International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 each year to highlight the achievements of women all over the world.
Every day I’m introduced to brilliant women who are pushing boundaries in the immersive space and creating the future. To mark International Women’s Day, I wanted to highlight a few of these creators that inspire me and my team.
Sally Slade, LA, California
As the lead AR/VR developer at LA-based Magnopus, Slade envisions crossovers between the digital and physical worlds—then she makes them a reality. She started her career in the visual effects industry but got hooked on VR after trying Tilt brush and painting in 3D.
Slade has released four titles to Microsoft HoloLens including Muralize, an app that projects holographic images that users can trace to make large-scale art. Slade was also a developer on the Emmy-nominated experiences Mission: ISS and Coco VR.
Amy Robinson Sterling, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Robinson is the Executive Director of EyeWire and Neo, games to map the brain. EyeWire crowdsources neuroscience. It challenges hundreds of thousands of players around the world to solve 3D puzzles and map out neurons, allowing neuroscientists to chart synaptic connections among neurons and begin to decipher the mysteries of how we see. EyeWire is the first of many games that will invite the world to make discoveries about how the brain works.
Under Robinson’s leadership, EyeWire’s neuroscience visualizations have appeared at TED, the United Nations and in Times Square NYC. She produced the world’s first neuroscience virtual reality experience and curates the NIH 3D Print Exchange Neuroscience collection.
Chantal Matar, London, England
London-based architect and designer, Matar has collaborated with International Architectural firms, such as The Prince’s Foundation, Anouska Hempel Design, and Bernard Khoury Architects.
Since 2018, Matar has been working at Zaha Hadid Architects as a Senior Designer, overseeing high-end international projects in different stages. Recently, she has grown an interest in generative and new media art and has participated in various video mapping competitions as a means of artistic expression.
Anna Zhilyaeva, Marseille, France
Zhilyaeva is a virtual reality artist. She uses Tilt Brush to entertain, inspire and break the boundaries of traditional art. Recently, she opened Worldskills 2019 in Kazan with a virtual reality painting performance. She applies her background in traditional art to create 3D work, with a mission to evoke “mystery and love”. Clients and partners have included HTC Vive, Google, IBM, and Microsoft. Her work can be found on her YouTube channel.
Sara Thacher, Glendale, California
Thacher is a creative director and experience designer making immersive and playful experiences for Walt Disney Imagineering. Her adventures often meander between the physical and digital.
Before Disney, Thacher worked as an independent designer and producer working with clients such as No Mimes Media, Thomas Dolby, ZER01 and Meet Gatsby. She was also the Lead Producer and Experience Designer for the alternate reality game The Jejune Institute.
The theme for this year’s IWD is #EachforEqual, focusing on creating a world that is gender equal that enables economies and communities to thrive. If you’d like to get involved with supporting the IWD Community, head over to the website.
