THE LAST GOODBYE: BEARING WITNESS THROUGH VR

Muse News | Amy Intrator

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When you listen to a witness, you become a witness.
― Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor and a prolific writer; his powerful message is a reminder to hear survivors speak, so we can bear witness to their testimony. But as time passes and there are fewer living survivors, how can we ensure future generations bear witness? In today’s edition of Muse News, I’m going to explore the USC Shoah Foundation’s virtual reality film The Last Goodbye, the first VR to take viewers to a concentration camp. In this film you walk alongside Pinchas Gutter, a Toronto-based Holocaust survivor, as he returns to the former concentration camp Majdanek, where his entire family was killed during the Holocaust. Over the last month, I have had the privilege of working on the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre’s special presentation of this film in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation. Today, I’m going to consider how this precedent-breaking, newsworthy project may shape the future of memory.

Promotion for USC Shoah Foundation's VR film, The Last Goodbye. Source.

Background: Creating The Last Goodbye

The USC Shoah Foundation is an organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the testimonies of individuals who have survived genocide. The Foundation was born from the making of the film Schindler’s List, when the director, Steven Spielberg, understood the need to capture survivors’ complete testimonies and preserve their narratives. Today, the Foundation’s Visual History Archive includes over 55,000 video testimonies of survivors and witnesses of genocide.

The Last Goodbye is the Foundation’s latest effort to re-imagine the future of survivor testimony using computer technology. In July 2016, Pinchas Gutter, a Holocaust survivor based in Toronto, returned to the concentration camp where his entire family was killed during the Holocaust. To create the film, Pinchas was accompanied by a filming crew that captured thousands of photos that were stitched together to create 3D images that were then paired with his video testimony. The result: a haunting VR film where the viewer has the feeling that they are walking alongside Pinchas as he returns to Majdanek, while hearing him reflect on this place of suffering and loss.

The film premiered in April 2017 at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. In September 2018, The Last Goodbye premiered at four museums located in New York,  Los Angeles, Chicago, and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Please join us for the world premiere of 'The Last Goodbye’ at The Tribeca Film Festival. Walk alongside Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter in this profoundly immersive VR testimony as he tours the concentration camp where his parents and sister lost their lives during World War II and for a moment borrow from his courage. Co-produced by USC Shoah Foundation, HERE BE DRAGONS, MPC VR and OTOY. Featuring an original soundtrack by Dražen Bošnjak of Q Department and Installation Experience by David Korins. We hope to see you April 21-29. #Tribeca2017 #Storyscapes #TheLastGoodbyeVR #USCShoahFoundation #HereBeDragonsVR #MPCVR #OTOY #QDepartment #DavidKorins

A post shared by USC Shoah Foundation (@uscshoahfoundation) on Apr 17, 2017 at 12:09pm PDT

Today: Finding New Audiences in Toronto

Over the last month, I have helped facilitate The Last Goodbye during its Toronto premiere, presented by the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre and the USC Shoah Foundation.

The special presentation is a part of the Neuberger Centre’s annual Holocaust Education Week programming, but this program is completely unlike anything offered in the past. The presentation is hosted at Ctrl V North York, a venue that offers virtual reality experiences year-round. Hosting the program at this venue, which is equipped with VR technology and a purpose-built space, means that up to 17 viewers can experience the film simultaneously. The Neuberger Centre offered open hours where members of the public could experience the film, as well as private bookings for school groups.

Neuberger education staff are hard at work testing out @uscshoahfoundation's award winning virtual reality experience #TheLastGoodbye. This November, in honour of #HEW2018, follow Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter's return to Majdanek Death Camp from right here in Toronto. Want to know more? holocaustcentre.com/last-goodbye #holocausteducation #survivortestimony #virtualreality #toronto

A post shared by Neuberger Holocaust Centre (@holocaust_ed) on Oct 24, 2018 at 11:37am PDT

I have facilitated several public viewings and heard from visitors after the extremely moving experience. When you are in the film, you are prompted to walk around and look at the terrible place as Pinchas recounts his own history. The film is playing simultaneously in individual stations, which means each viewer can interact with the VR film on their own, but afterwards there is a group of people that have all experienced this powerful, immersive testimony.


