Al GRANO: Augmented-Cereals” Version 2

"AL GRANO: Augmented Cereals" Version 2
image/jpeg
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"AL GRANO: Augmented Cereals" Version 2
image/jpeg
800 × 600

"AL GRANO: Augmented Cereals" Version 2
image/tiff
800 × 600

"AL GRANO: Augmented Cereals" Version 2
image/jpeg
800 × 800

AL GRANO: Augmented Cereals (Version 02) showing a gallery visitor interacting with the piece using a smartphone and an app (aurasma).
This is Augmented Reality work lives in two spaces: in a supermarket cereal aisle in which consumers interact with the work via smartphone using an Augmented Reality app; and in a gallery space.
In absence of comprehensive labeling of foodstus (and because breakfast is the most important meal of the day), I created a project to help consumers learn more about what they eat. Using their smartphones and my app, they scan cereal brands and find out which contain Genetically Modied corn.
The close-up smartphone documents show the image of a domesticated seed from Mexico emerging as “aura” over the cereal box. The seed is electronically etched with text extracted from “Men of Maize”, a seminal Larin American novel that speaks to ill effects of agribusiness’ exploitation of human and natural resources.
The images showcase a second iteration of the project (Version 02) that lives in a gallery space at Vermont Studios, USA, in 2016. The work is composed of fabricated miniature samples of cereal boxes representing brands that contain Genetically Modied corn. Visitors to the gallery interact with the work in the same way as in the supermarket; they use their smartphones and an Augmented Reality app (Aurasma) to access additional project images and texts.