Henning Marxen, Samuel Freimoser
“Unveiling History - Transmedia Interfaces between Human, Space, and Time” - supervised by Prof. Pablo Dornhege
HTW Berlin - University of Applied Sciences
Seated single-user-VR-Experience
Controlled via Gamepad
Mix of linearer experience and free discovery
In a journey through the last century along Berlin's most significant historical axis, the Straße des 17. Juni, stretching from the Victory Column in the West to the Brandenburg Gate at the border from West to East, one of the most misunderstood inhabitants of the city, the Pigeon, offers us a unique perspective on the complex history of the city. Zeitrissig cuts historical episodes from their original temporal context and reassembles them in the form of a History Collage. This virtual staging creates new temporal connections, allowing for a recontextualization of Berlin's city history.
Events covered include the city's destruction through bombing raids and the subsequent reconstruction, allied occupation and division, as well as the evolution of the city into today's diverse metropolis.
In the virtual space composed of two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements, the user navigates (walks and flies), following a linear sequence with changing movement possibilities, experiencing history and primarily adopting an observational role.
This project is currently in the development phase. However, a prototype will be completed by the time of the exhibition and could furthermore be continued to be developed. This staging will be the first episode of an even larger journey through the history of Berlin, spanning from the radio tower to the television tower.
In line with the collage theme, the staging is given a paper-like appearance with analog illustrations and handmade models, which are digitized through photogrammetry to make them viewable in the virtual world.
The combination of two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements creates a multidimensional space with an abstracted look, causing a sense of estrangement and allowing for a more concrete perspective on the events rather than being within them.