Press Preview of “ECloud”—a 3D Interactive Artwork for World War One

A Bible shot through by a bullet, a meadow turned into a muddy hell after a brutal battle, the fading photo of a German officer. These World War One images feature in a new 3D installation at the Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre at City University of Hong Kong (CityU).

 

Titled “ECloud”, this interactive installation is based on the internet archive of European heritage created by Europeana, a cultural organisation co-funded by the European Union (EU). The aim of their project Europeana 1914–1918 is to collect stories, photographs and other materials related to World War One in order to commemorate in 2014 the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities.

 

Visitors to the exhibition will travel back in time to the horrors of the war via the 3D interactive installation, which is featured on an expansive 3-metre high, 9-metre wide screen.

 

Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Director of CityU’s Applied Laboratory for Interactive Visualization and Embodiment (ALiVE) and Dean of CityU’s School of Creative Media and Dr Sarah Kenderdine, Research Director of ALiVE, were invited by Europeana to help transform the datasets of Europeana 1914–1918 into a 3D interactive artwork using advanced virtual reality technology.

 

Ms Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission, and more than 10 ministers of culture from various EU countries attended the opening of “ECloud” when it made its debut in Europe.

 

The installation demonstrates the value of advanced technology such as laser-scanning, high resolution photography and large-scale immersive visualisation systems for the storage and display of cultural heritage.

 

To mark its premiere in Asia, “ECloud” will be introduced to the media by Dr Kenderdine and Mr Harry Verwayen, the Business Development Director of Europeana. They will also discuss new trends in preserving and displaying heritage.

 

We would like to invite you to cover the above event:

 

Date:      3 December 2012 (Monday)

Time:     1:00 pm

Venue:    Centre for Applied Computing and Interactive Media (M3070), L3, Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, City University of Hong Kong

 

 

Media enquiries: Mirror Fung, Communications and Public Relations Office, CityU (3442 6808 or 6183 0853).