Living Histories:
an intermedia experience
To best explain the concept, think of an onion and its many layers. On the outer surface, the layer exposed to the world is traditional news media. They do the job of telling the what, where and when of a story.
What our project addresses is the underlying central question of why, and critically how news events affect the lives of women, men and children who are living the history daily.
“Living Histories” is a unique, intertmedia web portal experience which facilitates user-directed exploration of, in our demonstration prototype, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Using 360 degree panoramas with embedded links as the core navigation tool and augmented with images, texts, articles, and intimate documentary videos, viewers/users will experience the narrative stories of people who are living inside this conflict.
The project is a collaboration of Studio Resolution and Video Free America, both U.S. based companies, with production support from The Media Group, working in Israel/Palestine.
Our designed prototype focuses on the city of Jerusalem and this region’s conflict, but it will become evident that the format can be applied to any region confronting complex issues.
In Jerusalem: A Living History visitors enter the portal at the Jaffa Gate, one of the main entrances into the Old City. Here as they explore the panorama, they will visually find maps, posters, signs, doorways, alleyways, and stories. By clicking any one of these elements visitors will travel deeper into the story they wish to discover. They can enter the homes of residents to learn more about them and their families or go into a book store to read the latest edition of local newspapers, a library to explore historical archives, or the office of travel guides who will take visitors on walking tours of the region.