A User Can See History Come to Life Through Archival Photos, Audio and Descriptions of History
By Zach Armstrong
A new augmented reality experience was unveiled by Snapchat for people to learn about Santa Monica’s community of color prior to the development of the 10 freeway.
The visual walking tour by Andre Elijah is named Broadway to Freeway, and can be accessed by scanning a QR code or opening the Snapchat app to then look for the lens. There are several locations on the guided tour where a user can see history come to life through archival photos, audio and descriptions of history. Quinn Research Center, the Santa Monica History Museum, and 18th Street Art Center helped create the AR experience.
The goal of the project is to help people see what Santa Monica’s Broadway corridor once looked like before the 1960s I-10 freeway expansion.
“So many of our marginalized communities are having their history erased and what we want to do is avoid that,” Santa Monica Mayor Glean David said in a YouTube video. “I think sharing all of those stories will make it easier for us all moving forward.”
For more information, go to https://lens.snapchat.com/a94419c2c2364b539cf38fa211364a62.
