Immersive Narrative Design (featuring Shapeshifter) with Ruth Mariner

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The presentation and Q&A of this event will be recorded and shared online afterwards. The workshop will not be shared. If you are included as a participant in the presentation sections and would rather not be identifiable please contact us and we will ensure you are not visible in the online recording.

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True immersive worldbuilding is about how we combine story, space, and audience to create meaning. In this talk, narrative designer and creative director Ruth Mariner (she/her) explores how spatial, emotional, and interactive forms of immersion can combine to make storytelling deeply felt.

Drawing on project Shapeshifter, Ruth unpacks how environment, character, embodiment, and interaction work together to tell a story. Shapeshifter is a collaborative, location-based VR experience that explores queer identity through the Celtic figure of the Púca — a shapeshifting nature spirit — blending folklore, lived experience hugely informed by co-creator Maggie Bain (they/them), and scientific insights into the fluidity of sex and gender in nature.

Through case studies from Shapeshifter and other XR works, Ruth focuses on:

1. Environment – the world as a storytelling container, not a backdrop.
2. Character – beings that react and evolve through player interaction.
3. Presence, Immersion, and Embodiment – designing how participants experience themselves within the story world.
4. Interaction – ensuring the world meaningfully responds to the audience’s presence and actions.

She explores the importance of aesthetic and mechanic serving the story, how her theatrical background shapes her approach, and space design. In Shapeshifter, audiences get to experience transformation – as beings through avatars, in the spaces they inhabit, and through feelings exploring identity.

Ruth’s presentation will be followed by a short Q&A, allowing participants to ask questions about the work and process. The session concludes with a workshop exercise, where participants are prompted to consider and respond to some key questions, applicable to their own/ example stories, which they hope to develop into immersive experiences.

BIO

Ruth is a creative director and narrative designer, creating story-driven experiences within immersive technology (extended, virtual and augmented reality), and video games.

She is an award-winning writer and director in opera and immersive theatre. Career highlights include Creative Director of the BBC Dream Prom, as well as writing & directing roles for Royal Academy of Music, The Royal Opera House & English National Opera. She has created experiences for museums & communities including The Museum of London, The Eden Project & British Red Cross. Her projects have been featured on BBC Radio 3, ITV and Channel 4 news.

Ruth now creates experiences on the intersection of theatre, video games and film. As a narrative designer, she interweaves narrative with other media in ways that elevate the unique qualities of each form, creating powerful storytelling experiences. As a creative director, she uses her love of bold concepts and understanding of environmental storytelling to create impact and immersion.

Recent clients include XR Stories, indie game studio Idoz & Phops, and Aardman Animations.

Questions/Suggestions: Contact toki[dot]allison[at]gmail[dot]com