The exhibit, Layers of Place, is a curated collection of seven location-based AR experiences encouraging exploration of often unseen dimensions of MIT’s public spaces—uncovering layers of history from forgotten pasts to overlooked presents and speculative futures.
Through this collective exploration, the campus transforms into a platform for multidimensional, pluralistic inquiry, delving into themes such as racial justice, historical memory, monuments, environmental stewardship, and the impact of technology on civic life. The importance of plurality is central, presenting seven perspectives on different concepts and viewpoints. In a world that is increasingly polarized and lacking in nuanced perspectives, Layers of Place emphasizes the communal experience. By expanding “public space” to include both the tangible campus environment and the virtual layers accessible through AR, we create a new form of communal experience.
Humble Monuments is a participatory, multi-layered project that illuminates the fragile, poetic entanglements between humans and the natural world, using AR interventions at the sites of MIT’s current and former pocket parks and community gardens.More about Humble Monuments: A Field Guide to the Unseen.
Open Access Memorial is an Augmented Reality experience dedicated to Aaron Swartz, an internet pioneer who cofounded Reddit and played key roles in the development of Creative Commons, RSS, and RDF, among other notable achievements.More about Open Access Memorial.
ORYZA is an interactive sculptural installation in the form of a quilt, symbolizing the thousands of Black agricultural scientists who were forcibly brought to the Americas and whose contributions were systematically erased through colonialism and slavery. More about Oryza: Healing Ground.
Paper Boat is an abstract augmented reality (AR) interactive artwork that brings visibility to the climate crisis and growing threat of sea level rise at the MIT campus.
How do we remember the place of the self, the landscape of the mind, by moving inside them?
The Fovnders Pillars’ is an AR memorial that transforms the six neoclassical pillars of MIT’s iconic Building 10 into dynamic, living canvases, adorned with vibrant traditional African patterns. More about The Fovnders Pillars.
1 to Infinity, MIT is a portrait photography series that aims to feature one person from the MIT community at each age: 1 year old, 2 years old, 3, 4, and so on. The project began on the first day of the Spring 2025 semester. With the help of many, we hope to include someone from every age.More about 1 to Infinity, MIT.
To book a tour with our artists and organizers of the exhibit from April 7 – 18, please register here.
