Augmented Reality

The Last Operator

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The landscape is a natural barren wasteland. A near monochromatic world where everything is covered with a fine red dust. Not very different from the countless depictions of the planet Mars in science fiction stories. But this is not the red planet, this is Earth, in a not so distant future. Anything green in this place has long since dried out to dust and blown away. Here we find the last of the human advisors to the eternal vision drones, looking out over an all too familiar landscape. Just ahead is an old communications relay post. The operator sends the drone out ahead to get an advanced look at the area. Machine Vision reveals all, transmitted directly to the operator's AR (augmented reality) goggles from an encrypted link to the drone. Human vision, augmented by the electro-optical sensors of the drone in real time. Day or night, the night vision and thermal imaging of this system are extremely accurate.

These posts were once a symbol of the total surveillance state that prevailed during the end times. As part of a global deterrence system, these stations monitored all of the communications in the surrounding area. Now they are simple time capsules, waiting to be found. Most of the time they have been completely picked over by scavengers long ago. But this post somehow looks untouched. Is it possible that any of these systems still work? What will be gleaned from the remnants of civilization lost?

The Last Operator, mixed media with 3D printing, 9 x 6 x 7 inches 1:150 scale, 2024

aquatic observation

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I’ve imagined the drone 1001a as the aquatic version of the original all seeing model 1001. This drone hovers quietly over the ocean or just on the very edge of the shore. It exists in the time of the endless ocean. Long after our technological demise, the inevitable consequences of climate changes come to light. There is nothing. A hopeless horizon extends in every direction. What fragments of land remain are scattered far apart with only empty waters between them. The detritus we leave behind will always remain. Now it is mostly seen as sun bleached plastics that float on the surface or wash up like an artificial red tide. This drone constantly patrols the water, searching for anything that breaks the pattern of emptiness. How far does the ocean reach? Is there anything at all beyond the horizon?

Drone 1001a Augmented Reality test. Click to play the video with sound.

Right now this specific work is moving in two distinctly different directions. The physical 3D printed versions of the drone are being used to tell this part of the story through hyperreal miniature landscape dioramas/scenes. The 3D model has been painted, textured and animated, so it can appear digitally in augmented reality. Each direction has its own unique set of concerns and potentials. Together they will help tell a more articulate story that has the potential to spill out into the world around us.

some ideas are destined for the future

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In the studio I work on many things, often moving in many directions simultaneously. As I do this, I’m always focusing on the idea first and then what materials or medium to use to best articulate that idea. Because of this, some ideas get set aside for a future version or iteration. Usually those ideas resurface when I see a potential in a new material or most often a new piece of technology. It has been about 15 years since I first took a took a class to explore the medium of 3D modeling. At that time my ideas and the technology didn’t align for some reason, time was shorter back then. Since that time I have used traditional sculpture and photography to articulate many of my ideas. Using analog techniques to create hyperreal views of what could be simply described as miniature movie sets. But now I find myself in that familiar moment again, when an idea resurfaces through exciting exploration in the studio. My recent research into 3d modeling, painting and texturing those models, 3d animation and augmented reality has really got me thinking. I can start to see some complex ideas coming together within this space. I also believe that asking questions of this digital work and how I can employ it will only make my analog work more dynamic and articulate as well. Check back to see what emerges from the past.

drone 1001a 3d landscape sketch