Functionality-wise, ARobben aims to present users with an immersive experience comprising inhabitant narratives of various kinds, including prisoner testimonies and other oral histories. We are envisioning both a web-based portal as well as an app where users can interface with various sites across Robben Island, all of which will be marked by relevant lived experiences rendered in AR. For instance, the following sites will have dynamic interfaces which, when selected by the user, will present the appropriate narratives:

• The Maximum Security Prison, Murray’s Bay Harbour, and the MPLC for prisoner stories and visitor accounts
• The Chanson de la Mer, the Han Cheng, the Faure Jetty, and the Sea Challenger for virtually reconstructed vessel infrastructure and sailing accounts
• The John Craig Hall, the Pre-Primary School, and the Ou and Zink Tronks for employee perspectives as well as recreated classrooms and dance performances
• The Airstrip for reconstructed aircraft infrastructure and travel accounts
• The Limestone Quarry and Van Riebeeks Quarry for worker accounts and insights on coerced labor from contemporary experts
• The Kramat, the Garrison Church, the Dutch Reformed Church Parsonage for reconstructed infrastructure and religious perspectives
• WWII searchlights and guns for wartime reconstruction and narratives

Technology-wise, the project aims to utilize:

• JavaScript, with the WebXR and WebGL frameworks for web-based AR and Kotlin for native mobile app-based AR
• Wintor , a no-code AR platform
• Guerila , an AR street art app for inserting artworks attached to real-world places
• A-Frame , an HTML-based AR platform as an alternative to JS
• DeepL , for real-time translation