Why it matters: The project creates a safe platform for women and girls in Afghanistan to share their stories despite Taliban restrictions that forbid female creative expression and severely limit women's rights.
The details: The exhibition combines virtual reality, augmented reality and visual art to tell stories of life before and after Taliban rule, launching at DanceEast's Jerwood DanceHouse on Friday, 28 February, from 10:30 to 13:00.
The exhibition, funded by Arts Council England's National Lottery Project Grants, will remain on display in the Whistler Gallery for four weeks.
Hannah Aria said, "The women and girls in Afghanistan wanted to participate, to protest at such expressions of creativity, opinions or lived experience being forbidden under the Taliban regime. This project is about using art for social justice and human rights advocacy."
How it works: The exhibition features three main immersive experiences:
A 360° virtual gallery of artwork created by women still in Afghanistan
A virtual reality installation that replicates a rural Afghan home environment
Augmented portraits featuring AI-generated voices
The technology provides security for participants in Afghanistan, using what Aria calls "deep fake technology as a force for good" to protect identities while humanising stories.
Behind the scenes: The project team spent a year creating a secure platform for 11 women still in Afghanistan to safely share their stories despite significant risks.
The project began with ideas from Hannah Aria, Rona Panjsheri and Ramin Sayadi, with extensive input from Almas Ipswich – a free Ipswich-based support group for Afghan women and their children.
Other collaborators include Future Female Society, The Hive, and international organisations Voicesunveiled.org and rightolearn.ca.
What's next: The project has been shortlisted for the Unlimited UK Partner Award, which would provide £15,000 for further development if successful.
The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto is currently evaluating the project for potential collaboration, and the team hopes to tour major arts venues across the East of England.
The bigger picture: The exhibition comes as new Taliban "Vice and Virtue Laws" further restrict Afghan women's rights, mandating full face and body coverings, banning women from singing in public, and prohibiting education beyond primary school for girls.
The EU has described these restrictions as "systematic and systemic abuses... which may amount to gender persecution, which is a crime against humanity."
The bottom line: The project aims to raise awareness of challenges faced by Afghan women while supporting campaigns for reinstated access to education and for gender apartheid to be recognised as a human rights crime under international law.
For more information or to book VR tours after the launch, visit windowtothesoulafghanistan.com or email hannah@windowtothesoulafghanistan.com.
