Here in the Old Pueblo, the UA and Arizona State Museum are putting a new spin on telling Tucson’s stories.
Guests can point their smartphones at the QR code in front of the Arizona State Museum and embark on a dynamic visual journey to learn about the Tohono O’odham peoples.
Unfamiliar with their culture? Don’t worry. Amy Juan, a cultural specialist and tradition bearer of the Tohono O’odham, explains what one will see via this augmented reality (AR) experience.
“We, the Tohono O’odham, have lived here for thousands of years along the Ali Akimel, or what is now known as the Santa Cruz River, here in Ts-iuk-shan (Tucson),” she says in greeting.
Then she invites the AR app users to view in 3D baskets from the museum’s collection and contemporary pieces by expert basketmaker Terrol Dew Johnson.
App users can watch as Johnson walks through the museum’s vault and describes how the baskets are still being made. Then while looking at a virtual photo wall of his own baskets, he describes how he integrates non-traditional materials and shapes into his work.
They can also hear UA Regents professor Ofelia Zepeda read her poem, Fibers on the Land/ Huataddam in English and Tohono O’odham.
Finally, they see animated dancers stepping off a Tohono O’odham Friendship Jar to morph into the real Wa-k Tab Basket Dancers and hear Wynona Peters explain the meaning of the dance.
It’s an amazing way to learn about history — all on smartphones.
The experience is part of “Discovering Community in the Borderlands” project at seven sites around Tucson.
Using AR, viewers celebrate African American culture while following along in a slide step class at the Dunbar Pavilion: An African American Art and Culture Center.
Through the AR app, users can watch a guzheng performance or take a yo-yo class at the Chinese Cultural Center or experience the multilingual poetry of plants at Mission Gardens.
The project is the brainchild of Lisa Falk, head of community engagement at the Arizona State Museum; Brian Carter, director of the Center for Digital Humanities at the UA; and Tyler Meier, executive director of the UA Poetry Center.
It was born during the pandemic when Falk sought a way for people to connect while being safe. They learned grants were available for museum and library services and other Borderlands projects
“We wanted community stories,” Falk said. “We thought, ‘What if you could go around to different places that are outside and encounter culture and history? And maybe one would be something you never thought about before because it wasn’t your background or a place where you normally go.’”
Enter Center for Digital Humanities students, who were already working on AR. They decided it was the perfect way to tell Tucson’s stories.
That led to a lot more questions, beginning with what exactly is augmented reality?
“People often get mixed up with augmented reality, virtual reality and immersive reality,” Falk said.
The Van Gogh Experience in Oro Valley is an example of immersive reality. Ticketholders walk into an environment filled with video projections, Falk explained.
“Virtual reality is when you wear those glasses and you feel like you’re in another place interacting with things,” she added.
“Augmented reality happens in your reality…all of a sudden a hologram pops up on my phone and augments my reality, puts something into my reality.”
AR was the logical choice to use because it’s accessible via smartphone. Besides, VR is wildly expensive and requires separate equipment and a controlled environment. It’s impractical.
After establishing what AR is, the team asked how the technology could tell stories.
“What materials do we have to use? because we knew we could use 3D objects,” Falk said. “We could use still photography, 2D video, 360-degree video. We could use words. We could use holograms with little people popping up, and we used them all.”
They wanted to represent Tucson appropriately, so diversity was key. They came up with a list of local organizations. Together, the community and university partners came up with themes like journey/ migrations/ immigration or cultural expression/ celebrations/ community gathering. This is how Wynona Peters of the Tohono O’odham Wa-k Tab Basket Dancers became involved.
The dance was filmed in late spring 2023 on the museum’s west side, she said.
“That particular dance, we’re talking about showcasing our baskets in the way we’re moving so that way everybody sees all the baskets the girls are holding,” she said. “The Tohono O’odham, our tribe, is known for our basket weaving; that’s why we put this group together…It’s all about showcasing and demonstrating what our people can do.”
Peters has been dancing with the Wa-k Tab Basket Dancers for more than 10 years. When Falk approached her about being involved in the AR story project, Peters said she just couldn’t imagine what it would be like.
“At first I was trying to picture it,” she said. Then she saw it. “It was pretty cool, how it starts (with a pot with dance figures on it) and the (figures) come to life and then become the live dance group. When we saw it, it was just like, ‘Wow.’ It was pretty awesome.”
Ultimately, Falk and her team want the AR experiences to introduce Tucson’s residents and visitors to culture in a thoughtful way.
These experiences “are one way to begin learning about (Tucson’s deep history)” Falk said. “There’s a rich, multidisciplinary, multicultural history and cultures that make up our community. It only enriches each of us to know more about each other,” Falk said. “We’re hoping that if people experience some of these, they’ll want to go and visit those community organizations and events and programs happening in those communities. We hope they’ll feel more comfortable entering spaces that aren’t theirs.”
Visit “Discovering Community in the Borderlands” at the following locations:
• Arizona State Museum, 1013 E. University Boulevard
• Borderlands Theater at Bonita Park, 20 N. Bonita Avenue
• Dunbar Pavilion, 325 W. Second Street
• Mission Garden, 946 W. Mission Lane
• Pascua Yaqui Administration Building, 7474 S. Camino de Oeste
• Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Road
• Tucson Music Hall, north walkway, 260 S. Church Street
Info: Participation is free; a smartphone with a camera is required
While going to each of the sites is recommended, the AR exhibits can also be experienced by scanning the QR codes on the related website https://dcb.arizona.edu. There, too, you will find related writing prompts created by the UA Poetry Center.
The themes the stories illuminate are:
• Resilience/ adaptation/ belonging
• Reconciliation/ reparations/ race and identity
• Plants and use in the environment/ foodways/ healing
• Journey/ migrations/ immigration
• Cultural expression/ celebrations/ community gathering
• Entrepreneurship/ heritage businesses
