The Library of Congress has appointed Rhode Island artist, educator and community-focused researcher Jeffrey Yoo Warren as 2023 Innovator in Residence. With his project, Seeing Lost Enclaves: Relational Reconstructions of Erased Historic Neighborhoods of Color, Yoo Warren will use photographs, maps, film and audio recordings from Library collections to build an immersive digital 3D model of historic Chinatowns in Providence, Rhode Island and another city that will be determined.
An Asian American resident of Providence, Yoo Warren was surprised to learn his block was once the heart of a bustling Chinatown. With the assistance of local grants, Yoo Warren began experimenting with relational reconstruction methods to virtually recreate the neighborhood. As the Library’s 2023 Innovator in Residence, Yoo Warren will work with Library staff and collections to develop his prototype and publish a toolkit for other communities to do the same.