Founded in 2014, Yeroheen is an international multimedia show creator for events and installations, having completed more than 100 in 18 countries. The production company specializes in spatial media experiences, projection mapping, anamorphic content creation and large-scale immersive installations for cultural institutions and entertainment events.
Yeroheen's most recent project, the Suraqa Experience, is an immersive multimedia environment commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia. The museum illustrates the story of Suraqa ibn Malik, a key figure in the events of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, and is part of the Ala Khutah cultural route between Mecca and Medina.
Yeroheen CEO, Anatolii Yerokhin, spoke to Live Design about his approach to bringing storytelling to life.
Live Design: You studied both engineering and theatre. How does this inform your work?
Anatolii Yerokhin: I was educated both as an engineer and as a director, so for me, there was never a dramatic transition from technology to storytelling. These two disciplines developed together and have always complemented each other. These two disciplines developed together and have always complemented each other.
Engineering taught me to understand systems: how separate elements interact, how one decision affects another, and how an idea can be transformed into something stable, repeatable and physically achievable. Directing taught me that even the most sophisticated system has very little value unless it creates meaning and emotion for the audience.
What attracted me to storytelling was the possibility of turning information into experience. A historical fact can be read and understood, but when it becomes part of a carefully constructed story, it can also be felt and remembered.
Suraqa Experience is a perfect example of why this combination matters. My role is to connect these layers. The technology should never compete with the story or distract from it. It should help make the story physically present.
LD: How do you think your engineering skills help you interpret a vision?
AY: Engineering helps me translate a poetic or abstract idea into a system that can actually be built, installed and operated.
When a creative concept says that an architectural space should dissolve, a character should emerge beyond the screen, the sound should move around the audience and the floor should respond physically, I immediately begin to see several interconnected layers: structure, projection geometry, sightlines, loads, latency, synchronization, visitor flow, safety and technical control.
That way of thinking does not restrict creativity. On the contrary, it gives creativity a structure in which it can survive. However, I would not say that everything comes down to engineering skills. The more important quality is the constant desire to create, experiment and learn.
A beautiful render is an excellent beginning, but it is not yet an experience. Until the idea survives physics, deadlines, installation and opening day, it remains just a very persuasive picture.
LD: How do you stay current on new technology?
AY: For us, staying up to date is not an occasional research exercise. It is a continuous process shared by the entire team.
We follow developments in projection and display systems, real-time graphics, sensors, artificial intelligence, spatial audio, lighting, kinetic systems, materials, media control and interactive technologies. We also observe what is happening beyond the event industry—in museums, theatre, architecture, cinema, gaming, research and experimental digital art. A new visual language often appears somewhere between disciplines rather than inside one specific industry.
When we see something promising, we try not to stop at watching a demonstration or saving a link. We look for an opportunity to test it, prototype it or understand its limitations. We always ask what new behavior, emotion or relationship with the audience a technology can create. Novelty alone is not enough. If a solution attracts more attention to itself than to the story, it may be impressive, but it is probably not yet the right solution for the project.
Staying current is therefore not about memorizing a catalogue of new devices. It is about understanding the new creative possibilities that those devices can open.
Novelty alone is not enough.
LD: What was the scope of work on Suraqa Experience?
AY: Our scope of work on Suraqa Experience covered the full multimedia infrastructure and spatial content integration. This included the design and installation of the projection systems, LED displays, lighting, and sound, as well as the creation of all 3D animation, visual storytelling content, and its integration into the physical environment of the museum.
A central part of our work was the spatial integration itself — scanning the physical architecture of each zone and recreating its exact topology in 3D, so that animation and visual effects could interact directly with the real surfaces rather than simply being projected onto them. This approach was applied across multiple scenes, from animated characters appearing through physical windows to rockfalls mapped onto the actual geometry of cave walls, and animated shadows interacting with the fabric surfaces of a physical tent.
The full production cycle — from content development and technical design to on-site installation and integration — was handled by our team.
LD: What attracted you to Suraqa Experience as a project?
AY: From the very beginning, I was attracted by two equally important aspects of the project. The first was the opportunity to create a genuinely immersive environment through an ambitious combination of new visual and spatial technologies. The second was the responsibility of working with a remarkable story of profound historical and spiritual significance.
From a technical perspective, Suraqa Experience gave us the freedom to experiment. We tested and integrated a number of solutions that our team had either never used before or had never combined on this scale: large-format panoramic projection, anamorphic imagery, holographic layers, spatial sound, synchronized lighting, interactive systems and physical effects. Every technical element had to serve the narrative, create a specific emotion and help visitors feel that they were inside the story rather than merely watching it on a screen.
The historical dimension was equally important. The story of Suraqah ibn Malik required sensitivity, responsibility and extensive research. We contacted museums and collections in different countries and studied documented artifacts, clothing, weapons, equestrian equipment, materials, interior details and architectural references from the relevant period and region. The challenge was not to modernize the story itself, but to modernize the way people could experience it—without losing its dignity, authenticity or historical foundation.
That combination of technological experimentation and historical responsibility inspired us from the first sketches to the final installation.
