Birmingham: Where are you feeling?
We presented the public showcase of Soul Paint, created by Sarah Ticho and Niki Smit in June 2026. Narrated by Rosario Dawson, the VR experience asks the question, ‘Where are you feeling?’
The multi-award-winning experience has received international recognition, including Best in Health and Wellness at Games for Change Festival 2024, the XR Experience Special Jury Award at SXSW 2024 and the Social Impact Award at Filmgate Interactive 2024. We’ve been lucky enough to have experienced Soul Paint at one of BOM’s immersive Arts Meet Ups, but this was the first time we were able to share it with a wider audience, with availability all day on Wednesday 24th June, 11am – 4.30pm, followed by a talk from Sarah and BOM until 7.30pm.
Soul Paint was presented by BOM as part of Healing Arts Birmingham, part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s global Healing Arts campaign in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and Birmingham City Council. The initiative responded directly to Birmingham’s core mission to improve health inequalities, increase cultural engagement in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and integrate creative practice into public health across the city.
What is Soul Paint?
Soul Paint is a virtual reality (VR) experience which combines 3D drawing, movement, playful interaction, storytelling and personal introspection. Blending traditional body mapping with the immersive power of VR, the project has been co-created by behavioural scientists, healthcare researchers and people with lived experience.
Participants were invited to wear a VR Headset and use 3D drawing tools to create expressive artwork that reflects their emotions and embodied sensations. The experience offers a rare opportunity to explore emotion, memory and the human experience through creativity and visual expression.
This is what makes Soul Paint really special, as each experience is personal, unique and often meaningful for each individual.
At the end of the session, each participant received their own digital artwork via email as an artefact of their experience. It’s a really wonderful experience that stays with people long after they leave. More information on the experience can be found at soulpaint.co.
Booking your experience
Experiencing Soul Paint is free. Time slots were available to book on Wednesday 24th June from 11am – 4.30pm. Places were limited required booking in advance.
Soul Paint lasts for approximately 50 mins for the full experience. The VR experience lasts 20 minutes, but additional time was required for onboarding and the post-experience reflection.
In conversation with Sarah Ticho and BOM
From 5.30pm – 7.30pm, Sarah Ticho discussed the research and creative development behind Soul Paint and the wider role of immersive technologies in enhancing health and wellbeing. She shared the creative process, the science underpinning the project and its findings and applications within healthcare and public engagement. We also shared more from BOM and our work within Immersive Arts. The talk was as a free event.
The public showcase took place during Healing Arts Birmingham (22nd – 26th June), a week-long, city-wide event in association with Jameel Arts & Health Lab, World Health Organisation and Birmingham City Council. The events across Birminghaml explored how arts, culture and heritage can positively transform health, wellbeing and social equity. We were proud to be involved!
Photography Credit: Thom Bartley
