Embodying African American History

Posted February 23, 2023

Candice Butts, HCI 2022, has long been fascinated by history. And knowing that some of her ancestors may be buried in Oakland Cemetery gives her a visceral connection to the historic Atlanta landmark. She decided to combine those interests with her studies in digital storytelling in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication to create a technology-embedded dress to augment a tour of key African American sites at Oakland.

“Candice’s work is so rich because it is based in a deep and sincere interest in the humanities, said Michael Nitsche, the LMC associate professor who worked with Butts on the project. “She started off with a close look at the history – both social as well as geographical – of Oakland Cemetery and identified the story of the Slave Square as the core of her project. The actual implementation combines tangible interaction design and historical reenactment to bring the stories of the former Slave Square to life.”

To learn more about this award-winning work, read the full story at https://iac.gatech.edu/news-events/features/locative-storytelling-african-americans.