In partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting [OPB] and the Ken Burns PBS Documentary, our team created a digital interactive project about the Vietnam War. More specifically, stories about veterans, protestors and refugees provided a small glimpse into Vietnam in 2017 through the use of photo-galleries and videos, the product of a two-week trip to the country. We also displayed an exhibit with photos and an interactive screen, as shown below. To further launch the project, we collaborated with OPB to host a live-screening and event with a panel moderated by Steve Beda, a historian and professor at the University of Oregon.

The core question we were attempting to answer was: Could we bring the conditions of life during and after the Vietnam War to consciousness in 2017? Could we draw parallels to democracy and dialogue by merging virtual and physical spaces?

Interactivity

The goal of the exhibit was to encourage interaction between viewers and the content. By the act of physically writing experiences, thoughts and opinions on a board, viewers ignited their own curiosity, an immersive way to bring the Vietnam war into daily consciousness.

Exhibit

On the second floor of Allen Hall (The University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication), a space complete with an interactive screen, question board and framed photographs was set up. The video on the left shows the interactive screen and image above shows the frames.

Collaboration

During our time at Oregon Public Broadcasting, we were able to secure an interview with documentary filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, whose 18-hour series aired in September 2017. Following the completion of the digital project, OPB collaborated with us to host a screening and panel featuring former veterans, refugees and professors to discuss the larger implications of the war in relation to present-day American democracy.