In May-July 2024, thirteen participants took part in the second edition of the Online Creative Residency from Europeana’s Digital Storytelling Festival. Peggy Komvotea created an interactive digital space dedicated to migration.
Exploring the theme of 'journey', participants worked with mentors in animation, social media, collage art, storytelling with 3D, and creative writing.
About the author
Who am I?
I'm an interior architect with masters degrees in creative writing, computational design and digital fabrication, and audiovisual digital arts.
I have a deep passion for storytelling in all its forms: visual, audio, 3D, digital or analogue, written or not. I find new stories everywhere. Whether sad or happy, they all have something to tell.
What is my project about?
The space is dedicated to the journey of migration. Within this space, I have presented photographs and artworks representing migrants to and from Europe throughout a number of migration periods. Also on display are virtual 3D artworks and installations that create a suitable setting for the museum or art space curator to tell the story of migrants. The story focuses on little but meaningful things like the suitcases, the new life the migrants made, or the life that they expected to make but did not.
Most of all, The European Migration Journey Museum is a virtual place that helps visitors travel with the migrants on life-changing trips. In the space there is also a separate room where people can upload their own story.
Why did I apply for the Online Creative Residency?
I applied to advance my creative writing skills by experimenting with different media. I also wanted to meet artists from all over Europe, see their artwork, and be mentored by creative people.
What have I got out of the residency?
For the first time, I tried to make a museum in Metaverse. I experimented with 3D social spaces and virtual reality and created something that is not a video game but a cultural walkthrough into past and present migration experiences. This museum is also a place for people to meet and tell their own stories about migration.
What will I do next?
I would like to keep working on this project because it’s an interactive project that calls people to join and upload their stories. It’s very exciting to see how this project succeeds and if people can share their stories and learn about other people’s stories.