NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Marcus Brown says a historical marker is not enough.
Brown says you can read about the slave trade in 18th and 19th century New Orleans, but to really get a sense of its inhumanity and horror requires, in his words, an “immersive experience.”
That’s what Brown has created with a series of augmented reality scenarios, depicting real places and events. One scenario depicts a transatlantic slave ship that docked in New Orleans near where the Moon Walk is today.
Another scenario depicts the site where slave auctions were held on Esplanade Avenue near Chartres Street.
Brown says he was inspired by the “stumbling stones” in Germany – brass plaques placed where Holocaust victims once lived.
Although Brown is a master in the ancient art of sculpting in bronze – a skill he teaches at New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), his alma mater – his art has evolved from the physical realm, to the digital.
With augmented reality, Brown hopes to bring people who might not have been interested in the history of slavery, a new way to see it.
To see more of Brown’s ongoing AR projects go to slaverytrails.com.