The German Institute for Virtual Realities (DIVR) has awarded the "XR Science Award 2023 / Special Prize Social Impact" to the "storyLab kiU" at Fachhochschule Dortmund for the VR experiment "Ndinguwe - Ich bin Du". This was awarded specifically for this special work in order to give it the appropriate recognition.
The VR experiment uses virtual self-representation to simulate other forms of existence and thus create emphatic bridges to other existences. It is a great honor for the "storyLab kiU" to be among the winners of a Science Award in this Germany-wide university competition with 80 participating universities.
Ndinguwe is a term from the South African official language Xhosa, in which former President Nelson Mandela coined the philosophical term Ubuntu, which means "I am because we are". Ndinguwe, meaning "I am you", is a schematic reduction and further development of this concept of existence.
The work that has now been honored was realized by the artistic director of the "storyLab kiU" Harald Opel, Tobias Bieseke (project management), Jan Schulten (programming) and Azziza El-Yabadri (concept and art direction). Parts of the application were developed in collaboration with the experimental computer science study program at the Academy of Media Arts (KHM) in Cologne under the direction of Georg Trogemann, who had an advisory role.