Imagining DMC's future through augmented reality

Over the past couple years, the public has been bombarded with renderings of what Rochester could one day look like.

Now, as city leaders prepare to celebrate the groundbreaking on phase one of DMC's Discovery Square campus, a local artist is asking community members to add their perspectives to the conversation being built around Rochester’s future.

An interactive installation, titled "The Vast & Empty Ballrooms of the Double Helix’s Heart," will be featured as part of Thursday's Discovery Square Community Celebration and Innovation Showcase. The street festival will precede a formal groundbreaking ceremony for Mortenson's 90,000 square foot research complex, which is being built in partnership with Mayo Clinic.

Using augmented reality technology, Eric Anderson is inviting residents and visitors to view and contribute 3D site-specific text, photos, hashtags and original art to the built environment. In doing so, Anderson said he hopes the community can "explore new ways to engage with and challenge our evolving city." 

To participate, all you need to do is download (for free) Mirage World in Apple's App Store. According to Anderson, "insights from the event will be archived and potentially used as building blocks for a future iteration of the concept." 

If you are like me and don't have an iPhone, Anderson will have a physical exhibit on-site — 5th Street SW between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave SW — with alternate ways to contribute to the conversation. The festival runs Thursday, Nov. 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

You can learn more about the installation on Facebook.

Cover photo: Adam Salmi of Area 10 Labs experimenting with augmented reality technology in downtown Rochester