Beyond Manzanar

An interactive virtual reality large projection installation by Tamiko Thiel and Zara Houshmand

Smithsonian American Art Museum acquires 2nd edition of Beyond Manzanar

Coinciding with the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence in 2026, the founding act of the United States of America, we are honored to be able to announce that the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) acquired the 2nd edition of Beyond Manzanar last year.

The 1st edition of Beyond Manzanar was purchased in 2002 by the San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA, and has been frequently exhibited as a featured highlight of the permanent collection. It was, to our knowledge, the first virtual reality artwork acquired for a US art museum collection!

Download background information (8.5MB) on Beyond Manzanar,
with historic articles and images.

In his book The Total Work of Art: From Bayreuth to Cyberspace, Boston University Professor Matthew Smith concludes with: "... it is encouraging that some digital artists have begun to reflect critically on the tradition of the Gesamtkunstwerk, to introduce estrangement devices that are not ultimately reincorporated back into the totality of the work. Such a Brechtian response to the total work of art is most clearly in evidence in Beyond Manzanar." (The book is available on amazon.com; here is a pdf excerpt of the section on Beyond Manzanar)

In her award-winning book From Sites of Memory to Cybersights: (Re)Framing Japanese American Experiences, Regensburg University Professor of American Studies Ingrid Gessner explores Japanese American commemorative practices dealing with the construction and mediation of cultural memory and national/ethnic identity. A chapter of the book is devoted to Beyond Manzanar. The book is in English, and is available from www.amazon.com, on the German website www.amazon.de.