Tom Jackson awarded £75,000 research grant to produce virtual archives of Holocaust sites

Dr Tom Jackson has successfully submitted to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Dr Jackson has successfully submitted to the AHRC'S and EPSRC's recent ‘Next Generation of Immersive Experiences’ call with Dr Matt Boswell (School of English) and Dr He Wang (School of Computing).

They have been awarded £75,000 to explore the concept of producing multisensory and participatory virtual archives of Holocaust sites, 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 sites such as Bergen-Belsen and Neuengamme.

Dr Tom Jackson, Lecturer in Digital Media at the University of Leeds, said:

“This project will create new ways of encountering sites related to the Holocaust. We hope that by bringing together different forms of testimony into engaging and relatable virtual environments, visitors will be able 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).