Join us for the Phoenix of Gaza XR Exhibit, connecting everyday acts of resistance with longer-term world-building and freedom dreaming, open to the MIT community February 17-21. 

The exhibit was first conceived by Naim Aburaddi, who is from Gaza and whose family has survived the genocide. Partnering with Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb and the x-Real Lab at California State University San Bernardino, this project transports viewers beyond the blockade to Gaza and its multiplicity through immersive technologies. The VR experience amplifies important voices from Gaza including many artists whose work is included in the exhibit. In this way, the project continues as a cultural archive and historical preservation. As part of the longer-term struggle for Palestinian liberation, we invite you to bear witness to a liberated Gaza.

The VR exhibit includes hundreds of videos and images of historic sites and daily activities in Gaza using a 360-degree camera. These include images and videos of historical monuments, cultural sites, public squares, universities, schools, cafes, streets, agricultural areas, parks, beaches, markets, and amusement places. The experience also spotlights Palestinian culture through weddings, stitching workshops, dabke, palm harvesting, clay and pottery making, and other hand-made professions. This work would not have been possible without the creativity, resilience, and sacrifice of the project’s former photographer/videographer, who lost his father in the latest genocide, and the current photographer/videographer, who is risking his life to capture the aftermath in Northern Gaza. Learn more about the Phoenix of Gaza XR story on their website, here. 

The exhibit, offered through VR goggles, is open to the MIT Community and invited guests and will be located in the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning Building (9). Detailed instructions on place will be provided upon registration, closer to the exhibit date. Co-founders Naim Aburaddi and Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb will also deliver a keynote address and walkthrough of the exhibit on Friday, February 21 at 4 PM.

Timings for the experience are: 

• 1:00 - 5:00 PM February 17 - 20 

• 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 5:00 - 7:00 PM February 21

Phoenix of Gaza XR is currently supported by the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab, based in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, under the supervision of Dr. Ruha Benjamin. The initial project was supported by the x-Real Lab at California State University, San Bernandino. In addition, the team has been receiving technical support from the immersive Media Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Questions?

For more information, visit the exhibit’s Frequently Asked Questions or contact the exhibit organizing committee at alensontoourselves@gmail.com.