Partially supported by a NULab Seedling Grant and by an American Rescue Plan award.
3D Black Boston uses immersive technologies to create virtual reality experiences of nineteenth-century African American heritage sites in Boston. Between January and August 2021, the project team researched and recreated historical spaces c. 1827-30 related to David Walker, the radical Black abolitionist famous for Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World (1829). Virtual reality allows us to provide interpretation of sites that no longer exist or where physical access is complicated or restricted. The NuLab-funded phase of 3D Black Boston supported paid undergraduate research and skill acquisition. Students worked on a proof-of-concept VR simulation based on Walker’s 8 Belknap Street home on Beacon Hill. The project team anticipates future phases; to follow its progress and understand our choices, please navigate to the project site.
Principal Investigators
Jessica Linker, Project Lead, Faculty, History; Angel David Nieves, Project Consultant, Faculty, History; Liam MacLean, Project Manager, Graduate Student, History
Digital Project Team
Jenia Browne, Undergraduate, International Affairs; Kesia Davies, Undergraduate, Art+Design; Anaya Dhandapandi, Undergraduate, Architecture and Media Arts; Jessica Luo, Undergraduate, Computer Science; Kira Torrieri, Undergraduate, Biology
Presentations
“Reconstructing Black Activist Boston: Virtual Reality, David Walker’s Appeal, and Undergraduate Student Collaboration.” ACH Virtual Conference. July 21-23, 2021.
