Soul Paint Goes Global: Sarah Ticho's XR Healing Experience Captivates the World

Multi-award-winning artist Sarah Ticho has taken her immersive experience Soul Paint to the world stage - from SXSW to the UN and Downing Street. Here she reflects on the journey so far and what’s next.

Meet Sarah Ticho

I am an artist, producer and curator across immersive storytelling, science and wellbeing. I studied social and biological anthropology and Japanese at university and have always been fascinated by the overlap of science, culture and society. Just as I was graduating, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died a few months after. I was devastated - not just by his loss - but by how much it fragmented my family, and how incapable it felt like we all were of finding ways to make sense of our loss, and rebuild our lives around it.

“You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping of language” Chimamanda Ngozi

It was around this time I began volunteering at Fabrica, an arts organisation in Brighton, which was my introduction to immersive art. I was invigilating a piece called The Blue Route by Karrina Kaikonnen; standing in the gallery underneath a gargantuan installation made of donated shirts, exploring the experience of grief and loss, people talked to me about their own experiences. It was then I realised that art was one of the most powerful ways for us to not just reflect on our own lives and stories, but a way to start conversation with others - particularly around topics that may be stigmatised or considered taboo. Eventually, I moved into film and fell in love with storytelling - particularly more experimental approaches. It was during my time working in film, I had a psychotic episode. I remember sitting opposite a psychologist, trying to tell my story, and just like when I lost my dad, feeling lost for words. How do you explain what happens when the gears of your reality shift that profoundly? Experiences like psychosis make you doubt your own sense of self, and how other people see you. Before it happened I had this very different idea of what the experience would be like and what kind of person it would affect. I became fascinated with how I could help people understand my own experience or those of other people - and then I discovered virtual reality.

This was 2016, often described as the golden era of VR - projects like PERSPECTIVES (Rose Troche), CLOUDS OVER SIDRA (Gabo Arora and Chris Milk), and COLLISIONS (Lynette Wallworth) were emerging - and people were exploring the ways that XR could shine a light on new forms of lived experience, creativity and compassion. It was also during this time that I also discovered the therapeutic uses of VR, and how it can be used to reduce pain, manage anxiety or even help train healthcare professionals. During my research, I met Professor Katherine Boydell, who introduced to an arts and health research method called bodymapping - an approach that invites people to trace around their body and visually translate how they feel. I became fascinated with how bringing it into VR, and turn it into a tool where people could draw with a range of animated drawing tools spatially and create a growing archive of testimonies. I also became a curator for an arts and mental health festival in Australia, became a researcher at Stanford University, spending time with their Virtual Reality and Immersive Technologies (VRIT) group. In 2018, I returned to the UK to start my own company, as well as working to shine a light on the other XR and healthcare projects developing in the UK.

I ran the first XR healthcare conference in the UK on XR and healthcare, as well as other events and exhibitions across the country. In 2020, I co-led on the development of a report titled The Growing Value of XR in Healthcare, which led to £20m government investment into immersive technology for mental health. Through my role as co-director of the XR Health Alliance, I continue to support other projects in the XR healthcare space. I also sit on the Global Mental Health Task Force - a new advisory group to the United Nations, supporting strategies for games to help improve mental health globally.

Across the years, I’ve been continuing to expand the project - trying to find the identity of the piece - as something that sits between research, health and wellbeing - and an artistic experience. In 2024, we finally released the experience at SXSW: Soul Paint.

Soul Paint is a virtual reality experience narrated by actor and activist Rosario Dawson. She guides you through the story, inviting you to reflect on either how you feel today or a memory you’d like to explore. You can visualise these feelings by locating them and drawing them on the body using a range of 3D drawing tools. Each audience member can generate their own drawings, describe and embody them - before meeting the artworks of others who have gone before them. The experience is generating an ever-expanding archive of embodied stories, from love to loss, menstrual cramps to back pain.

This year the piece premiered at SXSW, winning the XR Experience Special Jury Award, Games for Change Best Health and Wellness, Kaohsiung Film Festivals' XR Special Mention, VX Award at Dokumentale, Berlin and Best Social Impact at Miami FilmGate. We opened our first public exhibition in January as part of The Observatory, presented in partnership with suicide prevention charity The Campaign Against Living Miserably and Eastern City. The exhibition was fully booked before doors opened, and we received glowing reviews.

