August 28, 2023
Museums that focus on racial violence and antisemitism are using holograms, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality to allow visitors to have simulated conversations with Holocaust survivors and hear the words of enslaved people.
The use of this technology is aimed at fighting bigotry and raising awareness of these dark chapters in history.
One example is the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which has created holograms of actual Holocaust survivors and witnesses. These holograms can respond to questions from visitors, ranging from whether they believe in God to what they think about genocide.
The museum also uses virtual reality films that superimpose historic photos on present-day footage. These films allow visitors to experience the Holocaust and other atrocities in a more immersive way.
The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery, Alabama, takes a different approach. It uses holograms of actors portraying enslaved people, using their words from saved writings or testimonies in oral histories. These holograms are activated when visitors get close to a reconstructed holding cell.
The Greenwood Rising History Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, uses holographic barbers in a re-created period barbershop. The holographic barbers mimic cutting hair while a visitor sits in a period barber chair as the holograms talk about the politics of the day and racism in Tulsa.
The use of technology in these museums is a way to educate the public about these important topics and fight against bigotry.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.
