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Kyoung Swearingen
Visual Storyteller for Animation and Interactive MediaKyoung Lee Swearingen is an Assistant professor in the Department of Design and a former Lighting Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studios. Her filmography includes Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Toy Story 3 which have claimed numerous awards from the Academy Awards, Visual Effects Society, The American Film Institute, as well as many others. Her current research focuses on creating games and animation for social good through human-centered technology. Her award-winning projects have been shown internationally at ACM SIGGRAPH, IEEE-GEM, GDC, Montreal Independent Game Festival, and Bucheon International Animation Festival.
By combining Augmented Reality with 4-channel spatialized audio, The Woods reimagines mobile technology—often linked to screen addiction and social isolation—as a catalyst for real-world human connection. The multiplayer cooperative game shifts the focus away from screens by requiring players to coordinate their physical movements in order to navigate a shared virtual space and achieve a common goal. Wrapped in an immersive sonic narrative about overcoming loneliness, the project leverages cooperative gameplay to build empathy, strengthen personal relationships, and foster positive social impact through active, physical collaboration.
