The highly anticipated 48-Hour Cultural Heritage XR Jam, a virtual event that ran from September 1st to September 8th, 2023, reached its exhilarating conclusion on Friday. This year’s XR Jam, held in conjunction with Cyberjaya Innovation Week 2023, aimed to showcase creative ideas that enhance awareness of Malaysian culture and heritage through Extended Reality (XR) development, which encompasses Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR).
The event was held via Zoom and Discord, where 25 teams and over 90 participants united to compete and pitch their innovative concepts to a panel of experts from the industry. Four students—Mohd Harith bin Syazwan, Nurul Farizah binti Ridzuan, Abby Lian Anak Hendrick, and Ally Dian Anak Hendrick—from UNIMAS banded together to form Team 07 with Ts Dr Suriati Khartini Jali as their advisor. The prize-giving ceremony was held at RekaScape, Cyberjaya where the top five and five runner-up teams were invited to attend in person.
The journey commenced on Day 1, September 1st, 2023, with a pre-jam briefing and team-building icebreaker sessions. It was on this day that the theme, “Intangible Cultural Heritage,” was unveiled. Throughout the jam, moderators and facilitators provided unwavering support to participants, helping with both clarifications and technical challenges, ensuring a smooth creative process.
The core jamming period unfolded from Day 2 to Day 4, providing participants with an official 48-hour schedule while also permitting them to refine their pitches outside these hours. On Day 4, the intense jamming session gave way to the pitching session, divided into morning and afternoon segments.
Five outstanding teams emerged as champions in various categories: Team 07 (Best Concept Art Award), Team 15 (Best Narrative Award), Team 22 (Best XR Design Award), Team 04 (Best Gamification Award), and Team 23 (Best Learning Innovation Award). As a reward, these winning teams have been extended invitations to participate in the SEA Futurist in Arts and Cultural Exchange Program ASWARA in Kuala Lumpur, scheduled for October 2023. Additionally, five consolation prize-winning teams, namely Team 12, Team 13, Team 16, Team 24, and Team 25, were recognized for their remarkable efforts.
Participants of the jam came from all over Malaysia, and most were students who came from different institutions, including UNIMAS, UTHM, APU and UKM to make the jam a resounding success. The XR Jam team and sponsors expressed their satisfaction with the event’s outcome, applauding the participating teams for their outstanding contributions to blending extended reality with cultural heritage, creating a harmonious fusion of art and technology.
Prepared by Seleviawati Tarmizi and Hamizan Sharbini