Virtual Spaces of Identity 02

A project about virtual preservation:
The idea is to produce a prototype for a virtual platform that aids the work of the New York based preservation institution Historic Districts Council (HDC), in preserving communities and neighbourhoods. Virtual Spaces of Identity aims at examining how virtuality can be used to map and document specific areas of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The great challenge is to visualise and portray the heritage in a usable and engaging way.

Here is a .pdf document with our design concept for Virtually DUMBO.
And here is our uploadet test site (work in progress!).

The project combines theory and practise by having both a written part (the thesis) and a practical part (the production):
The thesis Virtual Spaces of Identity aims at examining how virtuality can be used to map and document specific areas of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The production Virtually DUMBO examines how virtual representation of DUMBO can portray and preserve specific areas of the neighborhood culture.

The HDC are requesting a virtual platform that INVOLVES and EDUCATES neighborhood communities. With this is mind we are developing a concept where the design, content and interaction all aims at this by applying a thematic structure .

The virtual platform, Virtually DUMBO’, explores the history, physical environment and social culture of DUMBO – especially with a perspective on how the neighborhood has changed and is continuing to change with an emphasis on the physical built environment and the community culture. The intend is to visualize the gathered materials as a website where people from DUMBO can participate in the continuous development.

The end product will be published on HDC`s website and will serve as a resource for both neighborhood residents as well as people interested in DUMBO, particularly from a historical, architectural and cultural point of view.