Meta joins virtual reality project to tell story of Kristallnacht horrors
Holocaust survivor leads viewers through immersive virtual reality experience of Munich 1938
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
One of the world’s most prominent Holocaust survivors, Munich-based Charlotte Knobloch, has taken part in a ground-breaking project for the Claims Conference to mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht — the violent events of November 9 and 10, 1938.
Dr Knobloch, now 92, leads the viewer through an extraordinary mixed-reality story, part film, part personal narrative, part graphic re-creation of her childhood home. Though she was only six during Kristallnacht, the attacks on Jewish homes and properties left lasting and cruel memories which have stayed with her throughout her long life.
The New York-based Claims Conference has devised the film in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, Meta, Makemepulse — a virtual reality company — and UNESCO. Kristallnacht, say the Claims Conference, was “pivotal” to the Holocaust, and the film traces the events of that night with Dr Knobloch as the insider guide.
A spokesperson for the Claims Conference said: “While this project has been in the works for quite some time, it has become incredibly timely — showing what happens when words of hate turn to actions. This is how it starts. With words of hate, it becomes easier to take action. The reactions of most German civilians signalled to the Nazi regime that the German public was ready for more radical measures”.
Dr Knobloch was born in 1932 in Munich, Germany. She eloquently recounts the night of November 9, 1938, when as a six-year-old she walked through the terrifyingly volatile streets with her father. The Claims Conference commissioned the USC Shoah Foundation and immersive technology company makemepulse to create a sensitive and evocative mixed-reality experience animating her memories in a powerful, minimalist way.
She said: “Being part of this high-tech experience gives me great pride. There are fewer survivors every year who can share their memories of the Holocaust, and knowing that the lessons they have to share will last beyond any of us, gives me hope for the future and makes me feel that those lessons will not be lost.”
The Inside Kristallnacht project depicts the November Pogroms featuring Dr Knobloch in dual roles: as the narrator of her own story, and as the subject of an interactive interview in which users are able to relive her experience while also asking questions that she will respond to in real-time.
The project took months to create and required Dr Knobloch to be filmed answering scores of potential questions — a lengthy process which would be difficult for many, let alone a Holocaust survivor in their nineties.
When users have questions, they can engage in an interactive Q&A with Dr Knobloch that uses natural language processing technology in which her prerecorded answers are matched with the questions. These answers cover diverse topics about Charlotte Knobloch’s experience during Kristallnacht, her family and the Holocaust in general.
Users can wear a virtual reality headset to experience this immersive project or a laptop. When they put on the headset (or experience it on a computer or mobile device), they are transported to Munich, 1938, and are guided by Charlotte herself through her very own harrowing memories of that pivotal night.
Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference, said: “This level of technology isn’t just giving a powerful experience — it provides learning opportunities that can reach an audience in a very personal way. Allowing individuals to feel as though they are on the street in the aftermath of Kristallnacht enables them not just to learn about what happened at the onset of World War II, but to understand it in a very immersive way. This is the kind of education we need to reach future generations who will be far removed from the experience of hearing the first-hand testimonies of survivors.”
This virtual reality project integrates real-life footage, photographs, music, and other audio of Kristallnacht, as well as meticulously researched historical context, into the hand-drawn world of Dr Knobloch’s story with stunning artwork created by immersive technology company, makemepulse.
The mixed-reality project will be displayed in museums and at film festivals, and accompanying educational materials are currently under development.
Find Dr Knobloch’s experience on www.insidekristallnacht.org
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