Wales Millennium Centre launches major immersive storytelling season with world-class VR and multi-sensory experiences
Wales Millennium Centre has unveiled an ambitious new immersive storytelling season, bringing an exciting programme of internationally acclaimed immersive art, virtual reality experiences and multi-sensory installations to Cardiff from July 2026 through to January 2027.
The new season showcases award-winning artists whose work has previously premiered at prestigious events including the Venice Biennale and Tribeca Festival, further cementing Cardiff's growing reputation as a destination for innovative arts and immersive culture.
The announcement came ahead of the inaugural Annwn Prize on 14 June, the world's first international award dedicated entirely to immersive storytelling. Created by Wales Millennium Centre in partnership with Crossover Labs, the prize forms part of the venue's wider ambition to become a leading centre for immersive and experiential work.
Looking further ahead, the organisation has also secured approval for a purpose-built immersive performance space, due to open in 2029/30. The venue will be the first of its kind in the UK, accommodating up to 500 seated or 750 standing visitors and designed specifically for immersive productions and experiential performances.
The 2026 programme features work from internationally recognised creators including pioneering UK studio Marshmallow Laser Feast, British artist collective ScanLAB Projects, Taiwanese theatre-maker Craig Quintero, Canadian XR director Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin, and immersive music collaborators Funilab and DROELOE.
David Massey, Senior Producer for Creative Technology and Storytelling at Wales Millennium Centre, said immersive storytelling is "one of the most exciting creative frontiers in the world right now", adding that the season explores how audiences connect with themselves, one another and the natural world through stories designed to be experienced from within.
He said the programme reflects the Centre's ambition to establish Wales as a home for internationally significant immersive work while connecting local audiences with artists from around the world.
Evolver opens the season
Evolver
Launching the programme is Evolver, running from 23 July to 30 August 2026.
Created by Marshmallow Laser Feast, the immersive experience takes audiences on a remarkable journey through the human body, following the path of oxygen to a single breathing cell. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, the experience explores the relationship between breath, life and our connection to the natural world.
The production combines immersive technology with science, meditation and storytelling, featuring music by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Meredith Monk, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Howard Skempton and Jon Hopkins.
Executive produced by Edward R. Pressman and Terrence Malick, Evolver offers visitors a unique sensory experience exploring consciousness, interconnectedness and humanity's relationship with nature.
Marshmallow Laser Feast Managing Director Eleanor (Nell) Whitley said the company was delighted to bring the installation to Cardiff, describing Wales as having a rich tradition of connecting people with nature through the arts.
She said the experience encourages audiences to step beneath the skin and discover how something as simple as breathing connects every living thing.
Exploring our changing planet
FRAMERATE: Pulse of the Earth
Running from 27 October 2026 until 10 January 2027, FRAMERATE: Pulse of the Earth offers another thought-provoking immersive experience.
Created by acclaimed artist collective ScanLAB Projects, the installation uses thousands of time-lapse scans of British landscapes to reveal environmental change unfolding over time. Combining multiple screens with an original immersive soundtrack, the work explores growth, erosion, climate change and humanity's impact on the natural world.
Blending architecture, science, art and data visualisation, the installation invites audiences to experience landscapes from an entirely new perspective.
ScanLAB Projects co-founder Matt Shaw said the work encourages visitors to think beyond everyday timescales, inviting them to experience geological, seasonal and tidal rhythms rather than focusing solely on human timescales.
He described the installation as moving between celebration, contemplation and reflection on landscapes that continue to evolve.
New VR Cinema brings award-winning international work to Cardiff
The immersive season will also introduce Wales Millennium Centre's new VR Cinema, with several experiences running between 28 September and 11 October during the international arts festival Llais.
Among the highlights is Just for You Trilogy, bringing together three acclaimed virtual reality films by Taiwanese director Craig Quintero. The collection explores memory, mortality and the blurred line between dreams and reality, placing audiences at the heart of each story.
Music and digital art combine in The Art of Change, a VR collaboration between Italian artist Funilab and Dutch composer DROELOE. Using voice recordings exchanged between past, present and future selves, the work explores identity, memory and personal transformation through hand-painted virtual environments.
Canadian XR artist Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin's Bodies of Water, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, takes visitors beneath the surface in an immersive underwater dance experience examining how the human body responds to water.
Meanwhile, Haunts, created by Lucy Hammond and Tom Chetwode-Barton, offers a distinctly Welsh story. Set in 2006 in Llanberis, the VR experience follows teenager Morgan, voiced by It's A Sin actor Callum Scott Howells, as he searches for belonging at a time when social media was beginning to reshape young people's lives.
Created in partnership with Wales Broadcast Archive and the Museum of Youth Culture, Haunts combines archive footage, Welsh landscapes and music by Super Furry Animals, John Cale and High Contrast to create a nostalgic coming-of-age experience.
Tickets for Evolver and FRAMERATE: Pulse of the Earth are on sale now through Wales Millennium Centre, with tickets for the VR Cinema experiences due to be released later this year. You can get your tickets here.
