Research by: Debanjoli Chowdhury and Siya Gupta
The mural depicts a younger person holding a red envelope and an older woman being embraced, while the mural incorporates plants around them. The mural also uses augmented reality to immerse the viewer in the artwork. The mural acknowledges the intergenerational community that exists in Chinatown and is referred to as a “prayer” by Snow. It serves as a prayer for a future without anti-Asian hate and violence and white supremacy. The red envelope and the elder Asian woman both cast light on the deep-rooted culture and history that exists in Chinatown and the vital need to protect and preserve it. The mural pays homage to the Lenape by incorporating indigenous plants of the Lenapehoking surrounding the people in the mural.
They use augmented reality to create this mural as well. Augmented reality is a technology that artists use to superimpose a computer-generated image that immerses the audience in multiple types of art, such as the mural itself, as well as accompanying music. The augmented reality serves as a way to immerse the viewer in the experience and deepen their engagement with the work. In the augmented reality, the indigenous plants in the mural come to life, as well as the birds that are included in the depiction of the elder. With these components, Jess X. illustrates the interconnectedness of the Indigenous and Asian communities, since symbols of both communities exist together in the mural and the augmented reality as well.
Sources (for both parts)
https://www.jessxsnow.com/IN-THE-FUTURE-OUR-ASIAN-COMMUNITY-IS-SAFE
mike owen benediktsson 