An interactive virtual reality exhibit.

Interactive Virtual Reality Exhibit (May 7-10, Seamans Center)

Step into the rich history and culture of Gaza with The Phoenix of Gaza XR virtual reality (VR) exhibit. This immersive VR experience invites you to explore the profound stories and moments that shape this resilient city before and after the ongoing destruction. This traveling exhibit, from researchers at multiple US universities, has been on display at numerous institutions including MIT, Harvard, and Yale and it now comes to Iowa's Seamans Center.

The VR exhibit requires advanced registration. Sessions will last approximately 45 min. (including checking in and informational VR use video) and will begin at the top of the hour.

Available sessions will be: May 7 (noon–4 p.m.); May 8 (2–3 p.m.; 5–6 p.m.); May 9 (10 a.m.–2 p.m.); May 10 (noon–4 p.m.)

Please email me-dept@uiowa.edu to request a sign-up link to visit the exhibit.

Co-Founder of The Phoenix of Gaza XR, Ahlam Muhtaseb, PhD, is a professor of media studies at California State University - San Bernadino. Her research interests include digital communication, digital resistance and decolonization, social justice and diasporic communities. Her research has appeared in national and international publications, like the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication and Arab Studies Quarterly. Dr. Muhtaseb explores creative ways to use technology to tell human-centered stories from around the world. She co-directed and co-produced an award-winning documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, titled "1948: Creation & Catastrophe" and co-founded The Phoenix of Gaza XR project, a virtual reality exhibit. She has an MA in journalism and a PhD in digital communication from the University of Memphis, Tennessee.