Digital Cartography of a Judenhaus: Spatial, Technical, and Atmospheric Strategies in ScanLAB Projects

Abstract

On June 29, 2023, the German theatre company Berliner Ensemble premiered Felix’s Room, a play set in Nazi Germany in 1942. It recounts the story of Felix and Erna Ganz following their expulsion from their home and confinement in a Judenhaus—housing where the Nazi regime concentrated Jews under inhumane conditions prior to deportation. Based on letters and sketches discovered by their great-grandson, Adam Ganz, the project evolved into a scenographic proposal that integrates advanced digital technologies. In collaboration with ScanLAB Projects—a studio specialized in LiDAR and SLAM systems—Ganz reconstructs domestic spaces and memories through spatial scans. This article examines how ScanLAB’s spatial technologies produce sensitive digital architectures that challenge conventional notions of materiality. Through scenographic analysis and a qualitative case study, it compares Frozen Relic and Displaced Witness with Felix’s Room to reveal spatial strategies that recreate marginalized or erased realities.