Protopica - Tech Lab Design Research

Communities grow around this fire.

We turn stories into worlds.

Protopica is a design research lab that transforms emerging technologies into meaningful public experiences.

Work / In Public

Ideas tested in public.

Worldbuilding, installations, films, learning programs, and research experiments developed with our collaborators.

0: Exhibition audience; New York / Barcelona / Vancouver
0: Talks + workshops; Keynotes to classrooms
0: Hardware donated; Access made tangible
0: Film audience; Online + in theatres

Exhibition / NYC / Current

ARTECHOUSE

A 270-degree immersive ocean world with spatial audio, imagining a Caribbean future.

Audience: 40K+
Form: 3D / 18K
Partner: OTOY

A visitor watching Protopica inside the Sonar+D installation in Barcelona

Installation / Barcelona

Sónar+D

An EEG-driven installation where mental states shape visuals in real time.

Audience: 52K+
Form: BCI / EEG
Partner: Neurosity

Festival / Vancouver

VIFF Signals

An expansion from GenAI cinema into an immersive platform rooted in cultural worldbuilding.

Audience: 1.5K+
Form: BCI / EEG
Partner: Signals

Manuel Sainsily and will.i.am at Sora Selects in New York

Cinema / NYC

OpenAI Sora Selects

AI-assisted film released globally as part of OpenAI's first artist cohort.

Audience: 1M+
Form: AI-assisted film
Stage: Metrograph

Research

Research should not stay behind closed doors.

We share what we learn so others can understand, question, and shape emerging technologies.

Collaborate / Three Ways In

Bring us the unknown. Leave with a clear path forward.

We partner with institutions and organizations to explore ideas, test possibilities, and build projects that combine technical depth with creative insight.

01 / CONSULTING

Strategy for emerging technologies, AI workflows, tool evaluation, and cultural review.

An immersive digital world created for an experiential installation

02 / BUILDING

Interactive prototypes, story systems, visual development, real-time systems, and immersive installations.

An instructor and student reviewing a camera during a workshop

03 / TEACHING

Curriculum, workshops, lectures, and public programs that connect technical skills with creative practice.

Education / Classrooms + Stages

Learn to question, shape, and use emerging technology.

We design learning experiences for students, educators, professionals, and creative communities.

University Lectures + Workshops

New York / Nov 2025

Columbia University

Ivy League

Disrupt the narrative

View lecture

Stanford / May 2025

Stanford d.school

XR Prototyping with AI.

View lecture

Oxford / Apr 2025

Oxford University

OpenAI Sora project and workflow breakdown.

View lecture

Cambridge / Apr 2025

Harvard University

Ivy League

HarvardXR 2025: The Augmented Self.

Watch lecture

San Diego / Mar 2025

UC San Diego

HackXR: XR hackathon.

View workshop

Cambridge / Jan 2025

MIT

AI and creative technology.

View lecture

Toronto / Feb 2024

OCAD University

Challenging mainstream narratives.

View lecture

Boston / 2023 + 2024

UMass Boston

AI and XR for cultural heritage preservation.

View lectures

Montreal / Sep 2023

McGill University

Learn AR / VR curriculum.

View curriculum

Beyond Campus

San FranciscoRunway Meetup WinnipegHyper Conference Silicon ValleyMeta AI Bootcamp RemoteOpenAI Forum AustinSXSW VancouverVIFF Signals Los AngelesRiot Games Studio RemoteMozilla Interview RemoteSkillshare Interview

Press Coverage

Feature

Radio interview

TV interview

About

Built by people who bridge art and engineering.

CO-FOUNDER / Creative Technologist

Manuel Sainsily

Creative director from Guadeloupe, based in Montreal, working at the intersection of art, technology, and culture. Across 15+ years at IBM, Immersion, Unity, and Adobe, he has built AI, XR, haptics, and design systems. A TED speaker and guest lecturer at Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Stanford, and Columbia, he co-created MasterClass's first Generative AI course and uses emerging technology to preserve culture.

CO-FOUNDER / Creative Technologist

Will Selviz

Born in Venezuela and based in Toronto, Will is an immersive media director and experiential designer. Clio Award winner and SXSW XR director. Works across storytelling, AI, and emerging technologies for partners including Nike, Meta, NBA, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Focused on neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces, he builds inclusive experiences grounded in both design and engineering.

Producer

Debi Wong

Award-winning XR producer, creative director, and multidisciplinary artist working across opera and creative technology. Founding Artistic Director of re:Naissance Opera and co-executive producer of VIFF Signals, she has led acclaimed projects including The Dark and Live From The Underworld, performed at TED 2023, and was named to XP Land's XLIST of influential experiential designers.

Contact

Tell us what you want to move forward.

You don't need a finished brief. Start with what you know.

Since the beginning, people have gathered to tell stories.

We turn stories into worlds.

Ideas tested in public.

ARTECHOUSE

Sónar+D

VIFF Signals

OpenAI Sora Selects

Research should not stay behind closed doors.

Notes will appear here soon.

Bring us the unknown. Leave with a clear path forward.

01 / CONSULTING

02 / BUILDING

03 / TEACHING

Learn to question, shape, and use emerging technology.

Columbia University

Stanford d.school

Oxford University

Harvard University

UC San Diego

MIT

OCAD University

UMass Boston

McGill University

Built by people who bridge art and engineering.

Manuel Sainsily

Will Selviz

Debi Wong

Tell us what you want to move forward.