Me and the British Council

The British Council has truly taken me around the earth this year! In October 2025, I was lucky to attend SXSW Sydney in my role as Future Art and Culture Ambassador via a British Council partnership with British Underground. I was on the jury for the XR Competition and participated in a number of talks across the city including a special British Council panel at UK House in Sydney, alongside Marc Boothe, B3 Media, BBC Click’s Nick Kwek, and Kartini Ludwig of Koup Music.

We were whisked to a rather spectacular VIP reception at the British Embassy overlooking Sydney Harbour, rubbing shoulders with some of the incredible acts playing at the festival including The Lottery Winners (previously Robbie William’s support act). Returning to Sydney, where Soul Paint first started, felt like a full circle moment, and it was really special not just to be part of the festival but to reconnect with the people that supported me on that journey including Prof Katherine Boydell at the Black Dog Institute, who first introduced me to bodymapping.

From SXSW, I popped up to show Soul Paint at Byron Bay Film Festival, who kindly arranged for me to stay with the 1965 USA surf champion, and local legend, Rusty Miller, who still hits the surf. I then headed across the globe, all the way to New York City where British Council put me on stage at a unique event at the United Nations Headquarters.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Summit had 180 thought leaders, decision makers and policymakers from over 130 organisations, and 15 countries in attendance. Led by Games for Change, the day was focussed on exploring opportunities for cross sector collaboration, looking at concrete strategies and best practices to advance the SDGs.

We had a special installation of Soul Paint in the arcade, showcasing the piece and our accompanying archive to some of the most influential people across the United Nations, as well as key figures from Hasbro to YouTube, Planned Parenthood to the Geena Davis Institute and the incredible Anjali Bhimani (Overwatch, Apex Legends, Modern Family) pictured below.

UNITED NATIONS GAMES AND SDG SUMMIT

It was a once in a lifetime experience showing Soul Paint at the UN. Knowing just where the project originated from - and to be standing with some of the most influential people across policy and media felt unreal. However, this was important not just to bask in the glory of what we have created but knowing that this really is just the beginning. Our intention with the piece is to expand beyond festivals and online stores to create real world long-lasting impact; particularly as immersive experiences haven’t yet cracked clear routes to distribution, then strategic partnerships with organisations aligned with our goals are absolutely critical. We intend to expand the piece and its ambition across public exhibition, bringing into educational contexts and healthcare so it was also a key moment to meet with key stakeholders and potential future partners. The day was thoughtfully curated with playful activities, key note presentations and practical roundtable discussions for uncovering critical next steps for enabling collaborations that can help unlock impact across the sector. Our panel, titled Reshaping the Narrative: The Power of Interactive Storytelling, featured female game designers including Karen Stritzinger (Old Hara Studios), Lindsay Watson (Augment Therapy) and Kara Reyes (Anima Interactive), moderated by Tai Wingfield (Inclusion and Social Impact Global Lead, Unity).

Games for Change is an incredible organisation that’s extremely proactive in supporting projects and has been a long term advocate for our work. We left with some really exciting new relationships and potential partnerships. One of the national organisations we met there showed Soul Paint in Washington DC on election day to help people reflect on their emotional states, and we are exploring expanding on new collaborations in the new year.

THE FUTURE

It was fascinating to see the range of responses and enthusiasm for the piece, and are continuing conversations with a range of stakeholders, as well as continuing to sit on the Global Mental Health Task Force to help inform global policies on the role of games in improving mental health. I am so excited we got to premiere our first exhibition in London in 2025, in partnership with Creative Giants, Eastern City and The Campaign Against Living Miserably. The exhibition opened on Blue Monday, statistically the most depressing day of the year in hopes of shining some light during a difficult time.

We have big ambitions for the project, and are currently seeking partners, venues, and funders for the next phase. This includes an expanded touring piece, co-developed in partnership with our science and research partners; a mobile version for schools, community and corporate spaces; and our first hospital pilot to support patients to communicate the complex interplay of emotions, pain and bodily sensations.

You can follow Soul Paint on Instagram at @soulpaint.co or via soulpaint.co.uk

And you can follow me on IG @sarahticho or on LinkedIn