Claims conference - Benno’s light

As the number of living Holocaust survivors declines, remembrance faces a new challenge. How do you make a story feel present to people who may never hear it first-hand?

The goal was not to build another historical platform. It was to create a form of encounter, one that could help younger audiences understand the weight of Benno’s story, and feel why it still needs to be carried.

Because Benno’s story was carried by people, the experience could not rely on places alone. The scenes had to be built around presence. Character design became one of the main narrative tools.

We avoided literal realism. The characters are simplified, with strong silhouettes and restrained facial detail, so the focus stays on posture, movement and relation. Each scene was recreated to make those relationships readable at once.

Through that process, one element became essential: Light.

It was already present in Benno’s testimony as a symbol of hope, protection and survival. But it became more than a visual motif. It became the way the experience works.

Instead of asking users to click through information, we asked them to receive, hold and pass light. The user does not control the story or change history. They take part in the act of transmission.

The experience also needed to carry historical context. Dates, places, archival material and chapter information had to be available without interrupting Benno’s testimony. We built that layer through an editorial system inspired by newspapers.

The chapter menu opens like a printed object. Typography, panels and archival references give users a way to navigate the story and understand its historical frame.

This creates a second rhythm inside the experience. The immersive scenes hold the emotional memory. The editorial layer holds the historical context. Together, they let users move between feeling and understanding, without one weakening the other.