VRJ Palestine reconstructed Zir’in, Photo: Nisreen Zahda

VRJ Palestine

Artists: Nisreen Zahda (PS)

Virtual Reality Journey to Pre-Nakba Palestine

The VRJ Palestine initiative delves into the potential and challenges of Virtual Reality tools to reclaim and recapture Nakba’s lost landscapes. By virtually reconstructing the 1948 demolished Palestinian villages through archival data and survivors’ accounts, it aims to preserve intergenerational memories conveyed through stories and photos. In this way it bridges the gap between history and innovation, inviting diverse audiences to engage with revitalized realms and forging profound connections with the past through advanced technology.

Its ultimate goal is to provide a real-time virtual journey to these lost places, allowing people to engage and immerse themselves in the reconstructed spaces and memories. The final product is adaptable, designed for activation on different VR platforms, including WebVR tours and immersive VR experiences. For this exhibition, three projects will be exhibited: Jaffa, Hittin Village and Zir’in Village.

Bio

  • Photo: Takashi Matsumoto

    Nisreen Zahda

    PS

    Nisreen Zahda is a Palestinian architect, urban planner, and virtual reality artist based in Tokyo, Japan. She was born in Hebron, Palestine. She studied architecture at Birzeit University and received her PhD in urban planning from Chiba University in Japan. She started the VRJ Palestine, a Project that aims to reclaim Nakba’s lost landscapes by using digital virtual reality narrative tools.

Credits

The project has three main types of data:
1-Movies: every photo, map, or music soundtrack used in the movies is properly credited at the end of each movie.
2-VR and WebVR data: © Nisreen Zahda
3-4 Printed Posters:
a-Project Poster: Nakba Map Timeline: © Nisreen Zahda
b-Jaffa Poster: Jaffa Survey Map (© Public domain, created by the United Kingdom Government and published before 1974), Photos from F Scholten collection ((c) public domain. Citing the Leiden University Libraries)
c- Hittin Poster: Hittin Survey Map (© Public domain), photos (© Matson collection)
d- Zir’in Poster: Zir’in Aerial Photo 1946 (© the Royal Air Force (RAF), photos (© Matson collection & others)

Presented in the context of the STARTS Ec(h)o project. STARTS Ec(h)o is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101135691.