How can immersive or interactive storytelling help to bring awareness or discussion towards mental health?
How can this method of storytelling encourage others to share their stories or learn more about the range of mental health conditions?
These questions were the driving force behind Beyond Barriers: A VR Experience.
Beyond Barriers is an exploratory visual storytelling project, combining 360° content with web development to create an immersive web VR experience. Through a series of videos, viewers are transported into environments where they can see and hear first-hand accounts of living and coping with a mental illness, as told by the participants themselves.
The conversational narratives aim to encourage discussion and address the stigma that often surrounds mental illness. The website also provides a list of resources, should viewers feel inspired to reach out about their own mental health, or learn more about the wide range of mental health conditions.
DISCLAIMER: It is recommended that viewers watch the trailer upon first entering the site to understand the scope of content that will be covered across this series of videos. For mobile users, if you are unable to see the trailer on the website, you may view it here.