Manzanar National Historic Site, USA

Manzanar is one of ten World War II camps where the US government incarcerated over 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast in the name of national security. The few structures that remain at the site serve as reminders of democracy’s fragility in times of conflict. To further illuminate this history, CyArk worked with the National Park Service to create a 3D digital reconstruction of the World War II camp. CyArk used laser scanning to document the site’s buildings and topographical features including the historic cemetery monument and excavated rock gardens. They processed the data in combination with historical records to digitally reconstruct what the camp would have looked like during World War II. The reconstruction provides a unique opportunity for people to connect with this difficult history and ensure that it is never forgotten.

Rounded concrete pools mark the base of dozens of Japanese style rock gardens, showing how people transformed their dusty, crowded confines, creating small spaces of beauty and fleeting solitude. As one of the most photographed areas in the camp, people’s personal snapshots of Merritt Park demonstrate the importance of these spaces in the harsh, desert climate. Many people documented significant life events at the park such as high school graduation or birthdays, illuminating how the population confined at Manzanar found ways to make the best of their situation while confined within barbed wire.