Virtual Holocaust Memoryscapes

Partners and collaborators

Bergen-Belsen Memorial Site, Neuengamme Memorial Site, Anne Frank Museum, National Holocaust Centre, Bright White, Stand+Stare

Description

This interdisciplinary project aims to explore the concept of producing multisensory and participatory virtual archives of Holocaust sites. Dr Tom Jackson is working in collaboration with Dr Matt Boswell (School of English) and Dr He Wang (School of Computing), after a successful application to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s recent ‘Next Generation of Immersive Experiences’ call.

Using a technology that was developed as part of Tom’s practice-led PhD, the project will propose and prototype a new type of virtual platform, allowing the collation of archival material and human testimony with the hidden histories of Holocaust memorial sites. By bringing together different forms of testimony into engaging and relatable virtual environments, this project will create new ways for people to encounter Holocaust sites in order to better access and understand the memories which these sites embody.

Academics from the University of Leeds will be working in partnership with the Bergen-Belsen Memorial Site, the Neuengamme Memorial Site, the Anne Frank Museum and the National Holocaust Centre, as well as two digital media companies working in the commercial world of VR (Bright White and Stand+Stare).