Abstract
This interdisciplinary project brings together computer science, digital media, history, art, and design to collaboratively develop a mobile augmented reality (AR) experience that digitally reconstructs the lost Clarissa Street neighborhood in Rochester, New York. Once a thriving center of Black culture, Clarissa Street was home to the Pythodd Jazz Club, a legendary stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit, and numerous Black-owned businesses and community spaces. These landmarks were systematically erased through discriminatory practices such as redlining and urban renewal. Through archival research, oral histories, 3D modeling, and immersive storytelling, the project explores how spatial computing can preserve cultural memory while addressing the legacy of racial injustice. The AR prototype of the Pythodd Jazz Club is being expanded to revive additional sites, creating an evolving, digitally constructed “living museum.” By bridging disciplines and collaborating with community members, the project demonstrates how extended reality can foster cross-cultural understanding, honor erased histories, and inspire new ways of engaging with public history. Ultimately, this work positions AR as both a research method and a socially engaged practice, offering collaborative solutions to complex issues of memory, equity, and representation in an interconnected world.
Presenters
Susan LakinProfessor, College of Art and Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
AUGMENTED REALITY, PUBLIC HISTORY, CULTURAL MEMORY, INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
