Paris is a center for creation, programming, and education dedicated to cinema, comics, video games, and new images.

For the past 5 years, it has organized the NewImages Festival, dedicated to virtual worlds and digital creation.

https://newimages-hub.com/residences/

The Alliance Française de Vancouver (AFV) is a non-profit organization that has been fulfilling its educational and cultural missions in the community since 1904. Through multidisciplinary programming (performing arts, film, visual arts, and literature), the AFV is committed to making culture and art accessible to all.

The “XR Fall” project exemplifies this commitment and continues the AFV’s efforts in the digital arts field since 2019. Indeed, 2025 will mark the 6th edition of “V-Unframed,” an art and virtual reality exhibition featuring local and international XR artists, which attracts over 450 visitors each year, including the general public, XR professionals, and school groups, all hosted in a specially designed mediation space.

In 2021, the AFV partnered with local company KREIS Immersive to create ESPACE V, a unique VR platform dedicated to the distribution of 2D/3D content and 360° films. In the summer of 2024, the AFV officially opened its new building, which includes a 165-seat cinema, an art gallery and artists’ studios, as well as a permanent VR space within its media library, dedicated to the presentation of old and new VR content.

https://www.alliancefrancaise.ca/fr