Ethical witnessing: participatory virtual reality production and the experience of homelessness

Lost & Found, is a nonfiction 360-degree documentary film co-created by a cross-disciplinary research team from the University of Galway, virtual reality filmmakers, and clients of a homelessness service provider. Conceptualized in response to scholarly debates around VR and empathy, it draws on participatory video methodologies to situate the voice of community participants at the heart of VR documentary production. Here, Lost & Found is considered in relation to its impact on two cohorts: the end viewer of the film and the clients of Galway Simon who co-created it. The measured impact of the finished film on viewer empathy and attitudes develops existing debates around the potential for immersive experiences to produce attitudinal change. At the same time, the co-creation methodology that guided the film’s production and exhibition grapples with the questions of inclusion, authorship and viewer positioning that have animated the discourse around VR and documentary filmmaking more generally. Through this discussion, attention is brought to the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion that arise from the use of immersive technologies within community settings, as well how the viewer experience within VR can be conceptualized as a form of ethical witnessing.