iSchool Hubs Initiative: The Banned and Controversial Gallery

Banned and Controversial: an immersive gallery using new media to creatively explore books, artists, information and ideas that ignite difficult conversations.

Browser-based virtual reality is the easiest and most accessible way to create and meet in a range of settings that invite us to engage with information in novel ways. This format  is also very relevant to the overarching theme of this specific gallery. It provides an experiential component to the information presented that may be uniquely unsettling, particularly for users who are unfamiliar with virtual environments. Navigating new spaces, however, and being willing to do so despite any temporary discomfort of unfamiliarity, is analogous to the overall message of the gallery.   

Information professionals of the future should become more familiar with the affordances of immersive environments because they are increasingly being used in multiple areas of modern life. Information today is born digital; presenting, navigating, and collaborating with others in new ways and helping others to engage with information in new ways is an important literacy for everyone. 

The link below lets you enter the main hall and from there you will find portal links to other rooms that explore a specific topic or book. All rooms have portal links back to the main hall. 

This is an evolving exhibit we hope to grow over time. All students who create exhibits for this gallery are eligible to enter their rooms in a contest for that year’s contributions. (iSchool alerts will go out about this gallery each semester, and in mid-fall a vote will be open to all current students.) This gallery also serves as an example of the iSchool’s commitment to provide our students, faculty, and staff opportunities to explore emerging technologies that reflect our commitment to educational experiences that are high tech, high touch, and high quality.