The Immersive Days 2025, held on March 4 and 5 in Luxembourg City, explored immersive technologies and their intersection with art, culture, and society. This two-day conference, organized by Film Fund Luxembourg in collaboration with the Luxembourg City Film Festival and PHI Montreal, brought together international experts, professionals, and artists active in the XR industry to discuss the latest developments and challenges in the field and underscore Luxembourg’s growing prominence in the immersive arts and virtual reality (VR) sectors.
This year’s conference delivered again a programme open to the general public and provided an opportunity to engage directly with the creators behind the immersive works featured in the Immersive Pavilion 2025.
Lectures and round tables started on March 4, and they were hosted at the Cercle Cité, gathered for professionals and the general public, mainly featuring creators whose works were exhibited at this year’s Immersive Pavilion. Discussions were centred around their unique creative processes, reflecting on their fictional and personal stories, translated to immersive content, and where the challenges presented during the ideation, production and distribution process were discussed.
The second day, held at Neumünster, was reserved for industry professionals and delved into more technical and forward-looking topics within the XR industry. This day fostered international exchanges and promoted peer networking among professionals. Discussions during day 2 covered the current challenges in the preservation of digital content, funding opportunities for XR projects showcasing the German Regional funding system, and last but most important, the impact of AI technology on immersive experiences was discussed in a panel titled “AI/XR: The Future of AI for Immersive and Virtual Arts”.
Among the guests of this year’s programme, we found Stéphane Hueber-Blies and Nicolas Blies, directors of “Ceci est mon cœur“, François Vautier director of “Champ de Bataille” awarded “Best Immersive Experience” at this year’s Immersive Pavilion, and Octavian Mot, director of “AI & Me: The Confessional and AI Ego“, a thought-provoking installation that explores the intricate relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.
Mot’s work invites participants into an intimate dialogue with an AI entity, challenging them to reflect on themes of identity, consciousness, and the evolving dynamics between human and machine. The installation was a highlight of the Immersive Pavilion 2025, showcasing the potential of AI to create deeply personal and immersive art experiences.
While “AI & Me” offers an introspective exploration of human-AI interaction of an artistic nature, it was impossible not to draw parallels to VOX Reality’s AI Agent, representing a more utilitarian and non-intrusive application of AI in immersive environments. VOX Reality’s AI Agent is designed to enhance user experiences in virtual spaces by providing responsive and adaptive interactions, serving roles ranging from virtual assistants to dynamic characters within virtual narratives, while “AI & Me” creates its narrative by “perceiving” users while completely unbound to the industry standard “rules of engagement” with humans, resulting in answers and interactions that can come across as cunning and raw, while leaving the user to deal with his sense of humour. Brilliant!
The juxtaposition of “AI & Me” and VOX Reality’s AI Agent underscores the diverse applications of AI agents in today’s technological landscape. On one hand, AI is leveraged as a medium for artistic expression, prompting users to engage in self-reflection and philosophical inquiry. On the other hand, AI serves practical functions, improving user engagement and functionality within virtual environments. This duality highlights the versatility of AI agents and their growing significance across various domains.
In conclusion, Immersive Days 2025 in Luxembourg City successfully bridged the gap between art and technology, providing a platform for meaningful discussions and showcasing pioneering works in the field of immersive experiences. The event not only highlighted the current state of immersive art and technology but also set the stage for future innovations, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the country’s significant contribution to the international immersive production landscape, a success largely attributed to the strategic initiatives of the Film Fund Luxembourg.
Manuel Toledo - Head of Production at VRDays Foundation
Manuel Toledo is a driven producer and designer with over a decade of experience in the arts and creative industries. Through various collaborative projects, he merges his creative interests with business research experience and entrepreneurial skills. His multidisciplinary approach and passion for intercultural interaction have allowed him to work effectively with diverse teams and clients across cultural, corporate, and academic sectors.
Starting in 2015, Manuel co-founded and produced the UK’s first architecture and film festival in London. Since early 2022, he has led the production team for Immersive Tech Week at VRDays Foundation in Rotterdam and serves as the primary producer for the XR Programme at De Doelen in Rotterdam. He is also a founding member of ArqFilmfest, Latin America’s first architecture and film festival, which debuted in Santiago de Chile in 2011. In 2020, Manuel earned a Master’s degree from Rotterdam Business School, with a thesis focused on innovative business models for media enterprises. He leads the VRDays Foundation’s team’s contributions to the VOXReality project.
