The Human Digital Network
This project, in collaboration with the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), focuses on developing new means to digitally engage the general public with archival materials from the Holocaust. Our project “Resonance” enables the user to discover the strength and resilience of the human spirit in times of adversity. Through the implementation of a digital platform, the general public is able to listen, download and reinterpret Jewish archival sheet music which was composed in ghettos and/or concentration camps during the Holocaust.
ENGAGEMENT WITH ARCHIVAL CONTENT In today’s society of ever-increasing use of digital media, archives are often left behind as so little of archival collections has been digitised. Through the modern renditions of the sheet music, our dproject reanimates the archive, bringing the historic documents into the here and now. Our project encourages engagement with the archival content in an innovative and creative way.
PARTICIPATORY DIGITAL PRODUCT Resonance uses user-generated content and digital participation to facilitate engagement with the archival sheet music. From our research, it is clear that respondents believe that a personal connection and an interactive experience enhances the feeling of engagement with archival materials. This type of interaction was seen as more successful than others as it resulted in higher memory recall of historical information.
MUSIC AS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE An issue facing research infrastructures nowadays is accessibility in terms of language. EHRI is a consortium of partners from around the world, therefore our project needs to be easily translatable. Music is a solution to this problem of language accessibility as music is a universal language. We believe that music is a powerful medium with which to engage the general public with archival material on the Holocaust.
MODERN CONNECTION AND RELEVANCE Resonance works to revive and reinvigorate Jewish archival sheet music through renditions and re-interpretations by modern musicians. While stimulating the re-creation of the archival sheet music, it also works to re-animate the archive. The past and present unite.
IMPACT ON RESEARCH Our project inspires many opportunities for further research, for example the exploration and examination of user-generated content as an experimental methodology in the Humanities. Similarly, an in-depth study of the archival sheet music offers insight into everyday life in the ghettos and/or concentration camps as well as an insight into music and creativity as a coping strategy in times of adversity.