“Monument Public Address System” presented by Unknown presenters

Monument Public Address System is an augmented reality mobile media platform responding to the racist history of confederate monuments in the United States. It has been invigorating to watch the removal of confederate monuments as part of the black lives matter protests responding to the murder of George Floyd. This project aims to add to this movement and present an avenue for public expression and healing, one of many that are necessary. For communities surrounding these monuments, particularly monuments that cannot be removed, covered or altered due to legal restrictions, the need for a flexible and mobile public platform that allows both deliberate and spontaneous verbal and visual expression is pressing. The social affordances of AR in relation to specific situations, particularly the properties that allow multiple participants to create, modify and annotate virtual assets, can broaden our understanding of complex and troubling historical sites. While Monument Public Address System will invite visual and aural expressions of anger, frustration, sadness and fear regarding our country’s racist history, it will also welcome the enunciation of anti-racist hopes, activities and initiatives.