Documenting/ Storytelling/ Experiencing: Virtual Realities of Landwalls

Instructors:

• Derya Güleç Özer
• Batuhan Esirger
• Handan Aş Çemrek
• Seda Sönmez    

Abstract:

Reimagining the Past, Immersing in Heritage: A Digital Journey Along the LandWalls

This is a one-week workshop that explores the digital preservation and reinterpretation of the LandWalls, a historically layered architectural structure reflecting Byzantine, Ottoman, and Turkish Republican periods. The workshop follows a three-step methodology: Documenting, Storytelling, and Experiencing. In the first phase, participants will use drone-based photogrammetry to create 3D models of the walls, learning optimization techniques in Unity such as low/high poly modeling and texture baking. This phase also includes vector-based footprint extraction and surface modeling from point clouds, enabling accurate ground plan delineation and geometry analysis essential for the subsequent storytelling and AR/VR development stages. In the second phase, participants will research historical narratives, myths, and events associated with the LandWalls, translating them into digital stories using 2D graphics, collages, and animations.

Finally, these stories will be brought to life through VR/AR experiences, allowing for immersive engagements with cultural heritage. The program includes lectures, hands-on production, and creative explorations of digital heritage, and is aimed at students interested in architecture, history, and immersive media technologies.