New eye-tracking VR experience, Face Jumping, wins XR Audience Award at SXSW

What if you could swap perspectives with a human, animal, or object just by making eye contact? That question lies at the heart of Face Jumping, a new virtual reality (VR) experience co-created by UC Santa Cruz Assistant Teaching Professor of Computational Media Samantha Gorman. 

After debuting at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2025, Face Jumping won the conference’s XR Experience audience award among the 15 creators working at the intersection of technology and immersive art who participated in the XR Experience competition. Gorman presented the VR experience alongside her Tender Claws team, an independent art and creative studio that she co-leads.

Face Jumping is an interactive VR short that uses eye-tracking technology to explore the impossible desire to see through another’s eyes. The experience allows users to navigate a journey of rebirth and evolution, swapping perspectives by meeting the gaze of other characters—transitioning from human to animal, object to machine, and even into abstract forms such as ghosts and clouds. 

SXSW XR Experience is a premier venue for showcasing innovative extended reality (XR) projects in the U.S., offering a platform for creators pushing the boundaries of virtual storytelling. Visitors to SXSW had the opportunity to experience Face Jumping firsthand using the Meta Quest Pro. 

“Tender Claws has long admired the impact and effort of the SXSW XR,” Gorman said. “We are honored that our VR short Face Jumping is one of the 15 projects selected from around the world to premiere in the XR Experience Competition.”

Gorman specializes in interactive narrative, world-building, and directing for games. As co-director of Tender Claws, she has helped the studio gain recognition for blending original, multi-layered storytelling with a critical examination of the technology used to deliver it.

In 2024, Gorman and her team launched a new VR game set in the world of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things. Tender Claws has also created several award-winning projects, including the VR game Virtual Virtual Reality and the AR mobile game Tendar. 

Now, Face Jumping invites users to rethink the very act of seeing.