Augmented Landscapes of Empathy: Community Voices in Augmented Reality Campaigns

Abstract

In contrast with virtual reality which often aims to isolate a user from their surroundings in order to transport them to a distant place, augmented reality (AR) was uniquely designed to (re)contextualize local landscapes and to provide expanded human experiences in situ. This critical reflection adopts a “research through design” process to examine AR’s technological and affective capabilities in the context of three community co-created AR campaigns. We discuss how AR can become both a conceptual and practical tool for creating conditions of self-identification and, potentially, empathy between audience and content. Further, we explore how people and place become a critical part of AR’s infrastructure through the practice of empathic feedback loops.

Keywords

• augmented reality
• community research
• empathy
• research through design