Extensions of our bodies, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, we consult them over 2,600 times a day. Mobile phones are an integral part of our lives. But have you ever wonder how they work, what are their components are and where those come from? Karim Ben Khelifa, war correspondent and photojournalist, answers these questions in his augmented reality journalistic investigation, Seven Grams. Seven Grams beacause it is the amount of minerals that our smartphones contain for their proper functioning.
Download the AR experience Seven Grams on stores :
Download Seven Grams on the App StoreDownload Seven Grams on Google Play
A dive into the heart of our phones and into the Democratic Republic of Congo to be made from... our smartphone
Ever more powerful, smarter and above all, indispensable, our smartphones are extremely resource-intensive, especially regarding minerals. Rare earths that are extracted from the soil of Africa and more specifically from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Through his investigation, Karim Ben Khelifa invites the public to discover the links that exist between the manufacture of these precious 21st century’s object, our smartphones, and the methods of extraction of these minerals, which are generally dramatically inhumane.
For this investigation combining ecology, geopolitics and personal story, the journalist has chosen a radical and innovative point of view, both in form and content. Using a device that mixes reality with 3D elements and animation, Karim Ben Khelifa allows users to be actors throughout the experience.
Immersive and solution-oriented journalism
After more than ten years in the war zone as a correspondent and photojournalist, Karim Ben Khelifa has positioned himself as a committed journalist serving the people he meets and photographs. A journalist who also seeks to have an impact on societies, especially regarding social changes which he is able to measure through his work. He believes there is an unspoken moral contract between the subject and the journalist, otherwise why would they agree to be photographed, often in unenviable situations?
Thus he explores the narrative and technical possibilities offered by the XR, to address a particular audience: the 15-35 years old. This bias is once again a political and committed desire of the journalist: this generation illustrates our modern paradox - both consumer of technological goods and very committed to climate change and related issues as social justice.
Seven Grams allows public to navigate through the entire supply chain of the rare minerals that make up our phones and exposes the human cost of this.
Solution-oriented journalism is all about solutions! And that is why, beyond this part, which is a gloomy observation to say the least, Karim Ben Khelifa proposes alternatives and levers to encourage hardware manufacturers to change their practices and their products.
Today, France Télévisions must coproduce immersive and impactful stories. We have to reach out to young audiences where they are, in order to raise awareness about issues such as the conditions of minerals exploitation, without which we would not have smartphones
A mix of genres to serve the story
As mentioned above, the director and journalist chose to use immersive technologies to serve his story and to allow users to take part in the experience. An augmented reality experience that highlights the link between the smartphones of the app's users and the exploitation and mining abuses required to manufacture these same smartphones - the circle is thus completed! The experiment also uses isometric mapping to trace the source of these minerals.
Finally, Seven Grams presents the story of Chance, a young Congolese man abducted by the NDC, a guerrilla group active in Eastern Congo. The story of this young man, a child soldier and a minor, who finally manages to escape, is told through a stop motion animation film by the American artist TT Svoronos. Created on a single charcoal drawing, it is transformed by the additions and deletions as Chance tells us.
Augmented reality makes it possible to offer an immersive experience that is much more impactful than a linear story, on the media used by the youngest: mobile devices. Chance's story in black and white animation brings a strong emotion to the experience.
Our use of smartphones directly affects thousands of Chance across West Africa. This is why it was necessary in order to alert smartphone users to create an augmented reality experience on smartphones. It is about being smart and questioning ourselves the following questions: How can we approach our smartphone use (from purchase to recycling) and be more ecologically and socially responsible ?
Download the AR experience Seven Grams on stores :
Download Seven Grams on the App StoreDownload Seven Grams on Google Play
Update 20/10/2022: Seven Grams, Best AR experience, Crystal Owl Award at Stereopsia
Update 14/12/2021: Seven Grams is selected at the upcoming Sundance Festival 2022
Update 16/10/2021: Great victory for Seven Grams with special mention for the Best European Digital Media Project of Year at Prix Europa! Discover the whole list of winners on the festival website.