LD: How do you create and maintain the visitors’ emotional connection to the exhibit?
AY: The technology itself is never the starting point. Before any technical decisions are made, we define the narrative, the spine of the story that determines the structure, pace, and emotional logic of the entire experience. Technology is then selected and configured to serve that narrative, not the other way around.
In the case of Suraqa Experience, the emotional connection was rooted in something that no technology can manufacture: the authenticity of the place itself. The museum is situated in close proximity to the historical site where the events of Suraqa ibn Malik are believed to have taken place. That geographical and historical context gave the experience a weight that informed every creative and technical decision we made.
Our role was to make sure the digital content reinforced that authenticity rather than undermining it. This meant integrating visuals directly into the physical architecture — cave walls, rock surfaces, landscape elements so that the story felt like it belonged to the space rather than being displayed inside it.
One of the significant aspects of the project involved scanning the physical architecture and recreating its exact topology in 3D. This allowed animation and visual effects to interact directly with the real surfaces, making digital content appear physically embedded in the space rather than projected onto it.
In the final cave sequence, visitors could no longer distinguish where the physical scenery ended and the digital environment began. Falling rocks were mapped onto the actual geometry of the cave walls, while physical smoke interacted with projected visuals to create a unified experience.
That transition from spectator to participant is where the emotional connection is made. And it depends far less on the sophistication of the technology than on how precisely the content is integrated into the physical and narrative context of the space.
LD: What do you think is the most successful part of the project in terms of audience engagement?
AY: I would say that the Miracle Zone has been one of the most engaging parts of the experience. This is the point where the dramatic culmination of the story meets the full immersive language of the project. Panoramic imagery, anamorphic illusion, spatial sound, lighting, architecture and physical effects all operate together. The environment does not simply illustrate the event; it appears to transform around the visitors.
One of the most important elements is a full-floor vibration system. It was integrated beneath the entire floor of the zone. At the precise moment when the ground in the story begins to tremble, visitors feel a controlled and safely programmed physical vibration beneath their feet.
The story is no longer only in front of the visitor; it is around them and, quite literally, underneath them. The effect works because every component—image, perspective, sound, light, physical sensation and narrative timing—arrives at exactly the right moment.
For me, this is the best measure of audience engagement: visitors stop analysing which technology is being used and begin responding emotionally to the story.
LD: Do you have a favourite new piece of technology, and what do you think it brings to the table?
AY: At the moment, I am especially interested in hybrid spatial illusion: the combination of anamorphic content, projection or LED surfaces, physical scenography, lighting, sound and, when appropriate, kinetic or tactile effects. What this brings is a much stronger sense of presence.
Audiences today are extremely visually experienced. They recognise a conventional screen immediately, regardless of its size or resolution. To create a real sense of wonder, the digital image has to establish a convincing relationship with the architecture and physical logic of the space. It may appear to occupy the room, emerge beyond the screen, pass through a physical object or transform the entire environment.
The Miracle Zone I mentioned earlier illustrates this approach well. There is no single device responsible for the final effect. Projection, spatial sound, lighting, physical vibration, architecture and narrative timing become one system.
So perhaps my favourite “piece of technology” is the invisible connection between all the individual pieces. It does not have a model number, which can make procurement slightly more complicated, but creatively it is the most interesting place to work.
LD: Have you found that this experiential approach engages all ages, or are you working to capture the attention of a specific demographic?
AY: Suraqa Experience has a clearly defined cultural and spiritual audience, but it is not designed for one narrow age group.
The project is intended primarily for Muslim pilgrims undertaking Hajj or Umrah, as well as visitors following the wider Ala Khutah—“In His Footsteps”—route who want to develop a deeper connection with the history of the Hijrah and the story of Suraqah ibn Malik. Many of them want to understand the events emotionally and to experience the places connected with that history in a more immediate way.
From an age perspective, however, we deliberately designed the experience to work on several levels. Children respond strongly to movement, scale, sound and physical transformation. Younger audiences often connect with the visual rhythm and cinematic language. Adults may focus more on the historical details, the moral choices and the dramatic structure. Older visitors may experience the spiritual and emotional dimension most deeply.
The same scene can therefore speak differently to different people without becoming less accessible or less meaningful.
The goal is not to replace historical knowledge, but to give people another way of approaching and remembering it. Good storytelling may be one of the few technologies that works across generations without requiring a software update.
LD: What future technology would you like to see?
AY: The area that interests me most is the development of artificial intelligence into truly responsive and personalized immersive environments. However, I do not believe that the most exciting future of AI is simply the ability to generate more images more quickly.
The real breakthrough will come when an immersive environment can understand who is inside it and adapt the experience in real time. It could recognise the visitor’s chosen language, pace, previous knowledge, interests and decisions, and then adjust the depth, duration and perspective of the story accordingly.
Imagine two people entering the same museum space and experiencing two different journeys—both emotionally complete, both connected to the same central story and both historically accurate.
AI should not invent history or replace human authorship. It should help us create new pathways through reliable material while respecting accuracy, ethics, privacy and the dignity of the subject. In the longer term, I hope we will be able to immerse people in completely individual worlds, with stories that are composed for them in real time.