#1548: “1906 Atlanta Race Massacre” Uses Phone-Based AR to Volumetrically Tell a Forgotten History
Mar 29, 2025
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Nonny de la Peña, a pioneer in immersive journalism and founder of Emblematic Group, discusses her innovative AR project exploring the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre. She reveals how this experience, told through journalist Max Barber's lens, uses mobile technology to make forgotten histories accessible. The conversation touches on the challenges of scriptwriting, the importance of responsible storytelling, and the potential for community engagement. Nonny also highlights her commitment to mentoring the next generation of immersive creators.
The use of phone-based augmented reality in the documentary offers an innovative way to immerse students in the history of the Atlanta Race Massacre and engage them with complex narratives.
Max Barber's role as a journalist during the massacre highlights the importance of recognizing overlooked contributions in civil rights activism and ensuring a broader understanding of American history.
Deep dives
The Historical Context of the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre
The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre was a violent event incited by race-baiting tactics employed by politicians and sensationalized newspaper reports that falsely accused black men of crimes, leading to attacks on the black community. Over several days, violent mobs targeted African Americans across all societal levels, resulting in significant casualties and destruction. The massacre's history is often overshadowed by more well-known events like Black Wall Street, highlighting the need for awareness and education around such buried truths. Max Barber, a journalist at the time, documented these events in real-time, providing crucial insights that serve as a foundation for retelling this tragic incident in a contemporary context.
Innovative Storytelling through Augmented Reality
The documentary piece on the Atlanta Race Massacre utilizes augmented reality to immerse viewers in the historical narrative, allowing them to explore key locations associated with the events while engaging with monologues from historical figures like Max Barber, portrayed by actor Byron Bain. The experience is designed to educate without overwhelming viewers, addressing the challenge of storytelling through mobile technology, which often struggles to support complex content. This innovative approach blends volumetric capture, animations, and interactive elements to engage audiences in understanding the significance of the events. The project aims to be used in educational settings, making this difficult subject more accessible for students.
Research and Rediscovery of Max Barber's Contributions
Max Barber's historical contributions have often been overlooked, especially regarding his efforts to expose the truth surrounding the Atlanta Race Massacre. Originally an editor for 'Voice of the Negro', Barber documented the racial violence during the events and sought to alert the nation about the injustices faced by the black community in Atlanta. Extensive research led to the rediscovery of Barber's writings, helping to frame the narrative of the immersive experience while also recognizing his integral role in civil rights activism. By highlighting Barber's story, the project aims to legitimize his contributions to journalism and ensure that his voice is included in the larger narrative of American history.
Challenges and Future Directions for Immersive Storytelling
The creation of immersive narratives using augmented reality faces significant technical challenges, especially when optimizing content for mobile devices, which aren't always equipped to handle complex multimedia experiences. Various iterations of the project have been hindered by issues such as hardware constraints, the need for compatibility across different school environments, and the reality of production disruptions caused by unforeseen events like COVID-19 and personal emergencies. Despite these challenges, there is a strong belief in the future potential of immersive storytelling to create meaningful educational experiences and provoke dialogue about historical injustices. The ongoing development aims to enhance accessibility and engagement with history, allowing students to confront and learn from the past through innovative technological mediums.
1906 ATLANTA RACE MASSACRE is a phone-based AR experience directed by Nonny de la Peña that digs into the forgotten history of the violent attacks on the black community by white mobs incited by race-baiting politicians and newspapers. The arc of the story is told through the lens of black journalist Max Barber, who was chronicling the events as they were unfolding. We see a series of volumetrically captured monologues by Barber (played by actor Bryonn Bain). As the massacre unfolds, we travel to different key locations around Atlanta represented by spatial facades and Quill illustrations. There's also a series of 2D AI animations ranging from white politicians in newspapers to black activists who are in picture frames. I spoke with de la Peña around some of the constraints and limitations of working with mobile phones that are not completely optimized for XR experiences like this just yet, but it's much more accessible form factor that the executive producer of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is interested getting into schools.
This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.
Music: Fatality
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