The 2016 Central Italy earthquake left the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli in scenes of devastation. Occurring on August 24, 2016, it left a significant impact on the region, primarily affecting the towns of Amatrice, Accumoli, and Pescara del Tronto. With a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale, this earthquake had profound and tragic consequences. The shaking was felt as far away as Rome, around 100 miles away from the locus. The quake claimed the lives of at least 247 people and destroyed many buildings in the area. In Amatrice, whilst many structures collapsed, the medieval clock tower miraculously remained standing, with the clock face stopped at 3.39, three minutes after the initial shock began. There is still significant damage to been seen in the town, and is still in the ‘response’ phase of the hazard management cycle many years after the disaster struck.
Accumoli, 3D virtual reality experience. Credit: ThinkSee3D
The process of rebuilding the first house in Accumoli commenced in late 2023. Daily, residents of these regions confront the disheartening view of debris, evoking memories of the past. Some have relocated, while others reside in temporary lodging known as SAEs (emergency housing facilities). Can engaging with the afflicted areas contribute to alleviating or exacerbating the trauma? Is the same true for virtual environments?
In these spaces , 3D VR technology could advance the visibility of grassroots mobilizations and social movements, effectively making them part of a wide array of potential pathways forward.
This approach has the potential to unveil the evolving perceptions and interpretations of the Terre Mutate, ‘the transformed lands’, drawing the expression from a slow tourism initiative to revitalize the areas afflicted by the earthquake in Central Italy. “A journey of solidarity and knowledge, a moment of profound relationship with the natural environment and with the people who live in the places transformed by the earthquake”.
Terre Mutate echoes the expression ‘terremotati’, “earthquaked” but overturns its negative stereotype of ‘earthquake victims’. 360-degree media, hopefully, could amplify the voices of marginalized perspectives through an inclusive and participatory framework for reconstruction and risk mitigation.
The process of establishing a sense of place is perpetually a negotiation, leading to the emergence of multiple and changing interpretations of places. While spaces themselves retain a kind of distinctiveness, the installation of a sense of place within them is contingent upon the individuals who traverse these spaces. These individuals imbue those places with personal histories, interwoven symbolism, and the narrative of their own lived encounters. In a way, we can think of ‘sense of place’ as a social meaning of places derived from the collective material placement of signs, discourses and human actions in the lived and built environment.
Accumoli. 3D model of a bell. Credit: ThinkSee3D
© REPLACE Project 2024
Accumoli, WebGL. Credit: The Virtual Experience Company
Accumoli, 3D virtual reality experience. Credit: ThinkSee3D
