History’s Darkroom

Rapid developments in visual technology and digital archives continually change how we experience, see, think about, remember and represent war and mass violence. NIOD’s research programme ‘ImageLab’ will analyse the historical significance and affective force of images developed in the ‘darkroom of history’ and remediated in the digital age. The project will explore the ways in which new technology relates to the visual memory of various wars and genocides in the 20th and 21st century through research that engages critically with images in the WWII ImageBank (‘BeeldbankWO2’), and will produce a case study focusing on these developments in relation to online memory of the Holocaust by looking in particular at photographs which show the yellow Star of David badge, which Jewish people were forced to wear during the Nazi period. By combining the institute’s expertise in visual historical research and exhibitions and its valuable and extensive collections, the ImageLab will generate new research and develop innovative approaches to working with visual collections.