Una Ulrike SCHÄFER
(Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Interdisciplinary Laboratory »Image Knowledge Gestaltung«, Berlin, Germany)
Keywords: interdisciplinarity, auralization, virtual reality, game engine, digital humanities
Abstract:
When visiting the Pnyx in Athens (Greece), a semicircular plateau in a hillside, there is not much left today which helps to imagine that for a long time this open space served as the most important place for political communication in Classical Athens. Public assemblies were held on the Pnyx on a regular basis, each time mobilizing thousands of Athenians to gather there, listening to speeches, debating, voting.
Based on accurate archaeological reconstructions of the Pnyx (Phase II), our interdisciplinary research project »Analogue Storage Media II – Auralisation of Archaeological Spaces« created a dynamic VR research environment with the help of acoustic as well as visual simulations. For a versatile mode of operation within VR contexts, we additionally integrated game engine technology into our range of research methods and practices. This repurposing of new technologies for historic research allows for the development of innovative solutions for emerging problems and research questions.
Now, imagine to enter our virtual research environment: you are right in the middle of a huge crowd on the Pnyx, while Demosthenes is already speaking to warn the gathered Athenians about an inevitable war. You can freely move around the virtual space, experiencing it, thereby navigating to six listening spots spread across the auditorium. When entering one, you can binaurally listen to Demosthenes because his speech is live auralized according to your individual head movements.
Our multisensory VR research environment allows to experimentally explore and evaluate the political situation on the Pnyx in relation to certain research questions regarding different forms of communication suited for the functionality of this particular space, for instance, were speakers able to address such a huge crowd of people accordingly, even with disruptions? What about the correlation of seeing, hearing and understanding, e.g. how well to follow a speech without seeing the speaker?