Tomorrow: Navigating the Future of Memory

The Last Goodbye represents an important innovation: using virtual reality technology to share survivor testimonies. The technology may provide a route to connecting to future audiences who live in a time where there are no more first-hand witnesses of the Holocaust. The VR experience simulates returning to a concentration camp with a survivor, and for a future generation, this may be the closest they can get to walking alongside a survivor as they hear first-hand testimony.

More and more museums are beginning to incorporate technology like VR to create immersive experiences for visitors, but I wanted to understand current impressions of VR from the perspective of someone studying user-centered technology. I asked Vipasha Shaikh, a student studying User Experience Design (UXD), if VR has the potential to engage future generations. Vipasha commented:

          I think VR is certainly an emerging field … it's well suited for digital storytelling and I
          wouldn't be surprised if it gets adapted on a wider scale in this capacity by museums.
          I'm uncertain if this will be the case for other industries.


In addition to this “digital storytelling,” others have compared VR to an “empathy machine” where individuals literally see the world through another’s eyes. The Last Goodbye is a critical intervention in the trajectory of both VR and Holocaust education, as it asks the viewer to experience the testimony of a survivor and see a site where thousands were killed.

The film transforms the viewer into a witness, and for future generations without living Holocaust survivors, this experience could be transformational.

FEATHERED DINOSAURS, DYNAMIC TEAMS, AND MUSEUMS TEACHING MUSEUMS

INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN

BY: KATHLEEN LEW

As summer is flying by, I present to you the FINAL installment of Internship Check-In. It was an absolute pleasure hearing from my classmates about their internship experiences. Hopefully Internship Check-In shed light on all the wonderful work MMSt students are completing in institutions across Canada and internationally. But not to worry, it’s not over yet! Musings has FOUR more interviews to share.*

This post features:

Shauna Edgar: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON

Anna England: Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, ON

Evelyn Feldman: Markham Museum, Markham,ON

Amy Intrator: Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, UJA Federation, North York, ON

Tell us a bit about yourself and your museum-related interests.

Shauna: For the past five years I have been a volunteer, a student, an employee or a mixture of roles at the Vertebrate Palaeobiology lab at the ROM. During my undergraduate degree I studied evolutionary biology and completed a senior year thesis at the ROM on a new species of softshell turtle from the Late Cretaceous. During this time, I’ve also been lucky enough to participate in two field seasons with the Southern Alberta Dinosaur Project. I’m fascinated by all things evolutionary and prehistoric and was thrilled to be hired as the Collections Assistant in the Vert Palaeo lab for the summer. I hope to devote my career to the preservation and management of natural history collections which are invaluable resources for education and research.

Anna: After completing my Bachelor of Arts in History and French at the University of King’s College in Halifax, I went on to complete a Master of Arts in History at Lakehead University. I always knew I wanted to work with history and, as time went on, I became increasingly drawn to the concept of working with the material culture associated with the time periods I am most interested in. Throughout my first master’s degree, I began really involving myself with museums and historical associations. As I entered the Master of Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto, it became clear to me that I would like to work primarily with tangible history, likely in the capacity of collections management or exhibition design.

Evelyn: I am entering my third year in the iSchool’s Concurrent Registration Option, pursuing both a Master of Information and a Master of Museum Studies. On the Information side, I am concentrating in Libraries, rather than Archives (the more common choice in the program). At first, even I didn’t quite understand the reason for this dual interest, but I’ve come to realize that it’s because I love the front-end side of both libraries and museums. I love the way both types of institutions engage patrons/visitors in learning, help them discover new things, offer exciting or useful programs, and overall encourage people to think about and learn about the world around them.

Amy: Hello, my name is Amy! I recently finished my first year of a collaborative degree in Museum Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto. Before entering the Museum Studies program, I earned my Honours Bachelor of Arts, also at the University of Toronto, with a major in History and a double minor in English and Jewish Studies. Over the course of my Undergraduate degree, I realized my passion for history, culture, art, and working with the public, and I realized that the Museum Studies program offered a rare opportunity to blend my love for academia with my interest in public-facing institutions. The collaborative program has allowed me to study the intersection of cultural organizations and institutions with a focus on Jewish heritage. 

