How to process grief — in interactive virtual reality

Many interactive installations at the annual XR Experience at SXSW offer a mix of the experimental and the emotional. But in 2025, few offer a wilder ride on these two tracks than Traces: The Grief Processor, an interactive VR installation from Vali Fugulin and Couzin Films and supported by SODEC — a government agency that assists and promotes Québécois cultural intellectual properties.

Unlike many XR Experience projects that lean into spectacle, Traces is quiet and intimate. It’s a multi-user VR experience where four participants step into a space shaped by those who came before them.

And while Traces isn't a substitute for therapy, it is a unique, almost playful way to process your grief — no matter what kind of grief you happen to be experiencing.

Traces makes this clear right at the start, with a deeply personal choice. You’re asked to share a photo that stirs feelings of grief, whether that's a loved one, a lost moment, or something else entirely. You also enter a short phrase, something you’d tell yourself to ease that emotion.

These elements become a permanent part of Traces, layering on the experience with the echoes of previous users. "During the pandemic, as I grappled with profound grief, I found myself yearning for connection, yet unsure how to express my sorrow," Fugulin says in a statement.

Fugulin says Traces isn’t about mourning recent losses; she even cautions against using photos of someone who just passed. But that didn’t stop attendees from being visibly moved. One teary-eyed user thanked Fugulin and producer Ziad Touma after the session.

And while I haven’t faced a major loss recently, I still found myself caught up in the experience. My contribution was a photo of my cat, because I felt guilty leaving him to attend SXSW.

Others shared snapshots from past vacations or younger versions of themselves — grieving not just people but places, memories, and versions of their own lives that no longer exist. And that’s the point.

As Fugulin puts it, grief isn’t just about death. It’s about change, about time, about the things we can’t get back. And in Traces, those fragments of loss become something new — woven together in a virtual space where grief isn’t just personal but shared.

The journey of Traces is led by Fugulin and her longtime friend, Quebecois actor and ritualist Stéphane Crête. The pair craft a documentary-style VR experience that feels both intimate and immersive — a rare combination at SXSW.

Without giving too much away, Traces invites you into something personal, reflective, and unexpectedly moving. You won’t walk away disappointed — and you might just learn something about yourself in the process.