House of Memory / بيت الذاكرة

House of Memory / بيت الذاكرة evolved from Basil Al-Rawi’s practice-based PhD research at the Glasgow School of Art. This Virtual Reality experience reimagines the role of the archive, transforming photographs and narratives contributed by Iraqi diaspora to the Iraq Photo Archive into an interactive, immersive space. The archive is not merely a repository of past material but a constructed and participatory site where collective memory is actively shaped, rather than passively stored.

The project functions as a counter-archive, challenging dominant historical narratives and mainstream representations of Iraq by foregrounding the intimate, everyday experiences of those omitted from institutional histories. Contributors share vernacular photographs and recount the intangible details of their past: visual, aural, and emotional aspects that remain unrepresented in the static image.

Through filmed conversations, these personal recollections are documented, remediated, and digitally reconstructed into an interactive VR environment, allowing visitors to enter an expanded photographic moment.

Through the process of remediation, the project situates itself within a broader discourse on media, memory, and representation. Here, VR extends the function of the photograph beyond its traditional limits, transforming it from a static record into an embodied experience. Viewers are not only able to step into past spaces but also engage with the emotional and sensory dimensions of memory, deepening their connection to the narratives presented.

The project fosters dynamic, participatory engagement, and mirrors Hal Foster’s notion of the archive as both an excavation site and a construction site, where memory is retrieved but also reconstructed. The virtual environment does not seek to simulate an objective historical reality but rather creates a space for subjective, lived experiences to be articulated, offering a necessary alternative to the dominant media portrayals of Iraq, particularly those shaped by war and conflict.

The work adopts the visual language of gaming environments to directly challenge the dominant representation of Iraqi landscapes and culture in video games, creating a space within this medium that is informed by authentic memories and lived experiences, rather than one which gamifies trauma for entertainment or profit.

Through immersive storytelling, House of Memory facilitates a shared memory space, allowing audiences to encounter and internalise the experiences of others, forging new relationships between personal and collective memory, and intersubjective connections across time and space.

House of Memory is an evolving memoryscape that redefines how Iraqi identity is represented and remembered in digital media. By inviting audiences to step inside the emotional landscapes of memory, the project contributes to a more nuanced and multifaceted understanding of Iraqi experiences, offering a counterpoint to the dominant narratives often perpetuated in video games, news media, and popular culture.