Kathleen Cohen – Narrative Architecture vs. Virtual Worldbuilding
Narrative Architecture vs. Virtual Worldbuilding
We will discuss how we hack feelings of safety and happiness in themed attractions as Experience Designers and how these core principles could be considered in virtual world-building and/or the Metaverse. Also, not just via gaming, how community based spaces, placemaking, and urban development are fundamental in how we build our future narratives.
Kathleen Cohen
Tech Humanist, XR Strategist
Kathleen Cohen is a Tech Humanist and an XR Immersive Strategist with over 25 years of building user and guest experiences. Kathleen’s background includes working as an artist and creative producer for DreamWorks Interactive, IBM Centers for Innovation, and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. Kathleen also was the former Vice President of Digital Innovation & Integration for the National Constitution Center, helping to tell the contemporary story of the U.S. Constitution. In addition, Kathleen sits on the Advisory Board of holoride (Munich), a spinout of Audi innovation, think VR in your car. For the past four years, Kathleen also has been the Jury Chair and Keynote speaker for the AUREA Award, a dedicated conference focusing on excellence in immersive entertainment, hosted by Europa-Park, Europe’s 2nd largest themed attraction.
Kathleen’s consultancy, the Collaboratorium, focuses on XR research, XR Strategy/Production, and Public Engagement. Kathleen was recently speaking at the Milken Global Conference alongside Deepak Chopra, taking a look into the Metaverse. Her latest talks are Being Human, Becoming Human and Beyond Human, IRL vs. XR, The Future and Present Converge(s), and Meet Your Digital Twin, a talk about the land rush to recreating humans.
Kathleen recently completed the 1st immersive artist-in-residence project for an NEA-funded Arts Organization, Surel’s Place, working alongside the University of Idaho's Virtual Technology & Design Research Lab and BlackBox VR with key learnings from Indigenous Science and the Neurodivergent communities.
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Upcoming Salon Conversations

Sarah E. McDonald – Cancer: How we show up for others in crisis
Mar 29, 2023 04:00 PM in Pacific Time
Jennifer Karapetian – Imprisoned in a web of trauma
Apr 19, 2023 04:00 PM in Pacific Time
Dr. Philippa Hardman – The AI Education Revolution is Coming – or is it?
May 3, 2023 12:00 PM in Pacific Time
Matthew Chang – A Teen Climate Activist’s Perspective on the Cumulative Power of Action
May 17, 2023 04:00 PM in Pacific Time
Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD – The Long Road to Awareness: Breaking down barriers in long covid research
May 31, 2023 04:00 PM in Pacific Time
William Skinner – California doesn’t have a water problem – it has a storage and distribution deficiency.
Jun 14, 2023 04:00 PM in Pacific Time