eCommemoration

2024 is coming to an end and we are closing the year with a short review ✨ 🔸 The year began with the exhibition ‘Echoes of the Cold War’ by the students of the Expanded Media Master programme at Hochschule Darmstadt. In ‘Echoes of the Cold War’, five immersive projects for the Point Alpha Foundation memorial site were exhibited. 🔸 We also found this year's winners of the XR-History Award with "Loot - 10 Stories" by Eline Jongsma and Kel O'Neill and organised the XR-History Festival at Deichtorhallen Hamburg. The festival showcased how digital history-telling can help us discuss and establish a better present and future. There was a rich stage programme hosted by Nhi Le, 10 international XR Playgrounds and music by Zoe McPherson. 🔸 Afterwards, we were at the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss in Berlin. In the mechanical arena, wonderful guests talked about the cultures of exhibiting history in museums and how AI will change them. 🔸 One of our highlights this year was the eCommemoration Convention 2024 in September. Various panels (Deborah Papiernik, Dr. Marc Bonner Nora Beyer, Hannah Price, Marco Giovanni Ruzza, Deepa Mann-Kler, Nhi Le) ,artist-curator talks (Giselle Beiguelman, Tamiko Thiel, Ana Brzezińska), hands-on exhibition, performances, workshops (Elodie Roblain, Amy Jenkins-Le Guerroué, Hans-Ulrich Wagner), scrollytellings (Banji Chona, Samba Yonga. MA, Selim Harbi) and creative exchanges took place and we couldn't be happier in retrospect. The public programme of the convention took place at Kampnagel. The Museum of Austerity offered an immersive experience that portrayed the severe consequences of cuts to the UK benefit system on disabled individuals. Memory culture can be a highly charged subject of academic, political and activist debates. In a diverse and increasingly fragmented society, we asked ourselves: Who, how and why do we want to remember? In "Memory in the Making: From Monuments to Movements" Michael Rothberg presented his thoughts as the second public programme item of the convention as part of the opening of Kampnagel's season "Echoes of Tomorrow". 🔸 And last but not least, at "Blockbuster Geschichte", author Dr. phil. Max Czollek and historian Stefanie Samida, moderated by Anh Tran, explored the question how entertainment and remembrance culture could go together. 🔸 We are also particularly pleased to have been able to offer various workshops, lectures and guided tours in addition to the events, including at the Mesh Festival, the Goethe-Institut e.V. and at the Queer History Month. With a big thank you, we say goodbye for the winter break until January 2025 and we'll be back with a big announcement. Get ready for even more exciting plans for 2025 🙌 #XRHA #XRHistoryFestival #eCC24 #eCommemoration #DigitalHistory

  📢 Eine neue Folge des„History & Politics“ Podcasts ist online, die wir als Programm eCommemoration produzieren durften!   💻 Ob in Video-Games, Popsongs oder Blockbustern: Geschichte wird längst nicht mehr nur in Büchern erzählt und erreicht so ein Millionenpublikum.   🎮In Fortnite, einem der beliebtesten Videospiele, wird der Marsch auf Washington von 1963 nachgespielt. Doch wie viel Entertainment verträgt die Erinnerungskultur?   🎙️ In unserem Live-Podcast sprechen der Schriftsteller Max Czollek und die Historikerin Stefanie Samida mit Anh Tran, Podcast-Host von Der Rest ist Geschichte.   ❓ Wie wird Geschichte in popkulturellen Medien für ein breites Publikum verhandelt? ❓ Ist Popkultur Teil der Vergangenheitsbewältigung oder entzieht sie sich diesem Anspruch?   🎧 Überall dort, wo es Podcasts gibt! 👉 Jetzt reinhören: https://lnkd.in/evu-8k9k   📷 Luc Bernard / Epic Games

Streitfall Geschichte: Ist die deutsche Erinnerungskultur gescheitert? Do, 6. Feb 2025 19:00 Uhr, Körber Forum, Hamburg Die Kritik an der deutschen Erinnerungskultur reicht von Selbstgefälligkeit bis zum Ausschluss migrantischer Stimmen. Und trotz jahrzehntelangem Gedenken nimmt rechte Gewalt hierzulande weiter zu. Victoria Reichelt fragt die Kulturwissenschaftlerin Aleida Assmann und den Kurator Ibou Diop: Ist die Erinnerungskultur gescheitert? Gemeinsam mit Kolleg:innen aus dem Bereich Geschichte & Politik der Körber-Stiftung organisieren wir die Auftaktveranstaltung der Neuauflage der Veranstaltungsreihe Streitfall Geschichte. Tragt euch den Termin dick in den Kalender ein. Anmeldung ab dem 23. Januar möglich. Wir freuen uns auf euch. Und wer es nicht schafft, vor Ort dabei zu sein: wir sind wie immer für euch mit einem Livestream online! #StreitfallGeschichte #Erinnerungskultur #Gedenken #Erinnerungspolitik #Gedächtnis #Migrationsgesellschaft

