On 26 March 2026 we said goodbye to our 2025-2026 generation of XR Talents. Each of them made a presentation about their work during their Playgrounds Next program and we got to listen to feedback and encouragements from their mentors.
In addition, we asked each of the talents to reflect on their trajectories. Below you can read more about how the Next program wrapped up for actress and hybrid maker Eva Zoë Heijnen.
During the Next XR Talent program Eva worked on Inside Yara. A location-based film experience in which the viewer, through the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl, experiences from the inside how boundary-crossing behaviour slowly unfolds. You can read more about the project as well as Eva’s initial plans for the program, in this interview we made at the start of her trajectory.
Message from Eva’s mentor: Vincent Morisset – director and founder of the studio AATOAA
“Eva has a fascinating background. I think all her past experiences will nourish what Eva will bring to this field. Working on these technological projects can sometimes be frustrating and feel like a maze but Eva handled things with curiosity and intelligence embracing new ideas and transforming them along the way.
Eva had a complex project dealing with an important subject and I think this medium and the way she was using the intimacy and cinematic vocabulary, will really help immerse people in her work.
I am really excited to see how her project will evolve and to continue working together even after the end of the program”
Interview with Eva:
How was the Next Talent program for you?
The program was very insightful and I’ve learnt a lot. The group was very diverse.
There was stuff that was well know to me, like dramaturgy in storytelling. But there were also many new things I’ve never heard of before. There were times when other artists in the group would say things like “With Unreal…. With Unity…” and I was “Sorry, with what?”. But they would always explain it to me, so I also valued their patience.
I also really liked all the trips we did. I never in my life experience as much VR as I experienced in the last couple of months.
Do you have a special memory from the program?
There are actually quite a few. I think one of the first highlights was all of us together in the forest, creating analogue experiences for each other. Creating immersiveness in nature. I think it was very nice for us and helped us bond as a group.
And we also experienced IDFA for a couple of days together. We saw a lot of VR projects but also a lot of different types of immersive productions. And we talked about them with each other. We also saw pitches of other creators. That was very insightful.
Another highlight from the program involves the two weekends we have spent at Ruimtetijd. We did a sleepover and we prototyped each other’s stuff. And while most of us have probably felt a bit of dread in the beginning thinking we were not ready yet for this step, being part of the beginning of this process for everybody’s projects was a very special experience. With the feedback we gave one another, with the potential we saw in each other’s works, I really started believing in all of our works. Even if your shy at first, when you start seeing the reactions of the other people in the group, you start to gain confidence in the things you’ve created. I really liked experiencing that.
Even today seeing the presentations of the people in the group I felt: “Wow, we’ve come so far in the last couple of months! I really feel proud of everybody!”
Anything you wished you would have know about the program before it started?
When you apply for the program, you apply with a project. So in the beginning I thought my trajectory was really going to be about prototyping it. But during the program I learnt that it can also be about you as an artist. For instance; I took the time to properly record my progress. Because normally I would make something that you could only see once, and then I still needed to tell and explain people about it. Nienke [our coordinator] suggested I invest time in the documentation of the project as well.
In addition, the fact that we were able to travel and see stuff and also use budget to buy tickets for immersive experiences, workshops and masterclasses, was a luxury that I didn’t know beforehand that I really liked.
What would you tell somebody that is just starting this program or that might be considering applying?
Growing as an artist can mean getting inspired by other artists. So use the program to see a lot of work / shows or visit the festivals you’ve always wanted to experience!
Stay in touch with Eva’s project by following her website.
Note: The answers of Eva and Vincent have been edited for readability purposes.