The Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen, Germany, is internationally recognised as one of the most important industrial heritage landmarks in Europe. It was therefore an immense privilege for us to be selected to develop and deliver the latest generation of our interactive holographic theatre system within Hall 8 at this iconic location.
Building upon our previous holographic Holocaust survivor installations at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, the Essen installation represents a major technological leap forward in both visual fidelity and audience interaction. While the core objective remains the same — enabling future generations to engage in meaningful conversations with Holocaust survivors through immersive holographic theatre — virtually every aspect of the underlying technology has been redesigned and enhanced.
At the heart of the installation is a fully integrated 4K 10-bit video pipeline driving ultra-fine pitch LED wall technology, delivering exceptional image clarity, colour depth and realism far beyond previous installations. The result is an incredibly lifelike holographic presentation that significantly enhances audience immersion and emotional connection with the survivor testimony.
The installation is powered by our latest AIMVAQA (Artificial Intelligence Machine Vision Automated Q&A) system, representing the next evolution of our interactive audience engagement technology. Unlike the earlier installations, which utilised LiDAR-based audience tracking, the Essen theatre incorporates advanced depth-sensing camera systems paired with real-time machine vision analysis. This enables substantially more accurate audience detection, participant localisation and interaction management, allowing the system to respond naturally and seamlessly to visitors wishing to ask questions of the holographic survivor.
As with our previous systems, the theatre combines sophisticated audience tracking with highly directional beamforming microphone technology, enabling visitors to interact directly with the hologram without requiring intervention from a moderator. The enhanced AIMVAQA platform continuously analyses the theatre environment in real time, intelligently identifying audience engagement and dynamically steering audio capture toward active participants to create a uniquely personal and immersive experience.
To support the demanding visual requirements of the installation, we also designed and built a bespoke WATCHOUT 7 media server entirely in-house. Engineered specifically for the Essen project, the system provides full native 4K playback and synchronised output to the LED wall infrastructure while maintaining the reliability required for permanent daily museum operation.
All rack infrastructure and control systems for the installation were fully assembled, configured and rigorously tested in-house at our UK facilities prior to shipment. Following successful system integration and testing, the equipment was carefully dismantled, transported to Germany and reassembled onsite within Hall 8 at Zollverein. This approach enabled us to significantly reduce onsite commissioning time while ensuring the highest possible level of reliability and quality control throughout the installation process.
The completed installation at Zollverein represents the most advanced holographic theatre system we have delivered to date — combining cutting-edge visual technology, artificial intelligence, machine vision and immersive show control systems to preserve and communicate survivor testimony in a powerful and engaging way for future generations.
The HOLO-VOICES Holographic Theatre also received a high-profile official visit shortly after the grand opening. A real privileged to be joined by:
This project reflects the importance of innovation, culture, science, and international dialogue that HOLO Voices represents. Together, we celebrate a new space where technology, storytelling, and human connection come together in a truly groundbreaking way.
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