Shauna sitting with the holotype specimen of Champsosaurus albertensis. Photo courtesy of Shauna Edgar. 

What is a typical day at your institution? What are your responsibilities?

Shauna: A typical day for me primarily involves rehousing our holotype collection of vertebrate fossils. This requires various judgement calls regarding each specimen’s individual storage based on its conservation needs. For most of the larger fossils I create customized foam cradles for structural support. Additionally, my job involves research into each specimen and its species to update our catalogue records. I can also be found puzzling over small fragments of bone to sort and identify, and cleaning/repairing fossils.

Anna: As a research assistant for Dr. Tim Cook, a day for me at the War Museum is never the same as the last. Dr. Cook has been phenomenal at ensuring I get a chance to experience as much as I can during my time here, so he will often have me sit in on exhibition development meetings, attend collections workshops, catalogue, or conduct primary/secondary research. Some of the tasks I have had include cataloguing postcards from a soldier during the First World War, categorizing and researching art from the Second World War, compiling contextual research about war artist Alfred Munnings, and helping plan artifact displays and visitor interactives for an upcoming Hundred Days exhibition. I thoroughly enjoy the level of variety in the work I do.

Evelyn: Some days, I am helping with our variety of programs: shadowing programs, helping to run programs, helping to prepare programs, or working at the front desk as our tour guide. When there aren’t programs going on, I’m working on my big project for the internship, which is updating the museum’s walk-in tour. The museum has 25 acres, with numerous heritage buildings from around Markham. I am researching all of these buildings (who lived there? Where are the buildings from? What are their architectural features?) and related topics (blacksmithing! beekeeping! baptists! bricklaying techniques! Just to name some “B”’s), using the files and documents in the curatorial department, to develop a new-and-improved package of information for tour guides.

Amy: You’ve been reading this column for a couple months now, so you can probably guess, there is no typical day at my institution! My position is the Museum and Programs Intern, which captures the two different roles that I alternate between here at the Neuberger Centre. Some days are more dedicated to museum-related tasks, like helping review the collection and determine best practice for cataloguing and storing various artifacts. Other days, I spend more time on the program-related tasks, mainly helping to plan the upcoming Holocaust Education Week, which will take place in the first week of November. My program-related tasks can include anything from corresponding with community partners, to looking for venues, to planning for an exhibition to be included in the program!

Evelyn working hard on Markham Museum's programming. Photo courtesy of Evelyn Feldman. 

What is something you have learned so far at your internship?

Shauna: I’ve learned a lot about collection management within a large institution like the ROM and have been able to see how our collection is stored and managed from the gallery to behind the scenes. There are so many important decisions to be made regarding how to organize and store a collection, and even more that must be made when displaying specimens in the gallery. Although much of my work is technical and collections-focused, I’ve seen how returning a specimen to its display case can be an opportunity to informally engage with visitors, answer questions, and have fun talking about feathered dinosaurs.

Anna: During my time at the War Museum, I have had the chance to meet with and learn from many amazing museum staff members in a wide range of different fields. From researchers, to curators, to collections management and exhibition designers, I have been able to sit in and explore what each of these jobs entail. This experience has allowed me to further understand the inner workings of a national museum while also giving me an opportunity to delve into potential future career paths. My internship has also taught me how exhibitions are developed, from the beginning brainstorming phase through to the compilation of research and artifacts and on to the finalized review and advertising.

Evelyn: There are the obvious things like classroom management techniques, program development, and research skills. But one of my favourite things to learn has been just how easily museum and library skills can intersect. In working on the tour, I’m really drawing a lot from the Master of Information side of my degrees, and my work in libraries. I’m researching such a variety of topics, and trying to organize the information about them in a way that will be easiest for tour guides to assimilate and reference back to.

Amy: I have learned how collaborative public programming can be! Since Holocaust Education Week is such a large program, every member of the Neuberger team is involved in the planning process. I expected that I would work closely with my supervisor, since she manages the public programs, but all of the Neuberger staff contribute to the process. My role has meant working with staff members in various departments from education to management. I know this is a reality for most institutions with a small number of staff, but I didn't realize how exciting it would be to work with a dynamic team. The programming is also built around community collaborations, so I have learned about the process of co-organizing events with various community members and institutions.

