WoW Woman in VR | Sarah Ticho, Founder of Hatsumi VR
Interview by Marija Butkovic
Sarah Ticho has spent her career working across the interdisciplinary arts as a producer, curator and researcher. She is the founder of Hatsumi, a research and design studio that works at the intersection of arts, health and immersive technology to develop experiences that challenge how we think and feel about the world and imagine the future of health and wellbeing. She is a freelance producer with Explore Deep, an artist led, clinically validated meditative virtual reality experience controlled by breathing. Sarah is the Healthcare Lead at Immerse UK, supporting the virtual reality and healthcare sector across the UK, and in her spare time is training to become a death doula, a non-medical support to people going through the end of life process.
Sarah, what is the idea behind your project / idea and how did you come up with it?
In 2017, I was a Virtual Reality (VR) curator at The Big Anxiety Festival - an arts and mental health festival based at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. During this time, I met an incredible researcher and Professor called Katherine Boydell, who introduced me to an arts and health research method called body mapping. Body mapping enables people to visually communicate the embodied experience of pain and mental health conditions through drawing. Traditionally, participants trace around their body on a large piece of paper and begin to consider how to visually translate the embodied experience of pain and mental health conditions through onto the paper. It is used extensively as a tool to make sense of your own experience and communicate it to others. Being involved in VR already, I could see how this could be translated into a virtual reality experience, using 3D drawing and spatial environments to enhance the potential, accessibly and impact, and explore the embodiment of sensory experience through an immersive platform. I decided to develop it into a PhD application, which ended up being unsuccessful. Disappointed, I continued to explore how I could develop this without an academic institution behind me. I pitched the idea at a VR and Wellness Hackathon at Google Launchpad in San Francisco in 2018, to which I received a surprisingly positive response. I was utterly over the moon to have received several awards for it and decided to move back to the UK and pursue the idea as a business. I felt that starting the company as a business would give me the space and freedom to explore the various applications of the idea, and create wider impact by creating it as a publicly available tool.
When did it all start and do you have other members in your team?
I guess that officially, it started when I moved back to the UK and established Hatsumi as a company (it’s our two year anniversary this week), but there were many moments leading up to that. I'd say it all started 6 years ago, in 2014 when I had my first (and thus far, only) experience of psychosis. It was like living in this alternate reality that utterly shifted my perception of the world and how I came to think about mental health. It was the frustration of going through the mental health system that fired me up to explore how you could use the arts, virtual reality and storytelling to communicate experience. I formally took the plunge into moving into VR when I started working with the Big Anxiety Festival, and through a series of lucky introductions was invited to curate an exhibition and undertake some research with them..It took time for me to work out my place, where in the world I wanted to be and learn more about this new emerging medium. I moved to the US after the festival and began working with a researcher at Stanford University, supporting a cross-cultural research study on the sensory experience of communicating with God. Conducting many qualitative interviews, trying to comprehend extraordinary experiences helped to really hone in my idea. During this time I was also in close contact with the Stanford Psychiatry and Immersive Technology Lab, who introduced me to some really fascinating research that they and the Virtual Human Interaction Lab were running. Having this time and space to learn from the experts, and meetings with industry professionals in Silicon valley really helped me work out where I wanted my place to be.
Following the hackathon I first pitched at, someone approached me and offered to help me develop a prototype, which we created in a one day development sprint. Not long after, I moved back to the UK in May 2018, I received a residency at VR co-working space, The Fusebox, Brighton, and was accepted onto an accelerator program and received mentoring from various industry experts. That was really the launchpad into becoming a business. At the moment I am the sole full time member of the team, but I work with a series of collaborators and partners. This helps the business be agile - however, I’m now looking into expanding the team in the coming months.
How long did it take you to be where you are now?
Every experience you have and decision you make has led you to where you are now. For me, learning about mental health, contemporary art, film and studying anthropology, feel relevant to my work, and virtual reality was a way of bringing together these interests. However, my journey turned out very differently to what I’d initially anticipated. During the accelerator programme, I was surprised that so many people were sceptical about the therapeutic impact of VR, and seemed to dismiss the idea that a hospital would be willing to invest in virtual reality. I diverted somewhat from working full time on creating Hatsumi the platform, and began looking at what support the VR healthcare industry needs in the UK. I’ve been working closely with Immerse UK the last couple of years to explore how virtual reality can more systematically and strategically find a place within the healthcare industry, and how we can bring together startups, creatives, games companies, academics and healthcare professionals to achieve this. I don’t think I’ve necessarily ‘arrived’ anywhere yet, there’s still plenty more work to do. Especially, with the current COVID crisis, this has really highlighted the importance of digital technology, including in how to deliver remote therapies, and create an embodied sense of intimacy and connection when far from loved ones.
What was the biggest obstacle?
Working at the intersection of art, research, start-up world and healthcare - it's hard to find an identity and a place to feel truly at home. We need to create new models for collaboration, that supports everyone involved in the process, fairly supports all the stakeholders in this field, and finds a common language between everyone. What is exciting about this space of art, tech and health is that whilst much work has gone on for years when it comes to VR - this is all new territory. We need regulation, standardisation, ethics frameworks and funding models that support everyone involved in the process. Therefore, my other work with Immerse UK has been such a delight, as we've been exploring how this can be overcome. However, it’s still very early days and this is an ongoing obstacle many of us are facing.
