Transpacific Photography and the Obscura Project: Post World War II Life in Japan

September 13, 2025
Community Focus

Event organizer’s description:

Join Curtis Wong (MOHAI Board Member), Devorah Romanek (MOHAI Chief of Exhibits and Interpretive Services), and Leonard Garfield (MOHAI Executive Director) for a discussion of Wayne Wong’s collection and the lessons we can learn from it today. Following the presentation, Team Obscura (Asa Symons, Caiya Wiltshire, Hridae Walia, and Nick Hallin) will immerse audience members in the photographic perspective of Wayne Wong, presenting a personalized, evolving documentary experience. The “Portola Obscura”, a retrofitted VR headset, tracks an individual user’s gaze, using positional metadata to chart a narrative trajectory through Wayne’s images. The resulting documentary is then overlaid with the user’s gaze and projected to a wider audience, offering insight into how others perceive and interpret images.

Host organization:
By collecting and preserving artifacts and stories of the Puget Sound region’s diverse history, MOHAI highlights our tradition of innovation and imagination. Through compelling exhibits, scholarship, education, public programs, and community engagement, MOHAI bridges the past, present, and future.

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Help Amplify Northwest Cultural Voices

Be a part of our movement to share and celebrate the diverse stories of our ethnic communities

Our Northwest cultural communities have powerful stories to tell. Your support can help us amplify these voices. Donate $5 or $10 today and follow us to stay connected with the latest updates.