"Meet Korean Immigrants in Hawaiʻi in VR"
Rainbow VR
The Rainbow VR Project is an immersive virtual reality experience that brings the stories of Hawaiʻi-based Korean immigrants to life. The project builds on two documentary works, Words of Wisdom from the Rainbow State and Songs of Love from Hawaiʻi, directed by Jinyoung Lee, which document the lived experiences, memories, and emotional legacies of Korean immigrants in Hawaiʻi.
Through community-centered storytelling and VR technology, the project translates these documentary narratives into an embodied, immersive environment, inviting audiences to experience immigrant stories with a heightened sense of presence and empathy. The VR development is led by Professor Se Jung Kim, who oversees the design and implementation of the immersive environment, ensuring that the project effectively moves beyond traditional screen-based viewing to reimagine how immigrant histories can be preserved, shared, and experienced across cultures and generations.
The project will be publicly exhibited from March to July 2027 at an XR gallery, with support from the Korea Foundation.
MEET THE TEAM
Lab Director
Youjeong Kim, Ph.D.
VR Tech Lead
Silvia De Benedicts
MS in Computer Science
Lab Member
Suah Cho
PhD in Communication and Information Science
Project Partners
Project Partners
VR Development Director
Se Jung Kim
Assistant Professor of Interactive Media and Game Design
SUNY Polytechnic Institute