Beyond the limitation of access to funding, my other biggest obstacle is my ADHD. I find it so hard to sit still at a computer all day, I need variety, people, conversation, and breaks from technology. I’m learning more and more to treat my ADHD like the tides, and accept that sometimes, when the tide is in, there are some activities I’m better at, and when the tide is out, I can work on tasks that fit that mindset. However, I also see this as a gift, and know that my curiosity and open-mindedness is also likely the reason why I do what I do, and am where I am. And sometimes, if it’s not working that day to be a little bit kinder to myself. It seems silly to compromise your mental health when working to create things that help other people with their mental health. I want to practice what I preach.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
Last year, I was invited to run a body mapping workshop at Fabrica Gallery, Brighton. Fabrica is a former Regency Church and arts organisation that commissions site-specific installations. Just after my Dad passed away in 2013, I began volunteering there, which then led to my first job in the arts. Fabrica was my first introduction to immersive art experiences - feeling consumed by a piece of art, that you can play with, be inside, discuss and return to. That introduction to the creative process, being involved in discussions about life and loss, and how science and art came together was so vital in my own journey. So, to be invited back after all those years, from being an office manager to a workshop leader where I got to both talk about virtual reality, and get people to make huge glorious paintings and get really messy felt incredibly special. It was a nice moment to take stock and realise how much has happened in the last 6 years.
What are the projects you are currently working on within your company?
I've recently kicked off a new project called VulVR. VulVR creates and curates interactive transmedia content that explores female sexual education, health and pleasure, predominantly with WebVR (virtual reality available via the web). With content made by, with, and for those who identify as womxn, VulVR delivers playful, compelling, informative and accessible content that empowers womxn to take control of their sexuality and wellbeing. Released episodically, each chapter is developed with a domain expert and a diverse group of womxn who support in the co-design process. I'm so chuffed to be working with some incredible women on this, including Creative Technologist Indira Knight, and Clinical psychologist, Dr. Jessica Stone to create it. Through this journey I’m learning so much about the female experience, from periods to the menopause and communication and consent - things I really wished I’d known long ago. We’re still in the early stages, but do watch this space.
What will be the key trends in the AR/VR industry in the next 5 years and where do you see it heading?
Naturally, training and education has had a lot of attention, and rightly so – it’s a powerful tool to teach people and bring them into environments that would otherwise be impossible. It will definitely be applied more and more as the cost of headsets comes down. Physical distancing is unlikely to go away anytime soon, so it makes sense to deliver training this way. Of course, I’m going to say that I anticipate a big boom in mental and physical health in VR. Even prior to COVID, early 2020 already demonstrated a huge area of investment into mental health technology, but in the wake of this new era, there is going to be a huge need for support for the tsunami of mental health conditions that result from COVID, and the pressure on those working in healthcare cannot be sustained. I hope that during this process, we can find novel ways to connect the somewhat affluent games industry with healthcare that can both deliver remote therapies to those who need it the most, and act as a tool for preventative care. By empowering people to take control of their health early, I hope that we can reduce the chances of illnesses and conditions worsening.
I anticipate new innovations around the perhaps less clinical areas of technology around intimacy, connection and mental wellbeing. Being distant from loved ones and partners, and finding ways to create meaningful connections with people. Since the lockdown has happened, people are becoming so creative with how they share and communicate with people - and are also investing a lot more into pleasure and sex toys. I’m really interested to see what innovations emerge from the sex and pleasure industry, and how we can protect people like sex workers that are moving their work to online.
Finally, it always perplexed me that people will fly across the world and spend extraordinary amounts to attend dry conferences. VR conferencing is still finding its feet, but I feel is really demonstrating that we should use our time to travel purposefully, and that if we get the technology right - there are times we can still enjoy a lot of that connection from the home. And that, by doing this we can improve accessibility and attendance for those that perhaps do not have the funds, or physical ability to travel.
What are the challenges of being a female founder and entrepreneur in AR/VR?
That 1% of all companies invested in are female leads. There's also a lot of people running online conferences and 'top 25 people in VR lists' and so many of them are not including women, and lack any form of diversity. This issue isn’t unique to VR, and it’s not unique to women either. We need to have greater diversity across race, neurodiversity and also consider that most people that work in this industry come from a lot of privilege.
I'm so grateful for organisations like WoW, the XR Diversity Initiative, led by Nina Salomons (she’s incredible, you should totally follow her), The Women in XR Venture Fund (I’m also very grateful to be mentored by Amy LaMeyer who is the managing partner there), and research like the Vision for Women in VR Report by University of Brighton, Kings College and Limina Immersive. It was released 2 years ago but is still so relevant.
What is the most important piece of advice you can give to all female founders and female entrepreneurs in AR/VR out there?
If there's someone you want to speak to or want support from - email them, tweet them, see if you can arrange a call. The biggest breaks I've had in my life come from some of the terrifying moments where I acted more boldly than I thought I had the capacity to. Plus I’d say the majority of people in the area I work in are really lovely and willing to support and share. I know that I constantly undervalue myself and my work and I am continuing to practice clearly articulating what I want - including support, money and resources.
Take risks, don’t be afraid to do something different - and learn about the things that make you feel uncomfortable. I try to remind myself how special the time is that we have now, and don’t want to reach the end of my life with regrets, as hard as it often feels, do the thing you want to do now.
Who are your 3 inspirational women in AR/VR?
Blimey, there are so many out there. I’ve enjoyed that so many people I work with are good friends and incredible collaborators. I love that there is a sense of authentic, mutual support.
Ma'f Alvarez – VR artist, educator, passionate thinker and amazing mother.
Dee Harvey – incredible immersive media writer and storyteller behind If.
Rosie Collins – Creative director of The Fred company, she sees the world in a beautiful way, and connects art, science and humour.
Follow Sarah on:
Twitter: @SarahTicho
Instagram: @hatsumiVR
Website: Hatsumi VR
This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic.