Indiana University VR Exhibit

Indiana University VR Exhibit

Indiana University Virtual Museum Exhibition Opens BSU IDIA Lab recently launched its virtual reality exhibition interpreting the Angel Mounds heritage site at the Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (IUMAA). The gala ribbon cutting event opened a portion of the collections of the former Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology and the Mathers Museum of World Cultures. The diverse collections at IUMAA relate to dynamic societies from around the world and contain over five million objects of cultural heritage and archaeological significance. The virtual exhibit, entitled City on the River, is a large scale immersive 360 degree VR CAVE experience which place viewers in the community on the Ohio river over 900 years ago. The simulation provides learning experiences regarding the agriculture, construction techniques, hunting, fishing, gathering and astronomical alignments of the Mississippian peoples. The Indigenous Peoples built sturdy walls to protect their relatives and great mounds of earth. These structures were designed to align with the movements of the sky – the sun, stars, and moon. Then, after 300 years of continuous inhabitation, the Indigenous Peoples of this great town decided to leave their fields and mounds behind. The larger exhibition will tell the story of the People who lived there through material culture from the site, the IDIA immersive virtual reality experience, connections to the stories of contemporary culture-bearers, and art from Indigenous descendant communities.