The grand opening for Digital Information Gateway in El Paso, the first digital wall in America, will be on Feb. 14, at the El Paso Museum of History from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
DIGIE is a map and a major collection of various videos and pictures of El Paso’s past and present. The goal of the digital wall is to attract many visitors and learn as much as they can about the city while being fully immersed in it. There is also the opportunity for children to be fully engaged and aware of the city’s history and culture.
“People will be able to see the history of our city and our culture with their fingertips,” said Marilu Valenzuela Aleman, marketing director for the museum. “You can even upload your own pictures to our website so they may be available to view on the wall.
The digital wall is a total of 35 feet long with a 36-foot protective 3-D touch screen over it. It is also five feet tall, with five Samsung digital monitors that people can use simultaneously.
“Viewers will not need 3-D glasses to view DIGIE,” said Cindy Diaz, secretary of the museum.
Participants will be able to view many different photos depending on the theme or time selected. Visitors can view El Paso in all directions and can use a map to find exact locations. In order to be able to upload photos, participants must be over the age of 13. All photos are subject to approval by the museum directors.
Oscar Lesser, mayor of El Paso, will make an appearance at the grand opening along with, the Mayor of Culture of Copenhagen, Denmark. This event is free and open to the public.
The inspiration for the digital wall came about when Julia Bussinger, the director of the El Paso Museum of History, went to an international museum conference in Berlin and met with the director of a the Museum of Copenhagen, which launched its digital wall in 2010.
Aleman said there would be performances by various dance academies, henna tattoos will be available, face painting, jugglers, mariachi, country, blues bands and much more. Flores Mexicana de Papel, will be providing free activities for children from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
More than 5,000 photos have already been uploaded to the DIGIE website dating back to the late 19th century to the present day.
Many of the earliest photos of El Paso have been supplied by UTEP. Besides landmarks, early photos are mainly of people passing through the city and members of the Asian and African American community.
“I’ve lived here all my life and I don’t really know the history of El Paso,” said Adriana Pena, sophomore spolitical science major. “If people have to know the history of the United States, then they should know their local history.”
The structure of the building that houses the digital wall has been under construction for three years and the technical assembly for the actual wall began in January 2014 with digital artists from Danish design company, Spild af Tid International, and technicians of the New Zealand’s Gibson’s Group Touch City, Ltd.
“This is an opportunity for photos that would otherwise be lost in an attic or subject to disintegration to be stored safety while contributing to the history of our city,” museum curator Everett Thomas said. “It’s El Paso’s history, Texas history and United States history.”
Thomas said photos of high school football games, elementary school graduations and anything that matters to El Pasoans are welcome. Videos can be submitted with a limit of three minutes.
If you would like to upload a photo of your own or learn more about DIGIE, please visit www.digie.org.
Alexandra Cardwell may be reached at [email protected].
