In celebration of the upcoming International Day for Monuments and Sites, we’re sharing the first wave of projects from our multi-year LACMA x Snapchat initiative, Monumental Perspectives.
Artists and Snap Lens Creators have come together to create five new augmented reality monuments that explore history and representation for communities across Los Angeles. Designed to be experienced at locations around the city through the Snapchat Camera, you can find them at sites including LACMA, MacArthur Park, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Those in the area can discover the virtual monuments easily by looking for their markers on the Snap Map. The monuments can also be viewed by anyone around the world, wherever they are from their mobile phone by visiting lacma.org/monumental.
The projects include:
- Mercedes Dorame’s immersive Portal to Tovaanger, which explores past, present, and future worlds for Indigenous presence in contemporary Tovaangar (Los Angeles), built with Sutu, a Snap Lens Creator.
- I.R. Bach’s Think Big animations designed to inspire self-reflection, built with James Hurlbut, a Snap Lens Creator.
- Glenn Kaino’s path of generational stories of connectedness along the 1932 L.A. Olympic marathon route, built with Snap Lens Creator Michael French, called No Finish Line.
- Ruben Ochoa’s homage to the shared history of street vendors in L.A., built with Sallia Goldstein, a Snap Lens Creator, called ¡Vendedores, Presente!.
- Ada Pinkston’s memorial series paying tribute to Biddy Mason, built with Snap Lens Creators Charles Hamblen and Sutu, called The Open Hand is Blessed.
The ongoing expansion of this project is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the largest funder of the arts, culture, and humanities in the U.S.
Through this collaboration with LACMA, we’re thrilled that our augmented reality technology has become an immersive medium for advocacy and representation. We look forward to continuing to empower artists and Lens Creators, and support their desire to share untold stories through a new lens.