An Augmented Reality walk through Amsterdam’s vanished Jewish quarter

Introduction

Silent Witnesses, 1925 brings a unique historical film fragment back into the streets of Amsterdam. In the shadows of the modern city, the ghosts of a lost Jewish neighbourhood reappear. Curious gazes from 1925 bridge a century to meet our own. With an audio guide and Augmented Reality (AR), the story unfolds of streets that were once full of life, a community that was wiped out, and the quiet monuments that remain as the last traces of their existence.

Logline

In 1925, a cameraman walked into the Jewish quarter to record film footage. The curious, bold, and penetrating looks of the residents reversed the roles and made him the subject. Now, a hundred years later, we relive this inverted perspective in an Augmented Reality walk in which the residents of the past look at us once again.

Concept

The viewer follows an audio guide on their smartphone along locations where the film images appear as moving AR installations. The stories of the neighbourhood, the war, and the lost community are retold. Together with the monuments and the Stolpersteine, they give the past a face.

Form & Technology

• WebAR (no app required), accessible to anyone with a smartphone.
• AR installations using historical film fragments.
• Audio guide available in multiple languages.
• Walk duration: 25–30 minutes, 6–10 stops.

Purpose and Audience

Purpose: To make vanished lives and stories visible in public space through art and technology.

Audience: Residents of Amsterdam, tourists, school groups, heritage and art enthusiasts.