The demonumenta project and King’s Past

Monuments are being challenged all over the world. In the city of São Paulo (Brazil), several monuments have been challenged in different ways by groups of people and social movements. The most radical cases are those linked to the ‘bandeirantes’. Protests have denounced their role as slave traders, spreaders of disease and invaders of indigenous territories.

In response to the social demand, the University of São Paulo developed a project called demonumenta. The project proposes a debate on the coloniality embedded in public institutions and collections, through a platform developed by FAUUSP (Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Design of the University of São Paulo), students and professors, in collaboration with other institutions and research centres.¹

The public clash with official sites of memory concerns not only monuments, but also architectural heritage and key pieces of historical collections. In its first phase in São Paulo, the project focused on monuments and uncomfortable architectural heritage related to the celebration of Brazil’s independence, the Modern Art Week of 1922 and its reverberations in 1932, 1954 and 1972.

In the subsequent phase in London, we were able to bring these considerations and technologies to King’s College London. With the expertise of visiting PhD student Luis Felipe Abbud from the Post-Graduate Course in Design at FAUUSP through a scholarship programme by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel), we developed Extended Reality (XR) experiences with original 3D digital modelling of three statues related to the history of King’s College London.

As an extension of the project idealised by Prof. Giselle Beiguelman of FAUUSP, and originally conceived to problematise a series of public monuments in the city of Sao Paulo through a decolonial lens, augmented and mixed reality experiences were developed through the recreation of statues that reflect the historical connections of King’s College London.

Our team created audio guides for three statues, including one honouring an important former student, James Africanus Horton, who deserves greater recognition in the King’s Past project.

We were able to produce a demonumenta version for King’s College London through the collaborative work of a team. Students Gian Ghatora, Sadie Mansfield, Abiufo Dan-Abia and Mustafa Harabou were supervised by project coordinator Dr Erika Melek Delgado to develop historical research, articles and scripts for each statue. Voiceovers were recorded to accompany the virtual experience of exploring each statue’s history. Their work provides compelling stories and insights that bring the statues to life in a whole new way.

The King’s Past team would especially like to thank Luis Felipe Abbud, Prof. Giselle Beiguelman, the demonumenta project, the University of Sao Paulo and CAPES for sharing their reflections, technology and enthusiasm in this first step of King’s College London to engage with its own past.

demonumentaAR is the result of the collective work of:

Idealisation: Giselle Beiguelman; Luís Felipe Abbud; Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Design from University of São Paulo; University of São Paulo.

demonumentaAR – London edition

General direction and coordination: Luís Felipe Abbud

demonumentaAR app

art direction, UX design and 3D modelling: Luís Felipe Abbud

development, design and motion graphics: Bruno Stephan; Guilherme Bretas; Luiz Gustavo Pina

Research and narratives about monuments – London Edition

Coordination: Erika Melek Delgado

Research team: Gian Ghatora; Sadie Mansfield; Abiufo Dan-Abiad

Voiceover: Gian Ghatora; Sadie Mansfield; Mustafa Harabou

Original soundtrack: Gabriel Francisco Lemos

Acknowledgments: Erika Melek Delgado; King’s Digital Lab; Luis Gustavo Pina; Neil Jakeman; Ramiro Levy; Rob Morgan; Samantha Callaghan; Stephanie Janes; Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries; King’s College London; Scholarship Program CAPES - Brazil.