Window to the Soul Afghanistan

“Window to the Soul” is a research and development project funded by Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants. It combines arts, tech and social justice themes using virtual reality (VR) headsets and augmented reality (AR) to amplify the voices of women and girls from Afghanistan.

The project seeks to foster greater public empathy by raising awareness of the challenges faced by women and girls in and from Afghanistan, with a particular focus on their right to education. By shedding light on these issues, the project aims to build connections between women and girls and opportunities for remote education, learning, and international scholarships under the banner of the #LetUsLearn initiative.

Visit the 360 Virtual Gallery

View the VR and AR Experiences

FAQs

VR creates fully immersive digital environments that transport participants to another place. AR overlays digital elements onto real-world surroundings, blending physical and virtual realities.
The project is led by artist Hannah Aria. She is working in collaboration with digital artist Brad Rumble and digital producer James Lee Burgess of Urban Tech Creative to bring to life the personal stories and portraits of women and girls in and from Afghanistan. Meet the full team here.
The first stage of the project used AI generated models that combine human and AI voice recordings.
The immersive experience introduces participants to a rural Afghan household, where they can engage with a grandmother, two sisters, and a father figure from the same family. The AI-generated voices and lifelike avatars allow participants to explore the unique experiences and perspectives of each character, delving into various aspects of their lives, from education to work and home life.
- Immersive 360° virtual gallery. View here.
- Virtual reality story installation replicating a rural Afghan home environment. Book a tour here.
- Augmented portraits featuring AI-generated voices.
- Interactive digital experiences that protect participant identities and locations while sharing powerful stories.
Our goal is to secure more funding to develop the realism and emotional connection between audience and the VR characters.
We will continue our involvement in the campaign for reinstated free access to the IELTS academic test programme in Afghanistan. Passing the IELTS is an application criterion required by most international Universities and academic institutes offering scholarship. The IELTS programme is suspended in Afghanistan as part of our Government’s sanctions against the Taliban regime, but that also prevents Afghanistan-based women from continuing their higher education in safety overseas.
We will continue our involvement in the campaign for gender apartheid to be recognised under international law as a human rights crime.

Project Timeline

2022- Hannah works with local asylum seekers on 'Survival Stories Project' funded by Volunteering Matters.

2022- Kamal and Hazrat (x 2 Afghan males volunteer with Hannah's theatre company). They educate Hannah about Afghan culture and build freindships.

2023- British Council Award Hannah a micro award to develop international relationships. Hannah worked with one of the volunteers and a Brazilian Playwright to research potential ideas.

2023- Hannah and Ramin spoke at various events including Spoken Word events in Woodbridge and Ipswich regarding the project and raising awareness.

2023- Radio Suffolk Interview

2023- Arrivals Exhibition contributor, group facilitator and curator at The Hold: Suffolk Archives.

2023- Afghan Girls Project - Window To The Soul officially began with small Firstsite Bursary and after Hannah made connections with Rona and Ramin at The Hive (Community Hub in Ipswich).

2023- Hannah painted the first portrait 'Noor' which means light based on a photo of a contact in Afghanistan.

They paid the female relatives of local refugees in Afghanistan to collect present day accounts of life under Taliban rule from a female perspective.

2023- Rona and Ramin helped translate the stories into English that we collected and we made x2 books with them in Dari and English.

We also collected photographs of just the girls eyes to use for art work. Rona created some embroidery of different provinces and wrote a poem in Dari.

2023- First application to ACE, research and networking with key tech stakeholders to establish partnerships.

New purpose: To tell these stories using immersive digital technology to encourage a wider audience to campaign for social action

2023- Rona worked with Suffolk Refugee Support and The Wolsey Theatre to establish a sewing group.

They also showcased Afghan dresses at The Museum and are planning a fashion show. She also continued to engage with Future Female Society, contrinuting to the Radio show for migrant women in Ipswich.

2024- New contacts in Afghanistan made through local refugees in different provinces. Lots of engagement around art.

2024- Hannah created a new portrait of a Hazara girl to use in performance art in London.

2024- International Womens Day:

Hannah and Rona Showcase their film detailing the progress made so far on Afghan Girls 'Window to The Soul Project' at Suffolk Archive in the auditorium. Artwork also displayed.

2024- Hannah researched current educational options for Afghan Women and Girls including scholarship availability. Distributed links to girl in Afghanistan including access to the BBC Dars videos.

2024- Hannah and Rona UN CSW68 Delegates. We made lots of strategic contacts that we will be following up with about future collaboration.

2024- Hannah, Rona and Afghan performance artist, performed on St Pauls Cathedral, Outside the Old Bailey and at The Tate Modern. They made a video of footage.