Augment 2022

Augment Seattle

AUGMENT Seattle 2022: From August 12th to August 28th, a transformative art event united nine innovative artists, spanning Seattle, the Cascadia region, and beyond. Set against the backdrop of South Lake Union's 9th & Thomas Block, the event featured augmented reality (AR) artworks that blurred the line between imagination and reality.

Digital narratives intertwined seamlessly with the physical world, inviting contemplation of nature's coexistence with technology. Immigrant and refugee plants blossomed on augmented popsicles, holographic fish meandered through future office spaces, and indigenous flora revitalized the tech-centric South Lake Union, prompting reflections on our choices and shared humanity.

Armed with mobile devices, attendees navigated the open-air gallery using digital maps, enjoying ARtours that unveiled artists' creative processes. With accessibility as a priority, the experience was inclusive. Beyond visuals, mixed-reality food and drinks heightened senses, encapsulating the event's essence.

AUGMENT Seattle 2022 transcended art's conventional boundaries, sparking dialogue, and inspiring fresh perspectives. Bridging art and technology, it encouraged envisioning crafted futures while staying rooted in nature and the human spirit.

During Augment Seattle 2022, thousands of attendees interacted with beautiful augmented pieces in the streets of South Lake Union in Seattle featuring local BIPOC and Indigenous stories as well as International & PNW artworks.

#GLITCHGODDESS
by Marjan Modhaddam

AS PART AUGMENT SEATTLE 2022
Watch digital discussion with artist here.

Publicly acclaimed as the first Feminist Digital Art piece to hit viral metrics, #GLITCHGODDESS intervened into the art fair with a body that disrupted the legacy artworld’s depiction of the female form in a singular manner while switching from slender, heavy, young, old, pregnant, glitched, stylized to artistically abstracted, set to a voiceover of women complaining about inequality in the art world.
-Courtesy of the Artist, Marjan Modhaddam

#GLITCHGODDESS consists of 3 parts: a large-scale inflatable female form, an adjoining AR-activated structure, & an AR digital animation. The 22+ foot inflatable female figure took over the nostalgic spot in Seattle where Macy’s holiday star hangs over the holidays, raising questions about the freedom of the female form. The adjoining augmented reality-activated structure inhabited Westlake Park, and a satellite structure in as part of the HOWL exhibition curated by Lele Barnett and Amanda Manitach. Viewers can scan a QR code on the structure and unleash an animated #GLITCHGODDESS, strutting and shifting forms.

Originally commissioned for VMF’s Winter Arts Fest 2022.

Producing partner VMF Winter Arts Fest