Amy Intrator in front of the Frank and Anita Ekstein Holocaust Resource Collection at the Neuberger Centre.
Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator. 

 What are you excited about accomplishing throughout your internship?

Shauna: I am very excited to be upgrading the storage of the holotype collection. It is a largescale project that has a lasting impact for research and the curation of our collection. Once complete, we will have an updated catalogue, specimens will be stored safely and securely in customized foam cradles, and fossils that were broken due to less than ideal storage or historical preparation practices will be repaired.

Anna: Looking at the work I have already done makes me feel exceptionally proud and I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity by Dr. Cook. Proceeding forward, I am very excited to continue my work on categorizing and helping to select the art work that will be featured in the future 2020 exhibition to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. I am honoured to have been given this role and am excited to see the final product along with the art work I have suggested be included. I am also looking forward to co-authoring an article with Dr. Cook on the work we have done regarding Alfred Munnings, who was a war artist during the First World War.

Evelyn: Obviously, I’m excited to see the tour actually be put into action! I think that’s the winner, hands down.

Amy: I am excited to help make Holocaust Education Week 2018 a reality! The program won't launch until November, but already I have seen the program develop so much over the two months I've been at the Neuberger. It will be hard to leave the Neuberger at the end of August, right when planning goes into overdrive, but I already feel a great sense of pride that I have been able to contribute to the early program planning phase. From exhibits, to lectures, to panels, I have been able to lend a hand with a full roster of programming!

 

Anna at the Canadian War Museum. Photo courtesy of Anna England. 

If you could create any museum (no matter how ridiculous) what kind of museum would it be? 

Shauna: I would love to see a museum all about Earth’s geologic history and geomorphology. At an early age, one of the key concepts that initially drew me to science was learning about plate tectonics and how mountains formed. It blew my mind. I began looking at the landscape where I lived completely differently. The ground beneath my feet was far from static, and had its own dramatic history. In addition to capturing the imagination, I think these foundational topics in geology help significantly in our understanding and acceptance of other scientific concepts such as evolution and climate change while also providing a foothold to ask further questions about the natural world.

Anna: It is difficult for me to think of a specific idea for a museum that I would like to create, but I often think about events in history that go unrecognised or underexplored. There are many historically significant events that have occurred but may not have been examined to their full potential in the world of museums. Museums that are dedicated to more eclectic subject matters are also of interest to me, such as the travelling Museum of Failure, so perhaps I would like to create a museum along a similar theme.

Evelyn: One of my favourite things is when museums teach about museums. A lot of museums do this in little ways; the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History has a small display about how they transported artifacts off of Sable Island, for example. Museums can teach us about the different ways they preserve objects, or how they think about visitors, or how interpretation in museums can never be neutral, simply through what we choose to leave in and take out. I’d love to see a museum of museums: A museum that teaches us about the world around us—science, sociology, current events—through the lens of museums’ operations themselves.

Amy: I am fascinated by the concept of a museum focused on Jewish heritage. A few years ago, a plan for the Jewish Museum of Canada was proposed, but the plan has been put on hold indefinitely. I would love to be a part of the process of making that museum a reality, as I think museums that focus on Jewish heritage have so much potential as spaces for education and cross-cultural dialogue.

Want more of Internship Check-In? Check out previous interviews here!

*These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

MMSt 2017 INTERNSHIPS: PART ONE

INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN

BY: TABITHA CHAN

Hi everyone! Welcome to the first internship check-in post of 2017. Since my internship at the Art Gallery of Ontario is coming to a close, I am very excited to be able to learn about other students' experiences through this column. I'd like to feature as many students as possible this summer to share the wide range of internship roles and institutions. Let's get started!

Today's post features:

Aurora Cacioppo: Art Gallery of Hamilton - Hamilton, ON
Kelly Manikoth: Open Studio - Toronto, ON
Christopher Shackleton: Elgin County Museum - St. Thomas, ON
Leore Zecharia: Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre - North York, ON

Describe what a typical day is like for you at your institution. What are some of your main duties and responsibilities?