Reimagining Heritage: The Fusion of Art, Culture, and Technology 🌐🎨 What happens when ancient traditions meet cutting-edge innovation? In a fascinating discussion, VR curator Ulrich Schrauth and Iranian digital artist Mohsen Hazrati explore this intersection, highlighting how technology like AI, VR, and digital media can reinterpret and preserve cultural narratives. Mohsen’s work is deeply rooted in Persian poetry and mythology, transforming these timeless elements into immersive experiences. Using virtual environments, he invites audiences to journey through reinterpretations of heritage. Ulrich shares insights into curating such transformative projects. For him, the challenge lies in creating connections between diverse audiences and these powerful stories, leveraging immersive media as a bridge between tradition and modernity. Both emphasize that art today is not just about looking back or forward but about building a dialogue where technology enhances human connection, storytelling, and shared memory. ✨ 🔗 Read their full thoughts here: https://lnkd.in/e-FsKWx5 #VR #AR #DigitalArt #Heritage #eCC24

“Our work requires questioning the official narrative of events.” 🌐 In this interview, Agata Nguyen Chuong from Forensic Architecture explains how she used digital technology to investigate the German colonial genocide in Namibia. At Forensic Architecture, challenging the official narrative is central to their work. Using cutting-edge digital technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration, Forensic Architecture explores the intersections of human rights, architecture and historical accountability. One project is their research into the German colonial genocide in Namibia, conducted in partnership with ECCHR and the traditional leadership of the Ovaherero and Nama communities. The genocide of the Herero and Nama (1904-1908), a dark chapter in history, lacks significant visual documentation. Through spatial and digital reconstructions, Forensic Architecture pieced together fragmented evidence from archives, oral histories and field research. The Namibia Trilogy, first two parts also exhibited at the eCommemoration Convention 2024, reveals the horrors of concentration camps such as Shark Island and Swakopmund, where countless lives were lost. This investigation is not only about uncovering the past, but also about advocating for a better future. By amplifying the voices of descendant communities, Forensic Architecture aims to support reparations, commemoration and the preservation of heritage sites under threat - whether from port expansion or modern 'green colonialism'. 🔗 Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/ep5_cSpt #humanrights #decolonisation #forensicarchitecture #Namibia #eCC24

✨ How do entertainment and remembrance culture go together? Anh Tran, podcast host of "Der Rest ist Geschichte", talked about this with author Dr. phil. Max Czollek and historian Stefanie Samida. Bestselling video games, blockbuster movies or cultural heritage negotiated in pop music: history is not only told in and with books. 📚 Can, is and has the representation of history in pop cultural media been more than a mere ‘theatre of reconciliation’? Which possibilities of intervention in existing historical narratives were and are used in pop cultural media to challenge common ideas about our past? Max Czollek and Stefanie Samida not only discussed methods of communicating history, Adorno’s premises and the experiential content of so-called historical re-enactments – examples given were preceded by questions about the possibilities and opportunities of fiction. 🎥 You can watch the recording now: https://lnkd.in/eDrvpJHY #MemoryCulture #Commemoration #PopCulture #HistoricalNarratives #eCommemoration

Re-reading the Past in Public Spaces 🌐 Public spaces have long been the canvas for historical memory, often dominated by traditional monuments that convey static narratives. However, as our newest Long-Read article by Felix Fuhg and Anna Norpoth highlights, new media art, especially augmented reality, is challenging this status quo, breathing new life into the practice of commemoration. 🔸 Media art transcends physical structures by incorporating immersive and interactive elements into historical storytelling. Through AR experiences, forgotten or marginalised perspectives can emerge alongside dominant narratives. This challenges the traditional purpose of monuments, urging us to reflect critically on history’s complexity. These digital reinterpretations make commemoration dynamic and participatory, inviting diverse audiences to engage in the act of memory-making. 🔸 The article features different examples in the history of claiming public space, like John Craig's “Freeman's Border Memorial: Frontera de los Muertos”, “BCA x SNAP: Hidden Black Stories” by Black Cultural Archives, Kinfolk Tech's App „Antimonument Extended“, “WIR SIND HIER (WE ARE HERE)” by Talya Feldman, Tamiko Thiel's “#JulietToo”, Sweet Chariot App by Marisa Williamson, Kampnagel's “Statues of Resistance” and Fabian Raith's „A Bug That Eats Memories“. 🔸 The integration of media art into public memory isn't just a technological upgrade; it’s a call to revisit how history is recorded and by whom. By amplifying the voices of communities historically left out of commemorative narratives, these projects foster a more nuanced understanding of collective identity. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eSUmjt32 #ecommemoration #eCC24 #AR #PublicSpace #MediaArt

