The Pond AR

Explore a speculative pond ecosystem where digital creatures blur natural and artificial.

The Pond is an augmented reality companion to a multimedia installation by Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes that reimagines the traditional natural history museum diorama. Through your device's camera, discover a synthetic environment populated with hybrid creatures that challenge our understanding of nature in an increasingly artificial world. Each digital organism in this speculative ecosystem has evolved unique adaptations - incorporating elements like belt buckles, zippers, and analog video signals into their biology as a form of Batesian mimicry against humanity's technological dominance. Watch as moths, dragonflies, frogs, beetles, and salamanders with uncanny mechanical features navigate their digitally-mediated habitat.

Immerse yourself in a rich digital ecosystem where organic and synthetic life converge. As you explore, you'll encounter creatures that challenge traditional boundaries between natural and artificial life, featuring immersive sound design by Philippe Lambert that blends synthetic and organic audio elements to create a convincing yet artificial pond ecosystem soundscape.The experience invites you to question our relationship with nature in a technological age, as you discover how these digital beings have adapted to incorporate human-made elements into their survival strategies, encouraging reflection on the increasingly blurred lines between natural and digital realms. This AR application extends The Pond installation's investigation of how technology can mediate, augment, and simulate the natural world. Inspired by Peter H. Kahn's research on technological nature, the experience invites reflection on how digital interfaces might reshape our connection to environments and ecosystems.

Requirements:

iOS [version] or newer Camera and motion sensor access ARKit compatibility Volume up for full audio experience

Note: While designed to complement The Pond installation, this AR experience can be appreciated independently as a meditation on nature, technology, and adaptation in an increasingly synthetic world.