Aurora: I usually come into work and get settled in at my desk in the library by making myself some tea and booting up my laptop. Right now we are prepping for an upcoming exhibition featuring a new acquisition to AGH’s permanent collection. It includes soapstone carvings made by Inuit patients that were being treated for tuberculosis at Hamilton Mountain Sanatorium. My responsibilities for the first half of my internship will consist of researching the history of tuberculosis in Canada, sanatoria in Hamilton, and Inuit patients that were admitted there. I will also be using this research to help with the didactics and programming for the exhibition. This allows me to practice my research skills and learn about my hometown’s history at the same time. For the second half of my internship, I’ll be researching and preparing a grant proposal. I've attended a few curatorial meetings with Tobi [Bruce, Director of Exhibitions and Collections and Senior Curator at AGH], including an acquisition meeting. Tobi and two other curators presented new artwork to the Acquisitions Committee in hopes for a motion to add it to AGH's collection! It was so exciting. These meetings are giving me insight on how the gallery functions. I am learning about AGH's working environment (which is very supportive and encouraging), I am keeping informed about all of the gallery's programming, and I am able to see how Shelley Falconer, President & CEO of AGH and MMSt alumna, is making sure things run smoothly. So far, so very good!

Kelly: So far, every single day at my internship has been different! I started my placement at a very busy time in the gallery; in the span of three weeks there have been three major events and an opening. As an intern, I helped out any way I could; from assigning inventory/accession to new prints entering the gallery, archiving new prints, priming walls, building shelves, unpacking and installing artworks for exhibitions, presenting and photographing prints for clients, running errands (i.e. rushing to the hardware store when we ran out of screws the day of an opening!), writing and setting up labels, cleaning and prepping the gallery for events, such as setting up food and photographing openings.

Chris: As far as I can tell, there really is no typical day here! We’ve had quite a mixed bag of tasks so far, with one day dedicated to being a filming location for The Nature of Things with Dr. David Suzuki, and another spent delivering a 180kg cube of mud from the wall of a historic house, in exchange for a disassembled carriage! Our museum acts as the centre of a modified heritage network, so we wear many hats as advocates for heritage across the county. I generally assist visitors when they arrive and throughout their time in the museum, and between tours I will work on a variety of projects and assist with inquiries, research, or documentation.

Leore: Right now I am doing a lot of research for school programs during Holocaust Education Week, so my days mainly consist of research. As a small institution, I am also running sessions for New Dimensions in Testimony and filling in where I am needed.

Aurora taking a selfie with Alex Colville's Horse and Train - a special work in AGH's permanent collection!

What is something you have learned in your first few weeks of your internship?

Aurora: I’ve learned that things move extremely fast, and there are always a number of events, exhibitions, and lots of programming on the go. Being able to juggle many things at once is important to master. Being organized and having connections is extremely beneficial because it allows for outsourcing information, delegating tasks, and collecting experience or contributions from other professionals. I’ve learned that a team that works well together is essential for the success of an institution.

Kelly: I learned the importance of being versatile and flexible within your skillset. In a small artist-run centre, one person has multiple roles, for example my supervisor is the Print Sales and Archive Manager, so she has two roles in one. Being well equipped with computer skills, financial knowledge, technical skills such as using power tools all while staying caught up with trends in the contemporary art world will get you very far. I also learned the value of time management and prioritising tasks (something that the first year of grad school has also helped me learn!).

Chris: I’ve learned that sometimes the power of a local history legend completely overshadows the narrative presented by the facts as we know them!

Leore: What I have learned so far is that while there are school groups and the public in and out every day, for us it is more behind the scenes work while volunteer museum educators are guiding the groups.

Kelly at Open Studio's Member's Ink Silent Auction Event with her supervisor Astrid

What is something that has surprised you about museums that you did not know before working in a real one?

Aurora: Sometimes special guests come visit! On May 12, Ethan Hawke came to visit AGH. He is currently filming a movie in Hamilton about Maud Lewis and he wanted a tour of the vaults and to see some of Maud’s work that is featured in AGH’s permanent collection. After his tour, he came up to the office floor and said "Hi"!

