An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Presentation Of Forensic And Archaeological Evidence
Begun in September 2013, and funded using the Vice Chancellor’s Teaching-led Small Research Grant, Re-Presenting Treblinka brought together staff and final year undergraduate students from across the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences at Staffordshire University. An interdisciplinary teaching-led research project, Re-Presenting Treblinka centred upon the collection of forensic and archaeological evidence and its digital representation. In addition to establishing valuable evidence, the project provided students with a wealth of learning experiences.
The focus of the project was the former camps at Treblinka (Poland), where there was an immediate need for a three-dimensional heritage resource in order to inform visitors about the nature and extent of the crimes perpetrated there by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Historical, cartographic, archaeological and forensic data derived from field survey and research undertaken as part of the Finding Treblinka project was analysed and presented.
Creating a 3D virtual heritage resource
Drawing on the latest technologies in the digital humanities, a public 3D virtual heritage resource was created that outlined the history and surviving evidence of Treblinka. The project drew on the latest technological developments emerging from a variety of fields in applied sciences, engineering, technology and the humanities. Archival material (including documentary evidence, aerial imagery, photographs and cartographic data) was assimilated with the results of the topographic survey, geophysics and excavations carried out at Treblinka.
Providing new insights
3D visualisations of structures within the camp were realised, using advanced CGI technology, based on the findings of the historic and archaeological research. The project team assimilated this information within a Graphical User Interface. This research allows new insights into the nature and extent of Treblinka to be derived and permits enhanced public education. The resource will be made available to the Muzeum Walki I Męczeństwa w Treblince (Museum of Struggle and Martyrdom in Treblinka) for use at the memorial site.
Find out more about our work at Treblinka:
Read more about The Holocaust Landscapes Project:
- Holocaust Landscapes Project Overview
- Alderney Archaeology and Heritage Project
- Staro Sajmište: the Living Death Camp