Experience Gaza Through Virtual Reality

"Against the backdrop of tech-mediated violence and oppression—where digital tools are increasingly used to surveil, track, and control populations—Phoenix of Gaza stands out as a powerful model of liberatory technology. It reveals what is possible when we listen to and learn from those often buried beneath the rubble of so-called “progress” and “innovation.” Gaza XR, a virtual reality experience, plants the seeds for transforming our social and political realities toward greater justice and joy. Above all, this Palestinian-led initiative shows us what is possible when our work as world-builders is guided by the deep interdependence of people and planet."

“The Phoenix of Gaza XR Project opens up a portal in time and space, allowing participants to virtually ‘visit’ land, architecture and people that have been sealed off by Israel's brutal siege for decades, and that that have, since the time of filming, been decimated by genocidal violence. When I put on the VR goggles, I was instantly transported to the sights and sounds or a people living daily lives filled with beauty against all odds, lives that should have been protected. This is a  testimony, an archive and a love letter, and it is among the most innovative and powerful uses of technology that I have ever experienced”

“I had the incredible privilege of participating in the Gaza virtual reality experience hosted at Princeton University, and it was absolutely remarkable. I knew it would be intense—I didn’t know how much it would feel like being transported to Gaza.
It was a moment to be with the beautiful babies celebrating Eid, to walk down the street, to be in the Church of Saint Porphyrius where I saw someone praying, to walk the grounds of the Great Omari Mosque. Mind you, I’ve been to Gaza before—I had never seen any of these things. It was such a treat to feel like I was able to visit.
And then there were the after-images of devastation and destruction, which we’ve read about and seen in real time. But seeing these two images juxtaposed brings an entirely different intensity to the scope of destruction Palestinians have endured.
I highly recommend it. It’s a powerful pedagogical tool and a basic necessity for anyone committed to the struggle for freedom. I really encourage everyone to see it soon.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time in Gaza, and this project has that 3D quality—you could even look away from the main image and still feel like you were there. It brought so much back. My office was in the center of Gaza City, and I saw that whole area that was eventually destroyed. Even in still photographs, that’s very hard for me to look at.
The most difficult part was the last video on the beach. Having been in Gaza when it was bombed, it’s the sounds more than the images that bring back the fear and trauma. I thought it was very effective in lifting the voices of children—half the population of Gaza is under 18.
I’ve covered war for 20 years, and what’s most painful is what it does to children. Hearing them speak about losing their mothers—that’s always the hardest thing to witness.
This experience gives people a real sense of what Gaza looked and felt like. It shows the horrific injustice and violence of the Israeli state, and hopefully stirs people from the passivity of watching a livestream genocide and doing nothing.”

“The genocide in Gaza has been made possible by the inaction of the rest of the world, content to watch and allow the daily slaughter. In part, this is a result of the relentless propaganda over the last century, that portrays the Arab world as a place of barbarism, and Arab people as something less than human, underserving of empathy. The deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians (the majority of them children) appears as an afterthought in the perception of the global North because it is happening to people  unworthy of our caring. The Phoenix of Gaza uses virtual reality technology to rescue Palestinians from this nightmare, the immersive technology forcing the viewer to experience Palestine in a visceral manner. By transporting the viewer to the mundane reality of everyday life in a pre-genocide Gaza, it shows that Palestinians are like the rest of humanity, attending to daily domestic tasks and participating in the social life of the community. It is a stunning attempt at empathy, forcing us to see Palestinians as human – a necessary pre-requisite for solidarity in a time of genocide.”