Analog Interpretation of AR
Format
Community workshop
Materials
8.5 x 11 cardstock, vinyl, colored markers
Skills
Laser cutting, socially-engaged art education
This community workshop wasdesigned to explore augmented reality beyond the confines of software and devices typically associated with mixed reality—Meta Spark AR, Lens Studio, Oculus headsets, Microsoft HoloLens, etc.
Participants were each given a received a cardstock frame, cut in the shape of a Polaroid with a clear vinyl window in place of the photo. They were then invited to collaboratively imagine as groups what they would like to overlay onto their view of the world. Prompted by keywords such as home, childhood, joy, nature, surprise, and dream, they drew directly onto the frames, crafting personal and collective “augmented lenses” through which to reimagine their surroundings.
From Analog AR Workshop, 2024
We then invited groups to combine their frames with others, layering perspectives to create new and unexpected compositions. These layered compositions were used once again to view the surrounding, revealing how different visions can collide, overlap, and harmonize through collaboration. The activity aimed to re-contextualize new media— shifting it away from big-tech platforms and toward community-driven, speculative practices rooted in shared experience.
The workshop culminated in a group installation of the analog AR frames, each expressing distinct voices, desires, and worldviews. Displayed on the window of 370 Jay Street, the collective collage transformed the view outside through diverse tapestry of imagined realities.
Photos of community participants at NYU ITP, Class of ‘26