💥 Exploring Digital Decolonisation in the Global South: A New Frontier of Memory Digital decolonisation offers powerful tools for challenging and rewriting colonial narratives in digital spaces. Our latest Long-Read article by Selim Harbi highlights projects like Victoria Bousis, MBA, JD’ Stay Alive, My Son (a VR dive into trauma and resilience), Anthony Phills’ Unbreakable (an AR journey through the legacy of transatlantic slavery), and Selim Harbi’s AFROROUTES (which traces cultural footprints across continents). These immersive projects enable previously suppressed voices to reclaim history, building archives that are vivid, participatory, and deeply personal. Yet digital decolonisation also requires equitable access and a dismantling of the “digital divide” to prevent tech-driven colonial patterns from persisting. Supporting initiatives like these isn’t just about preserving the past—it’s about empowering voices to shape the future. 🤝 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eVvgBbNf #DigitalDecolonisation #Memory #VR #AR #DigitalInclusion #eCommemoration #eCC24

"Where does memory live when the infrastructures that uphold memory are destroyed?" This is one of the questions posed by Banji Chona and Samba Yonga. MA in our latest Long-Read article. 🌍 Transforming Digital Spaces into Decolonised Archives Bodies as Spatial Archives is pioneering a new approach to historical archiving. Traditional archives often present records in ways that disconnect communities from their own stories, reinforcing colonial perspectives. This project, however, asks how digital platforms might empower communities to reclaim and narrate their histories directly. By re-envisioning physical landscapes, bodily movements, and cultural practices as “living archives,” Bodies as Spatial Archives honours knowledge embedded within communities. Through immersive digital tools like Ancestral Intelligence (AI*): The Ecological and Botanical knowledge of baTonga by Banji Chona, Makishi Initiation: Digital Projection Mapping by Samba Yonga. MA, Keepers of the Forest – Keepers XR by Emma Rukundo & Lorna Okengpreserve and Kamiriithu Virtual Reconstruction by African Digital Heritage Foundation communities elevate indigenous voices and preserve historical memory from the ground up, positioning archiving as a pathway to both preservation and healing. In this approach, archives become sites of inclusion and cultural agency, where heritage is celebrated not as a static record but as an evolving, dynamic force. 👉 Read the full Long-Read article here: https://lnkd.in/esyKsagK #eCommemoration #eCC24 #digitalheritage #decolonialtools

How do you speak about history in pop-cultural media contexts addressing a mass audience? 💥 Whether in video games, pop songs or blockbusters: history is no longer only told in books and thus reaches an audience of millions. But how much entertainment can the culture of remembrance take? Writer Dr. phil. Max Czollek and historian Stefanie Samida will discuss this with Anh Tran, podcast host of "Der Rest ist Geschichte" on 13 November at Körber Forum in Hamburg. Ever since the 1979 German screening of the TV series "Holocaust", questions of moral boundaries in a popularisation of history has been part of debates surrounding ‘the right ways to remember’. In Fortnite, the most popular video game of all time, gamers re-enact the 1963 march on Washington by the American civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King. The video for Beyoncé and Jay-Z's single "Apeshit", which was filmed at the Louvre in Paris in 2018, is peppered with allusions to art history. The two appear in front of Western art icons, in a museum whose works partly originate from imperial raids, and performatively ‘hijack’ one of the central places of Western high culture and white cultural heritage. In Germany, writer Max Czollek criticised the ritualisation of remembrance, calling it a ‘theatre of reconciliation’. Can, is and was the representation of history in pop cultural media more than mere ‘theatre of reconciliation’? What possibilities of intervention in existing historical narratives have been and are being used in pop cultural media to undermine existing ideas about our past? 👉 Get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/dmSMFrXD The event will be live-streamed so everyone can join us online and from abroad! #eCommemoration #MemoryCulture #PopCulture #HistoricalNarratives #DerRestIstGeschichte