Sophiatown in VR is an immersive virtual reality experience that reconstructs Sophiatown, Johannesburg, as it existed before its demolition in the 1950s and 60s. The project was informed by extensive interviews with former residents, facilitated by the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre. Using these personal recollections, a novel method was developed to translate lived memories into a 3D VR environment that resonates with those who remember the community, creating an experience that is both authentic and evocative.

- Location: Sophiatown, Johannesburg

- Context: Trevor Huddleston Centre Exhibit

- Role: Research | Fieldwork | Development

- Technologies Used: Virtual Reality

Sophiatown holds cultural and historical significance as a centre of urban life, artistic production, and political resistance in mid-twentieth-century Johannesburg. Beyond its physical presence, the area is shaped by memory, lived experience, and an enduring cultural legacy carried by former residents, musicians, writers, and communities displaced by forced removals.

This project emerged from the need to document and interpret this heritage in a way that could preserve both its spatial form and its human context, capturing not only a physically lost neighbourhood but the social life, stories, and cultural energy that defined it.

The primary challenge was loss and inaccessibility. The physical fabric of Sophiatown had been almost entirely erased, and traditional documentation methods were limited in their ability to represent lived experience, spatial relationships, and the cultural life of a community that no longer existed in situ. There was also a responsibility to ensure that any digital representation remained respectful, historically grounded, and aligned with the values of the institution and the communities whose histories were being interpreted.

Glassbox3D approached the project through in-house fieldwork and research-led methodologies. Work began through archival research and extended interviews with former residents, engaging directly with both the historical record and the lived experience of those connected to Sophiatown. Rather than prioritising reconstruction alone, the approach centred memory, narrative, and social life as entry points for digital representation, recognising that the meaning of the place lay as much in its people and stories as in its streets and buildings.

Immersive technologies were selected based on their suitability for the project’s goals, ensuring that technology remained in service of heritage interpretation rather than becoming the focus of the work.

The project utilised a combination of immersive technologies, including:

- Virtual reality
- 360° image capture
- Photogrammetry and spatial documentation tools

These technologies enabled the accurate representation of reconstructed environments while supporting interpretive, curatorial, and educational goals.

The resulting digital heritage experience allows audiences to engage with Sophiatown beyond static representation, offering spatial understanding alongside cultural, historical, and narrative context.

The project supports:
- Heritage preservation and archiving
- Historical research and documentation
- Educational engagement
- Long-term institutional access

Through published research. the work also contributes to ongoing discussions around ethical digital heritage practice and immersive interpretation.

Projects of this nature carry responsibility. This work highlighted the importance of approaching digital heritage with care, collaboration, and attention to how Sophiatown’s histories and stories may be interpreted over time. The project reinforced the value of memory-led methodologies in ensuring that heritage remains human, contextual, and meaningful, rather than reduced to spatial or visual reconstruction alone.

This project demonstrates how immersive technologies can support cultural heritage when grounded in research, fieldwork, and ethical collaboration. Glassbox3D continues to work with institutions exploring responsible approaches to digital heritage and immersive interpretation.