Introducing Amsterdam Time Machine: How Researching Your Memoir Might Look in the Future
Imagine stepping back in time and exploring your hometown, while experiencing the stories of those who lived there over time. We spoke to Professor Claartje Rasterhoff to find out more about this exciting project.
Imagine stepping back in time to explore the town where you grew up, experiencing it as it was years ago.
Imagine not only walking the streets and corridors of important places in your life but also experiencing the stories of the people who lived and worked there. This might soon be possible, thanks to the Amsterdam Time Machine project and other similar initiatives.
Supported by organizations including the University of Amsterdam, Creative Amsterdam, and the Amsterdam Centre for Cultural Heritage & Identity, the project aims to create a "Google Earth for the past." According to Professor Claartje Rasterhoff, this is a perfect description of their work. “The Time Machine is the perfect vehicle to connect different efforts towards better research, but also to present local history and make it relevant to the present and the future,” she says.
In the future, users will be able to navigate a virtual map of Amsterdam that’s more detailed than any that has ever existed. They’ll explore streets, stroll into public buildings, and even peek into houses with details as specific as what pictures were mounted on the walls.
Design: Loes Opgenhaffen (CREATE, UvA)
The project includes various 3D models, interfaces, and databases, all drawn from the extensive datasets in Amsterdam’s libraries, museums, universities, and archives. Transforming these paper-based records into parts of the time machine is a huge job, much like finding out about the past.
The Amsterdam Time Machine (and other projects like it) will simplify this process. Instead of poring over maps and documents, you’ll step into a 3D visualization of a space and explore as you see fit.
For a glimpse of what this might be like, check out the Cinema Parisien. This 3D model recreates one of Amsterdam's first purpose-built cinemas, down to the gilding around ticket windows and the carpets on the stairs.
Exploring this visualization brings the place to life, allowing you to step through the doors as a patron in 1910. Tools like this could revolutionize how we understand our life stories, enabling us to visit our old schools, streets, and other significant places.
When asked about the future of memoir research, Professor Rasterhoff hopes physical archives will remain but become more accessible. Projects like the Amsterdam Time Machine use data from various sources to reconstruct historical spaces and stories. Personal stories are crucial, as they offer insights into what a place was like beyond maps and census data.
Design: Loes Opgenhaffen (CREATE, UvA)
Recording your memories for future generations is essential. Diaries, letters, journals, and writings help us build time machines. Your story matters and could be important to future generations and researchers. One day, the Amsterdam Time Machine project will offer an unparalleled look at Amsterdam's history, and similar projects worldwide aim to do the same for other places. Your stories might one day help future generations travel back in time and experience the past.
Ready to start writing your memoirs? Get in touch with our team or join our mailing list for updates on researching your past and writing your memoirs.
Main image courtesy of: Madelon Simons and Loes Opgenhaffen (CREATE, UvA) - 3D model of a 16th-century painter’s shop in Warmoesstraat 138.
Imagine stepping back in time to explore the town where you grew up, experiencing it as it was years ago.
Imagine not only walking the streets and corridors of important places in your life but also experiencing the stories of the people who lived and worked there. This might soon be possible, thanks to the Amsterdam Time Machine project and other similar initiatives.
Supported by organizations including the University of Amsterdam, Creative Amsterdam, and the Amsterdam Centre for Cultural Heritage & Identity, the project aims to create a "Google Earth for the past." According to Professor Claartje Rasterhoff, this is a perfect description of their work. “The Time Machine is the perfect vehicle to connect different efforts towards better research, but also to present local history and make it relevant to the present and the future,” she says.
In the future, users will be able to navigate a virtual map of Amsterdam that’s more detailed than any that has ever existed. They’ll explore streets, stroll into public buildings, and even peek into houses with details as specific as what pictures were mounted on the walls.
Design: Loes Opgenhaffen (CREATE, UvA)
The project includes various 3D models, interfaces, and databases, all drawn from the extensive datasets in Amsterdam’s libraries, museums, universities, and archives. Transforming these paper-based records into parts of the time machine is a huge job, much like finding out about the past.
The Amsterdam Time Machine (and other projects like it) will simplify this process. Instead of poring over maps and documents, you’ll step into a 3D visualization of a space and explore as you see fit.
For a glimpse of what this might be like, check out the Cinema Parisien. This 3D model recreates one of Amsterdam's first purpose-built cinemas, down to the gilding around ticket windows and the carpets on the stairs.
Exploring this visualization brings the place to life, allowing you to step through the doors as a patron in 1910. Tools like this could revolutionize how we understand our life stories, enabling us to visit our old schools, streets, and other significant places.
When asked about the future of memoir research, Professor Rasterhoff hopes physical archives will remain but become more accessible. Projects like the Amsterdam Time Machine use data from various sources to reconstruct historical spaces and stories. Personal stories are crucial, as they offer insights into what a place was like beyond maps and census data.
Design: Loes Opgenhaffen (CREATE, UvA)
Recording your memories for future generations is essential. Diaries, letters, journals, and writings help us build time machines. Your story matters and could be important to future generations and researchers. One day, the Amsterdam Time Machine project will offer an unparalleled look at Amsterdam's history, and similar projects worldwide aim to do the same for other places. Your stories might one day help future generations travel back in time and experience the past.
Ready to start writing your memoirs? Get in touch with our team or join our mailing list for updates on researching your past and writing your memoirs.
Main image courtesy of: Madelon Simons and Loes Opgenhaffen (CREATE, UvA) - 3D model of a 16th-century painter’s shop in Warmoesstraat 138.
