The calabozo: virtual reconstruction of a prison cell based on personal accounts

Abstract

The objective of my research is to create a visualization of a place based on personal experiences. My research addresses this issue through a case study: the visualization of a women’s political prison located in Punta de Rieles, Uruguay, during the Uruguayan dictatorship (1973-85). In June of 2002, I went to Uruguay and interviewed nine female former political prisoners. I asked them to tell me stories about what happened to them during their time in prison. My research aims at relating their experience of prison through a visualization of their stories. The challenge addressed by my research is the creation of a virtual reconstruction that can communicate the experience of prison through the integration of narrative, light modeling and sound. The proposed visualization is a video installation based on these women’s personal experiences of the solitary confinement cell (calabozo).