Project 3 - AR Design
The goal of this project was too explore the process and principles of designing through the use of Augmented Reality. We were tasked with using augmented reality to encapsulate how influential a certain artist was.
I began by choosing the artist and activist, Victor Jara. Being brutally murdered under the dictatorship of Pinochet, I was intrigued with why a guitarist would have been punished so severely. Furthermore, my father lived under the same dictatorship and had horrific stories of his own, so I had a somewhat distant personal connection to Jara.
I watched a Netflix documentary on his life/death and summarized the impact through a short artist bio that would be presented with the mounted photo of Jara (above). The bio is included below.
Victor Jara
1932-1973
1932-1973
Victor Jara was a Chilean teacher, singer-song- writer, and political activist. His music helped bring socialist president, Salvador Allende, to power. When a government coup supported by the United States overthrew Allende, Victor Jara was subject to the wrath of Governor Pinochet and his follow- ers. He was brutally murdered after being mocked and tortured inside Chile Stadium. His body was displayed at the entrance of stadium for other prisoners to see.
“For a song has meaning when it beats in the veins of a man who will die singing,
truthfully singing his song.”
Victor Jara’s tragic story lives on as a symbol of remembrance for those who those who suffered under Pinochet and the accountability of the United States government. He is an iconic figure and blueprint for artists who want to use their music to inspire change.
Because there were so many important aspects of Jara's life, it was difficult to narrow down how I wanted to engage the viewer. I thought about including the role that the US played in staging the military coup in Chile that ultimately led to his death. Or how his wife had made it her life's mission to hold the officers who murdered him and others accountable. His lyrics also told stories of the reasons they were persecuted.
I ultimately settled on conveying a brief background of his music and activism and the impact he left on artists around the world. Below is a screen recording of how a viewer would engage with my piece through Artivive.
