Student: Carolin Jaschek

Student number: 500828374

Date: June 12, 2023

Version: Design Rationale 0.3 (final delivery)

Educational Institution: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Course: Communication & Multimedia Design

Coach: Roey Tsemah

The Design Rationale summarizes concisely and reproducibly all the research that is done for this project. It highlights conclusions and displays possible solutions.

This is an interactive document. It works best if you read it in Notion: https://busy-flame-a4b.notion.site/Design-Rationale-final-delivery-68c66f97801e429e8605f6ef889c8098

Introduction

The Holocaust was a turning point in world history. Between 1933 and 1945 six million Jews were systematically murdered. Decades later, societies still struggle with the memory of the Holocaust: Countless monuments, museums, and local initiatives try to preserve the stories of the victims to never forget what happened. As our awareness of the Holocaust fuels our fight against everything destructive, how can we raise historical awareness among younger generations? And how can we ensure that the stories of the past remain impactful in shaping our present-day understanding?

In this document, an opportunity will be shown how to bring a static monument to life through Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence. The aim is to attract younger generations, let them actively take part in the commemoration, and provide an emotional encounter with victims that lets visitors reflect on their own lives and values.

Problem statement

In January 2023, a research by the Claims Conference, a nonprofit organization that secures material compensation for Holocaust survivors around the world, was published that revealed serious concerns about the lack of knowledge of Dutch people about the Holocaust (Pen, 2023). “A majority of Dutch respondents did not cite their own country as a country where the Holocaust took place” (Claims Conference, 2023). As nobody can understand contemporary European and even global political structures and persisting sensitivities, without knowledge about the Holocaust, how can we live up to the promise of “never again”?

With the number of survivors growing fewer with each passing year, it is our shared responsibility to preserve the stories of the victims. Holocaust education stays important - especially in a culturally diverse and globalized world, but it is becoming increasingly challenging to convey the reality and impact of this devastating event to future generations.

Context

The Holocaust Namenmonument

Commemorating can be done in a variety of ways. One common act is visiting monuments. They serve as invaluable reminders, connecting us to our shared history and collective memory (mooinoord-holland.nl, n.d.).

One of the places in Amsterdam where the Holocaust is commemorated is the Holocaust Namenmonument: In the heart of the former Jewish quarter, on Weesperstraat, unveiled in 2021. The monument commemorates the more than 102,000 Jewish victims and 220 Sinti and Roma who lost their lives during the Holocaust and who never got a grave (Nederlands Auschwitz Comité, n.d.).

The walls of the memorial are constructed with red bricks in alphabetical order, forming the pattern of four Hebrew letters that spell out “in memoriam”. It serves as a place to individually and collectively commemorate and as a starting point for reflection, processing, and remembrance (De Wagt, 2021, p.80).

The following video was created to serve as an introduction to the monument, aiming to promote a better understanding of the site:

An introduction to the Holocaust Namenmonument in Amsterdam.