“New Dimensions in Testimony,” an initiative by USC Shoah Foundation, opens October 20 and runs through March 20, 2018. This interactive audio-visual installation records and displays testimony in a way that will preserve the dialogue between Holocaust survivors and learners far into the future. Guests will experience “virtual conversations” by “talking” with Holocaust survivors. This pioneering project integrates advanced filming techniques, specialized display technologies and next-generation natural language processing to provide an intimate experience. To date, 15 survivors’ testimonies have been captured by more than 50 cameras as each was asked 1,600 questions addressing topics ranging from pre-war life through the Holocaust and beyond.
“New Dimensions in Testimony” revolutionizes the concept of oral history. Each specially recorded interview enables viewers to ask questions of the survivor about their life experiences and hear responses in real-time, lifelike conversation. Questions are answered naturally, as if the survivor is in the room, and through Artificial Intelligence, the more questions asked the better the technology becomes. Holocaust Museum Houston is one of only three locations in the United States hosting this extraordinary learning technology. The museum will feature the interactive testimony of Pinchas Gutter, the project’s first participant.
