Presentation of the latest VR application “Szybowcowa ’87” at “Next Stop History” in Wrocław.
During the ceremony of naming the Wrocław’s “Next Stop History” after Kornel Morawiecki, the latest VR application developed by the New Technology Division of the Institute of National Remembrance was presented.
On 14 November 2022, an event was organised to present the VR application “Szybowcowa ’87”, developed by the New Technology Division of the Institute of National Remembrance. Pictureworks, a company specialising in the production of applications in virtual reality technology since 2016, with well-known Polish scientific and cultural institutions among its clients, is responsible for the production and quality of the visualisation produced.
The title of the app refers to the address of the underground premises in Wrocław’s Gądów district, donated for the needs of the Fighting Solidarity by Marek Petrusewicz, the first Polish world record holder in 100m swimming, Olympic swimmer and silver medallist at the European Championships. Giving up his flat for the underground print shop, he moved into a small studio flat in a block of flats on Drukarska street.
In the flat on Szybowcowa street, underground publications were produced that kept the nation’s spirit strong in the fight for freedom. One of the most important figures of this period is Barbara Sarapuk, known as the “Queen of Underground Printing”. She was the founder and coordinator of the work of the organisation’s network of print shops, devoting herself entirely to underground activities. The number ’87 refers to the critical year 1987, when Fighting Solidarity chairman Kornel Morawiecki was arrested.
The app takes us back in time to the late 1980s. The latest technological advances enable complete immersion in virtual reality. Users are given the opportunity to move freely around the flat and explore the space where underground press and other materials distributed by members of the Fighting Solidarity movement were printed. Among the interactive objects at the user’s disposal are:
- a Julia radio that can be calibrated to capture messages sent by the communist Security Service;
- a TV set showing an episode of the communist propaganda TV News;
- printing frame along with other items used for printing.
In the clandestine print shop, users will find many authentic printing materials produced by the “Fighting Solidarity” – this has been made possible because they have been transferred to the digital world based on original documents held in the collections of the Institute of National Remembrance.
Currently, the app can be used with special virtual reality goggles (OculusRift S). The final product will be available for free online via Steam and from other distribution channels.
