A few months ago, the militant
group known as Islamic State posted a video online showing the destruction of
antiquities in and around the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq. Statues and other
artefacts in the museum were smashed, and ruins around the city were broken up
using hammers and pneumatic drills. For its first venture into the new medium
of virtual reality, The Economist has collaborated with Rekrei, a non-profit
group formerly known as Project Mosul, to recreate the museum and many of the
lost artefacts, explain why they matter and examine how they were virtually
reconstructed. The result is 'RecoVR Mosul: A collective reconstruction', which
is now available on a range of VR platforms. The experience takes the form of a
tour of the museum, with a voiceover that explains the background to the
project.
According to archaeologists,
Mosul has the majority of the country’s archaeological wealth, with more than
3,500 sites of significance. The city remains under the control of Islamic
State. As well as destroying artefacts for publicity and recruiting purposes,
the militants are believed to have smuggled some of them out of the country to
be sold; such racketeering is thought to be a significant source of the group’s
revenue. The advent of digital reconstructions raises questions about their
ownership and use, and the extent to which they can act as substitutes for the
originals. There are also worries that focusing on artefacts risks diverting
attention from human suffering in conflict zones. These issues are explored in
two podcasts that accompany the VR experience, which consider the role of
technology in preserving cultural heritage and making it more widely
accessible.
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