Explore the world of virtual reality at this year's XR:WA expo and conference

Immerse yourself in a world of virtual and augmented reality at the annual XR:WA free conference and expo. Over three days in September, the XR:WA event will take over the Perth Cultural Centre showcasing the ideas, works, technology and constantly evolving environment of VR, AR and the digital screen industry.

The XR:WA program is unlike any other screen-based expo in Australia featuring industry talks and panels from local, national and even international guests.

The event is spread across multiple venues within the Perth Cultural Centre including the WA Museum Boola Bardip, the State Library of Western Australia, PICA and the Alex Hotel. The entire event is free and available to everyone in the public. XR:WA also presents trade exhibitions and workshops with keynote speakers delving into the immersive and digital screen-based forms of art, entertainment, education and training, science and research and business.

To kick off the event the WA State Library will host an Industry Day where the local immersive sector will show off their wares with a special VR and immersive field day allowing the public to speak directly with developers and companies forging new directions in this exciting area.

Other program highlights include:

• Code-A-Story Workshop: a family-friendly workshop where you’ll learn to program a robot to map out a story
• Reflections of Iwanoff: created as part of the WA Reflections partnership with Screenwest, this innovative new work brings the original plans of a mid-20th century brutalist design of renowned West Australian architecture icon, Iwan Iwanoff, to life via 3D rendering and a bespoke home tour by Restoration Australia host Stuart Harrison
• Unknown Pleasures - Immersive Tech in Care: a panel discussion exploring the extraordinary leaps and bounds of immersive technology and applications in health and healthcare
• Social innovation - Closing the Divide: a panel discussion exploring the impact of limited access to digital technologies in a digital age
• Deepfake: a panel discussion exploring speech-to-speech voice cloning in screen culture
• Game Narratives to Cinema Stories: a panel discussion exploring the journey of computer game stories to film with Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid

Another highlight is the enormously popular Games and Experience emporium which encourages the exploration of VR and AR technology and features VR/AR experiences, live untethered VR team gameplay and a 360-degree cinema showcasing a range of local and international cinematic works.

XR:WA is not just a celebration of what is being achieved by local tech organisations in our very own backyard. The expo will showcase the current and future capabilities of technology, inspiring a new generation of creatives to explore the world of possibilities in VR, AR, immersive technology and gaming.

XR:WA will take place from September 17-19 in the Perth Cultural Centre.

Explore more upcoming festivals and expos in Perth

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