Kelly: Something that surprised me is how tight knit the Toronto arts community is. Everyone knows and supports one another by attending events, openings and exchanging art within the network of Canadian artists.

Chris: I was surprised with the number of other institutions that utilise the Elgin County Museum for advice, resources, and expertise.

Leore: What is surprising is that there are so few Holocaust museums and education centres in Canada, and we are essentially the only one in Ontario. There are so many people who don’t even know we exist, but for those who do, we have school groups come from all over Ontario.

Chris with the Elgin County Museum's brand-new Jumbo the Elephant display. 

What are you most looking forward to in your internship? What excites you about your internship?

Aurora: I am most excited about getting to know my community through the art gallery! I grew up in Hamilton, and I am proud to be interning at such an awesome institution that is so close to home! I am also very excited to learn about the role of the curatorial team in the preparation for exhibitions, as well as understanding what day-to-day life is within a mid-sized institution like the AGH. I’ve had experience in a smaller gallery, and it is interesting to see how the dynamic has shifted and the responsibilities have been delegated. I’m also extremely excited to be contributing to the research preparation for an important exhibition for our city's history (Carving Home, opens June 27).

Kelly: The most exciting aspect of being at Open Studio for me is handling prints and then meeting the artists who created the artwork! The studio is located right beside the gallery, so when I admire a work on display or in inventory, I can go next door and meet the artist who created the piece or watch them work on new pieces.

Chris: I’m most looking forward to a special guest we have coming into the museum this week, whose name I can’t reveal! We also have several loans coming in and out, and I’m kind of excited to see what the handover and paperwork process is like! Every day so far has been an adventure, with a number of incredible people and objects crossing my path. I’m always excited when I answer the phone and hear the words “I have some stuff here I think you might want,” because I invariably imagine the rarest and most desirable objects I can.

Leore: What I am most looking forward to is helping with the preparations for Holocaust Education Week in November.

Leore taking a selfie with her lovely official nametag!

What do you hope to accomplish while you are at your internship?

Aurora: I hope to gain an understanding of how a mid-size institution works in terms of back-end preparation, installation of an exhibition, striking the exhibition, programming, and more. I am interested in leadership positions and their impact on institutions like the AGH, and I am hoping to learn from the working dynamics here. I am also hoping to develop my research and communication skills.

Kelly: During my time at Open Studio, I hope that I can get more people interested in contemporary art by local artists. This can be by letting people know of upcoming events and openings, sharing artwork on social media, and creating intriguing exhibitions.

Chris: I hope to build a network of experts in local heritage and tourism marketing who I can consult in the future. For our upcoming Expo 67 and Centennial exhibit, I’ll be sourcing and coordinating loans of souvenirs and photographs from the community, so I’m trying to put together a cohesive collection of pieces to tell an interesting and engaging story about how those two events impacted Elgin County.

Leore: What I hope to accomplish is creating a program from start to finish.

What’s your passion?

Aurora: My passion is storytelling. I love learning about history and people and objects and places through stories. Museums and art galleries present these stories, and that is why I am so thrilled to be pursuing a career in this profession.

Kelly: My passion is to connect communities together through fine art, as well as creating my own artwork.

Chris: My passion is improving the experience of the visitor to the museum, whether they’re a casual tourist or an expert researcher. Using that as my goal focuses my choices when I accession materials, write and research displays, or provide tours, because I try to put myself in the shoes of anyone who may be affected by my work. Thinking about the usefulness and outcomes of my work also serves as an excellent motivator when tasks seem unappealing or daunting.

Leore: My whole life I went to Jewish overnight camp where as I grew up I started to realize more and more the importance of the informal education I got from there, and the power it has when complemented with formal education. If I could stay at camp for the rest of my life, I would, but unfortunately that is not a realistic dream. I have always wanted to work in museums, and during my undergrad, I realized that I would be able combine my love of museums with my passion for the informal education system. As well, I want to continue on the path of Jewish collective memory. So, that would be my passion.

Thank you to Aurora, Kelly, Chris and Leore for your honest responses. Check back in two weeks for Part Two of the internship check-in series!