[A sad but important application of presence is the topic of a 2:16 minute Voice of America report (also available via YouTube). Here is the VOA text that introduces the story:
“The U.S.-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation held an exhibition February 22 in Washington dedicated to the war in Ukraine. The traveling exhibit “War Up Close” uses virtual reality to show the horrors of the Russian invasion of its neighbor. Karina Bafradzhian has the story. Camera: Andrey Degtyarev.”
A description of the War Up Close Project from the About page of its website is below; visit the site for examples of the Project’s work (a seven minute compilation of images is available there and via YouTube).
Information about the Kyiv region’s affiliated Virtual Museum of War Memory follows below; visit that website for more examples.
For less immersive but very compelling images of the war see the Grid News story “World in Photos: From Ukraine and Beyond, One Year of War.”–Matthew]
About the War Up Close Project
MEMORIALIZATION OF DESTRUCTIONS
The War up Close Project unveils the details of the genocide against the Ukrainian nation to the global community using 360° panoramic photos, drone footage and 3D modelling. Our materials form a tangible evidence of Russia’s crimes and we hope they will help bring the aggressor to justice.
The project is initiated by experts from Discover.ua and FreegenGroup. Mykola Omelchenko, a photo journalist with years of experience and the first Google Trusted Photographer in Ukraine, has embarked on photo shooting for the War up Close.
Using state-of-the-art technologies, we capture the damage inflicted by the aggressor and put the photos on Google Maps, social media pages and the project website. For better immersing and more realistic experience we are planning to demonstrate the images of Russia’s crimes using VR goggles and immersive theatres. Besides, a number of virtual museums of war has been created in Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions in coordination with public agencies for tourism.
The War up Close Project team is in close cooperation with the State Emergency Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. Our panoramic views and drone footages assist rescuers in debris removal and examining the actual scope of damage. We also specialise in 3D modelling of monuments and historic buildings.
Despite the dangers, we are capturing crimes against Ukraine and humanity for all the future generations to preserve the memory of this tragedy.
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[From the Kyiv Region Tours Virtual Museum of War Memory website]
Virtual Museum of War Memory
In collaboration with the Close War project, we are recording the destruction to remember and show our descendants the price we are fighting for freedom and independence.
We are sure that after the victory we will rebuild everything, and Kyiv region will again become a place to live, where everyone will want to have a house, engage in active tourism, taste delicious food from local farmers or retire to an ethnic estate in nature.
But we will never be able to forget what happened. That’s why the VR Museum of War Memory was created. With the help of 3D tours, visitors will be able to get into the terrible reality that the war brought with it to Irpen, Bucha, Gostomel, Gorenka and other towns and villages.