Augmented Reality Activism - Augmented Reality Art - page 3

Fig. 1.1 Mark Skwarek, ProtestAR , AR Zucotti Park Occupiers in front of NYSE (2011) (Images
reproduced courtesy of the artist)
The effects of both Occupy and Snowden were felt across the globe. While
both actions had ties to technology, Occupy was largely about the people taking
over public space and voicing their problems with the failure of the system during
an economic meltdown. Snowden's information leak was done with the aid of
technology, by infiltrating the NSA's system and removing computer files that
exposed their misdeeds.
In the wake of the initial Occupy Wall Street Movement the question of the
activist's role in modern day society comes into question. What Occupy accom-
plished raises many heated debates. What is not in question is that the movement
swept across the nation and then the world with the help of the Internet and social
media.
Technology in the hands of the masses has had a profound impact on the
history and reach of activism. The public now has access to technology which to
most people was unimaginable only a few years ago. Now relatively inexpensive,
incredibly powerful, networked mobile technology is beginning to find its way
into the hands of people around the world. The new technologies grant the public
abilities which would once be considered super-human, but also create a tool that
can be exploited, manipulated and used to spy upon the public.
Some activists have begun working with AR to see its potential as a tool for
social change. The works covered in this chapter explore what makes AR unique as
a medium and which of its qualities can be best utilized to further activist causes.
This text will document the first activist explorations with AR, what has been done,
and compare it to activist approaches from the past and future.