Unframed Collection partners with NUMIX Lab, an itinerant European event that brings together immersive creation professionals in dialogue with cultural institutions across the continent. The 6th edition in 2025 brought together 459 participants from around the world across 16 venues in Budapest, Veszprém, Vienna, and Linz, fostering exchanges between Europe and North America around immersive cultural practices.
On this occasion, we met Gunnar Eriksson, formerly Program Manager Film & TV at Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg. Since early 2026, he has joined a new initiative within Lindholmen Science Park and the AI Sweden program, where he focuses on applied AI for the creative industries, including film, design, fashion, and architecture. As a non-profit innovation hub funded by industry, academia, and the public sector, Lindholmen Science Park operates at the intersection of technology, media, and society, supporting collaboration and experimentation across AI, mobility, and audiovisual media. Within this ecosystem, Gunnar Eriksson leads initiatives focused on film, moving-image storytelling, and emerging formats, positioning immersive media as a natural extension of narrative innovation.
In this interview, Gunnar Eriksson reflects on the evolving audiovisual landscape in Sweden and the Nordic region, the role of XR and cross-media collaboration in shaping future storytelling, and how institutions like Lindholmen can act as bridges between creativity, technology, and sustainable innovation.
Everything is evolving quickly. But I know two things: audiences love stories and audiovisual media – demand is enormous – and we now have the tools to create them. Lindholmen Science Park can make a difference by acting as a bridge between creativity and innovation, ensuring that technology remains a tool for human imagination.
– Gunnar Eriksson
To begin, could you introduce Lindholmen Science Park and explain your role as Program Manager Film & TV? What does your division focus on within the wider innovation ecosystem?
Gunnar Eriksson – Lindholmen Science Park is based in Gothenburg. It is a non-profit organization and a very unique collaborative environment funded by industry, academia, and the public sector. Its mission is to bring these different parts of society together to explore the future of media, mobility, and digital society, with the overall goal of promoting innovation across society. Within the organization, we operate across three main sectors: AI, mobility, and media. We run what we call a creative hub supporting new ideas, new formats, and collaborations that push the boundaries of film, television, and audiovisual expression – including XR.
My own background is in storytelling – I am trained as a playwright and dramaturg. Storytelling is at the core of everything I do: collaborate with local and national industries, and connect creators, producers, and partners to shape where Nordic storytelling is heading next. Lindholmen acts as an engine for innovation, but also as a community driven by curiosity and a passion for the craft of storytelling.
Lindholmen supports innovation, development and collaboration across film, TV and moving-image industries. How does this mandate extend to immersive media (XR, VR, interactive formats), and what kinds of projects do you typically encounter?
G.E. – At Lindholmen Science Park, we see immersive media as a natural extension of storytelling. Within the media unit, there are different programs, and in particular Visual Arena, works actively with XR and immersive storytelling.
Visual Arena hosts labs, internships, and collaborations at the intersection of art and technology. One example is the Narrative XR Lab, which brings together creators from film, gaming, theatre, and digital arts to explore new storytelling approaches in immersive formats. The lab is open to applicants without prior XR experience – it is designed as a collaborative arena for experimentation.
Within the Film & TV program, we supported a broad range of immersive projects – VR, AR, MR, immersive installations, as well as technological innovations such as virtual production and VFX. We are open to all kinds of storytelling techniques and immersive formats. That openness is quite unique in our field.
Audiovisual Days 2025 placed a strong emphasis on XR, games and new media. What drove this evolution of the event, and how do you see it contributing to the growth of immersive storytelling in Sweden and the Nordic region?
G.E – Audiovisual Days originally began as a traditional film industry event in Gothenburg. While the city hosts a major international film festival in January, there was little happening for the local industry in the autumn. So we created a meeting point.
A few years ago, we took over the event and renamed it Audiovisual Days. Given that our media unit works across the entire audiovisual landscape, it felt natural to expand the focus. The boundaries between film, games, and immersive media are dissolving. We wanted the event to reflect this shift.
Its purpose is to examine how storytelling is evolving across media formats. We present case studies, development projects, and XR experiences. Visitors can also experience VR works on site. The event functions as a cross-pollination platform – film producers meet game developers, XR creators discover new business models, and new collaborations emerge.
From your experience, what are the main opportunities (and main obstacles) for XR and immersive projects within the Swedish film and media landscape?
G.E – Sweden, and especially Gothenburg, has a great deal of talent in XR and immersive storytelling. However, it remains a relatively small community. The main challenges are sustainability and visibility.
XR projects often struggle with long-term funding structures and distribution channels beyond festivals and art installations. We need stronger professional ecosystems – producers, distributors, institutions – willing to treat immersive formats as a natural part of the audiovisual industry.
Another key factor is skills and infrastructure. We must build stronger competence in interactive storytelling and create more collaborative arenas where disciplines can meet. That is precisely why initiatives like Narrative XR Lab exist.
At the same time, the potential is enormous. Museums and traditional venues can reinterpret their spaces through immersive technologies. I heard during a pitch here in Budapest that one museum increased attendance by 25% after introducing an XR project. That shows the opportunity. The main obstacle, in my view, lies in outdated structural models.
Looking ahead, what types of XR or cross-media projects would you be most interested in fostering through Lindholmen? Are there specific formats or themes you believe hold strong potential for the coming years?
G.E – From my perspective as a storyteller, I would love to see more character-driven narratives in XR. Currently, there is still a strong focus on technology – often more about impressing than engaging.
Many projects focus on historical environments or immersive spaces, which is interesting. But I would love to see narrative design from film and television integrated more deeply into XR – character arcs, turning points, cliffhangers.
Imagine serialized immersive dramas with multiple chapters that deepen the emotional relationship between the viewer and the story world. I am also curious about how XR can move beyond physical venues into digitally connected experiences that reach audiences wherever they are.
The future of XR should be less about technology and more about meaning – stories that resonate emotionally and intellectually, using immersion not just to impress but to truly engage.
As media technologies evolve rapidly, how do you envision the role of a science park like Lindholmen in supporting future innovation in film, TV and immersive media? What priorities do you think will be essential over the next 5–10 years?
G.E – It has never been harder to predict the future. We live in a time of rapid transformation. Some people are afraid of this change; others are racing to keep up.
Our role at Lindholmen is to support this transformation and ensure that creative industries are not left behind. We need stronger structures for innovation and more cross-disciplinary collaboration. Old development models no longer work in a digitalized world.
We are seeing the rise of AI, virtual production, and new formats such as vertical micro-dramas – a format that emerged in China and is now expanding into the US and Europe. It is sometimes described as what would happen if Netflix and TikTok had a baby. It has already become a billion-dollar industry.
Everything is evolving quickly. But I know two things: audiences love stories and audiovisual media – demand is enormous – and we now have the tools to create them. Lindholmen Science Park can make a difference by acting as a bridge between creativity and innovation, ensuring that technology remains a tool for human imagination.
I am an optimist. That is probably necessary when working in innovation.