#Romanovs100 in AR: RT premiers immersive photo album at SXSW forum in Texas

RT’s history photo-project #Romanovs100 has culminated at America’s major education festival SXSW EDU ― the photo album premiering in Austin takes history experience beyond print, with the help of extended reality.

“The #Romanovs100 team believes learning history can be compelling and interactive. We hope that this AR book will serve as an inspiration for educators, storytellers, entrepreneurs and wider young audiences to search for new ways of engaging with history in this amazing era of digital media,” said Kirill Karnovich-Valua, the creative director of the team behind the educational project.

The AR photo album complements the main project #Romanovs100, a digital photo essay about Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, and his family. Released over 100 days of summer 2018 via four social media platforms ― Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube ― the project commemorates the centenary of their execution by the Bolsheviks.

The Romanov family comes from an era that could be called the dawn of private photography. They left behind thousands of photographs taken by their own cameras ― revealing the intimate life of the family ruling a country on the verge of a revolution. The photo album, just uncovered at the SXSW EDU festival, is the finishing touch of the project that used over 4,000 of the Romanovs’ images obtained from the Russian State Archive.

The photo album comes together with an Augmented Reality app. Installing it on a mobile device allows engaging with history beyond print: the app tells side stories, reveals 3D models, contrasts “then vs. now” city views and does much more to keep readers engaged with the historical material in front of them.

This year, the South by Southwest Education Conference & Festival in Texas runs for the 9th time since 2011 when it became a separate event of international scale. SXSW EDU is there to support educators and learners from around the globe and create the education of the future.

The team behind #Romanovs100 and #1917LIVE has been voted to host a panel and a live session at this year’s festival that kicked off on March 4 and will run until March 7. Historian Helen Rappaport has already joined the team, traveling all the way from the UK, while the project's other contributor, colorist Marina Amaral, has recorded a video with a special message for the conference.

On top of making to the SXSW EDU, #Romanovs100 has already been recognized with several awards including Best News/Media/Publishing Content Marketing Strategy/Campaign in Drum Content Awards 2018, a silver Clio Entertainment 2018 and Most Innovative Use of Social, Best International Strategy in The Drum Social Buzz Awards 2018.

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