Paradoxical Insomnia

Paradoxical Insomnia by Erica Shires

Paradoxical Insomnia is a free augmented-reality (AR) app that reimagines Brooklyn Bridge Park as a canvas for sustainability. The app reveals geo-located environmental stories hidden in plain sight and opens portals to explore urban climate resilience and interspecies futures through the lens of speculative fiction. These AR encounters transform the park into a living laboratory where ecological worlds intersect. Designed to be contemplative and site-responsive, Paradoxical Insomnia invites users to slow down, look closely, and experience familiar spaces with a renewed sense of wonder.

This app premieres at Brooklyn Bridge Park, with additional locations to be added as the work expands. Artist-designed AR cards are available for download at www.paradoxicalinsomnia.earth.

Paradoxical Insomnia is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature (NYSCA). It is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). Special thanks to Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) for providing my studio at the Arts Center on Governors Island.