On January 28th, the Mellon Intersections Group on Imagineering and the Technosphere is presenting a workshop by Professor Ken Sassaman (UF Anthropology) discussing the use of virtual reality to mobilize historical knowledge related to mitigating the effects of climate change.
Ruins for the Future: Materializing Memories of the 1896 Hurricane at Atsena Otie, Florida Workshop with Kenneth E. Sassaman (Dept. of Anthropology)
12:00 pm Monday, January 28th, 2019 in Walker Hall 200 (Humanities Center)
How can virtual reality and other digital technologies be used to mobilize historical knowledge that we may find useful in mitigating the negative consequences of imagined futures? The 1896 hurricane that destroyed the Gulf coastal community of Atsena Otie and the cedar mill industry on which it depended is but a faint memory of those who dwell today in the shadow of the disaster.
This workshop is the first opportunity to introduce for discussion the plan for constructing a virtual reality of Atsena Otie, the 1896 event that “ruined” it, as well as the preconditions and consequences of its vulnerability to disaster. In keeping with the grand-challenge question of the Mellon Intersections Group on Imagineering and the Technosphere, discussion should focus on the question: How have technologies shaped our lives, and how can we draw on them to meet 21st century challenges on a planetary scale? In the case of Atsena Otie, we will consider how the cedar mill industry predisposed the area to disaster and how modern, digital technology can be used to mobilize historical knowledge about this disaster for reducing the risks of future hurricanes.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information please visit: https://intersections.humanities.ufl.edu/upcoming_events/ruins-for-the-future-materializing-memories-of-the-1896-hurricane-at-atsena-otie-florida-with-kenneth-e-sassaman/
