Augmented Avenue:
Memories of Lancaster
Sponsored by the mCenter @ Drexel
Augmented Avenue: Memories of Lancaster is a collaborative art project for creative urban engagement that offers visitors a new way to experience the Lancaster Avenue neighborhood. Drexel University students worked in partnership with members of the community who narrated their stories and memories, together co-authoring a dynamic portrait of local history. Each student interpreted that experience and co-created a photo and sound collage available through the smartphone, and on display at 3820 Lancaster Avenue from September 30th to October 29th, 2011 as part of the LOOK! On Lancaster Avenue Arts Project sponsored by the City of Philadelphia’s ReStore Corridors Through Art program. It can also be veiwed at http://lancasterave.tumblr.com.
Joe McNulty (University City District) and James Wright (People’s Emergency Center, PEC) with the students from Drexel's COM380 Neighborhood Narratives class
Led by Hana Iverson, the director of the Neighborhood Narratives project, this was a communications class project sponsored by Drexel University’s Center for Mobilities Research and Policy (mCenter). Iverson is a media artist whose projects span intermedia platforms and contexts, incorporating mobile narrative, augmented reality, and interactive installation. The students include: Alan Masse, Andrew Leiser, Aviva Linksman, Caitlin Bookman, Elizabeth Miller, Francesca Martelli, John Chagaris, Kerry Handschuh, Lily Strater and Melissa Reilly.
“I was very lucky to work with George Stevens on this project. George grew up in this community and lives here now. His pride, dedication, and responsibility to the community have given me a new found appreciation for Powelton. Before working with George, I knew very little about the culture and history of the area in which I live, but now I too feel a sense of pride for my neighborhood. Though I did not grow up here, I do consider this ‘home’ and my experience in working with Augmented Avenue has been incredibly enriching.”
– Lizz Miller, a junior studying communication
Lucy Kerman, Drexel’s Vice Provost for University and Community Relations, introduced the class to some key partners. Central to the experience were George Stevens, who organized all the neigborhood participants, Joe McNulty (University City District) and James Wright (People’s Emergency Center, PEC) who very generously came to the class, shared their expertise about the neighborhood and took the students for a detailed walking tour of Lancaster Avenue.
“The Augmented Avenue project took me out of my comfort zone and opened my eyes to a part of Philadelphia that I hadn’t previously gotten the opportunity to experience. As someone who typically stays within the confines of Drexel University and Center City Philadelphia, venturing into Lancaster Avenue was a stretch for me. However … I came out of the experience with an array of knowledge about the history of Lancaster Avenue, an idea of how the area operates in present day and valuable information about augmented reality and combining actual places and media experiences into one. Because of this project, I am no longer hesitant to venture past Drexel’s lines and into West Philadelphia.”
– Caitlin Bookman, a 5th year Senior studying Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations
This project teamed up with Zooburst, a digital storytelling tool, as a simple way to create custom augmented reality experiences that can be viewed on a mobile device, such as an Android or iPhone. ZooBurst was created by Craig Kapp and is available at http://www.zooburst.com/. Craig Kapp is an interactive developer who has spent over ten years working to find ways to bring cutting edge digital technologies into educational settings. He helped the class realize their vision.
“Augmented Avenue has peaked my interest in local history. My initial impressions of the project were that of excitement and curiosity. I had heard the tech scene buzzword ‘Augmented Reality’ and was interested in it’s capability to change the way we educate ourselves and view our surroundings. Yet I had not considered it’s implications within the art world, nor fully realized the extent of our project. I enjoy viewing and creating art that has purpose. I feel that through the use of new technology we can share purposeful, deliberate creative experience in an exciting new medium.”
– Lily Strater, a graduating senior studying communication theory, public relations and psychology.
