Paper short abstract:

How can the stories of mothers and children living in prison be represented using immersive storytelling? This paper analyses methods applied and explore limits and potential of VR technologies within the frame of multimodal anthropology and its commitment to collaborative research practices.

Paper long abstract:

Within the framework of visual anthropology, many years ago I started research on mothers and children living together in condition of imprisonment. After having produced a feature length documentary based on participant observation approach, I started practice-based research to explore how immersive storytelling might be used in visual anthropological research to better communicate topics that are painful and difficult to represent and to explore the capacity of 360° video to share the experience of oppressive of spaces.

We employed participatory creative practices adapted to virtual reality, with illustration, photography and digital storytelling labs. All participants contributed to the script for the VR film and creation of a concept that could underline different and untold perception of the life in prison, from both women and children. This multimodal anthropological research explores how the VR filmmaking process requires a deeper collaboration with participants, and a strong commitment to support different media and forms of art, in order to express complex meanings and feelings about the past and the future in closed settings, expecially for children. In my experience, VR projects foster the participation of people involved, and might help in the circulation of knowledge beyond the academy, especially for a younger public.