This project was a deviation from my usual workflow and choice of footage. I transitioned from utilizing various found imagery and footage to exclusively using footage captured on my phone during the same day I began production of the piece. I sought out mundane open spaces and moved the camera without focusing on any specific subject. The camera movement only followed the direction of my path, resulting in short clips ranging from 20 to 50 seconds.

These clips were subsequently divided into 3-second segments and processed. The prompts were straightforward and reflected the ideas I had while capturing footage. With each extension of the clip, I introduced additional ideas and directives.

I opted for this type of footage to achieve an aesthetic reminiscent of a first-person perspective, incorporating both close-ups and wide-angle views. The goal was to evoke an augmented reality experience. I aimed for a movement and visual akin to a 64-bit game, with occasional movements mimicking a character navigating a glitched map. There was another intention was to create a sense of POV, while evoking feelings of being overwhelmed, claustrophobic, and the struggle for balance in world that looked familiar, but eerily different.

Another aspect of these pieces was the decision to keep the revolution at 1080x1080 but upscale the frames per second to 50 and then slightly over sharpen the image after processing. This step added a mechanical movement the subjects, but also made certain artifacts blend into scenes as if they belonged there.

Why did I choose to examine augmented reality as an aesthetic? Culturally, we have become increasingly voyeuristic. Algorithms have curated our digital experience and our social media feeds have become faster and shorter, ranging from glimpses into strangers’ everyday lives to scenes of chaos, accidents, unqualified people pitching ways of thinking, and snake oil salesman of all sorts. We are increasingly spending more time indoors, experiencing another dimension of life vicariously through screens. I don't see this as inherently good or bad; rather, I view it as preparation for a different way of life, the specifics of which remain uncertain. However, we're gradually approaching a future where wearing AR headsets constantly could be as common as carrying a phone is today. In a decade, it may be the norm. But what implications does this hold for our perception of reality? Constantly having a heads-up display presenting information or being able to manipulate our surroundings from our perspective—does this blur the lines or become a new type of reality? For a while, we've regarded our perception of the physical world and its events as reality, distinct from the intangible digital world. However, this demarcation is no longer so clear-cut. For those born into a world where this distinction doesn't exist, this shift may seem like a daunting, ambiguous leap. But for future generations, it will simply be the reality they must navigate with the same sincerity and problem-solving skills we apply in our present understanding of reality.

Soudn design by Frank Manzano