Hannah Oliver's SXSW journey
Leaning into the Wind
We stepped out of Austin airport in the fading light to a ferocious and distinctly cold wind. The first of many defied expectations. Strangely poetic, especially once the Texan weather swapped that buffeting extreme for 32 degrees of desert dry, it feels to me now like an emblem for the festival. How you dance—perpetually surprised, leaning into the wind, but also trying to allow it to take you where it will.
My phone notes were already filled with a chaotic amalgam of new apps and Austin's best watering holes, courtesy of a 5-hour conversation with my airplane neighbor. SXSW started in Heathrow—and even after the official closing on March 15th, it still hasn't stopped.
The best advice I received beforehand was to drink water. The second best was to have a plan, but not to stick to it. Gary, Jay and I were at SXSW for the immersive sector, courtesy of B3 Media and British Underground's Future Art and Culture Programme. The first few days were spent mainly in the Fairmont Hotel, where the immersive expo created a tight, fizzy market for watching, absorbing, conversing—and queuing.
I learned so much not just from exposure to varying forms of storytelling, but also from the surreal experience of taking off a headset and finding yourself in intimate conversation with the creators themselves. There was a distinct openness to the festival, facilitating both technical questions and philosophical discussions. Over the week, I felt myself becoming more comfortable engaging with people about their work; realizing that perhaps I could have something of value to share in return.
Many attending US citizens described SXSW as a bubble—not indicative of the national sociopolitical climate. Most immersive experiences either reckoned with the complex current climate or offered moments of release.
In The Current Of Being tells the story of Carolyn, who underwent electroshock conversion therapy, through documentary-style interviews paired with dream-like visuals and a haptics suit. The vibrations simulated Carolyn's heartbeat and a painless version of the electroshocks. You're simultaneously embodied in her dysmorphic experience through the suit and disembodied in the visual sequence. In the context of today's gender politics, it was profoundly moving.
Resolution: A Cinephonic Rhapsody for the Soul offered a different experience—a gentle, domed projection viewed from a reclining chair. The Polyphonic Spree created this 45-minute psychedelic visual accompaniment to reclaim the dying art of experiencing a music album in full. It was blissful to lie back and let the album guide the journey.
Other expo highlights included Currents, Shelter, and Proof as if Proof Were Needed, demonstrating beautiful compositional choices for 3D storytelling, powerful 360° documentary filmmaking, and innovative approaches to audience co-creation.
Having a week dedicated to immersion, thinking, and connecting while receiving constant inspiration does remarkable things to your creative mind. UK House's panel on the immersive sector acknowledged the hustle culture currently required of artists working in an undervalued industry. Time to process and imagine is extremely rare. At SXSW, it felt like a year's worth of revelations and relationships were happening in a week.
The experience also made me reckon with privilege. The rich-poor divide on Austin's streets was stark, reminding me of Edinburgh during festival season. Yet the entrepreneurial spirit of locals was inspiring, with unofficial events and pop-ups happening everywhere—a reminder to seize opportunities or create your own.
There's no easy answer to handling privilege, but a key theme that emerged is that acknowledging process is as important as any subsequent podium. Let the wind take you, but remember where you stand.
I'm deeply grateful to B3 Media and British Underground for this transformative opportunity that has changed how I see myself creatively and professionally. SXSW was a great leveller—it showed me I belong in these spaces as much as anyone else.