I chose to look at Exploring the Vilnius Ghetto: A Digital Movement. The site provides an in depth history of the Vilna Ghetto which was established in Nazi Germany. The site provides multiple maps describing events that were related to the operation and evolution of the Ghetto as well as the perimeter of the location within the context of Poland during World War II. The Ghetto was used as a geographical location of oppression and ostracization for Jewish citizens. Vilna became a place of horrific abuse, mass shootings, imprisonment, and forced labor.
That maps depict a time line of events and their geographic relationship to the Vilnius Ghetto. The events are displayed with clickable points on the map which once clicked go into further detail about the story described. To the left is a legend that indicates what story is represented by color of the dot. The stories begin in 1941 with the formation of the Ghetto and follow all the way up till the end in 1943. hThe information given is comprehensive and allows a linear read of the events while still providing room to expand these individual events virtually through the use of the map. In this way the user is not confined by linear narrative, but alternatively it operates as a a loose guideline to understand the progression and evolution of these events.
Though the events appear to be presented in a relatively neutral manner, the information of events given is horrendous. This juxtaposition between context and data visualization creates a gap between the subjective experience of the landscape and how it was perceived by the occupants of the Ghetto compared to its dry and seemingly neutral betrayal within the map. We are left to create our own narrative about these atrocities but are missing a key component of the perspective as the map displayed is relatively detached from these subjective experiences. Obviously the map is important in conveying this information but I think it is important to note the deep psychological impact that these experiences had and the failure to capture them just by data alone.
I really like the idea of attempting to create a map that conveys the subjective weight of experience. Great post!
I definitely agree that although this particular data visualization contained various layers of information, it ultimately left out the most important information of all: personal stories. If those aren’t conveyed then we run the great risk of seeing history repeat itself. Great read!
It’s definitely a moment in which the coldness of data visualization can be inadequate to properly convey the enormity of this violence and loss, and one in which it’s important to think about some of Drucker’s ideas about alternate means to deal with affect