ŽANIS LIPKE-A VR DOCUMENTARY

This VR Documentary will be presented individually to all who choose to engage with the presentation.

Žanis Lipke was a dockworker from Riga, Latvia. He didn’t have money, power, or status. Yet, this humble man was able to help 55 Jews escape from the Riga Ghetto and the Kaiserwald Concentration Camp during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Latvia. Lipke built a bunker by his house and created a network of hideouts in the countryside, where he kept 55 people safe, fed, and clothed for the duration of the Holocaust. The experience approaches Lipke’s story as a collage of 55 stories. Lipke had a unique relationship with each of the people he rescued. Each escape operation was meticulously planned and different. The collage-like narrative structure lends itself to a nonlinear medium like VR. The user experience employs a choose- your-own-adventure format, following the memories of some of the people he rescued.

Žanis Lipke — VR Documentary is an immersive and nonlinear experience. It combines historic photography, charcoal drawings, interactive environments, and photogrammetry to bring this little-known story to a new audience.

The project is being developed by Fallon Minneapolis in collaboration with the Lipke Memorial Museum in Riga, Latvia.