There aren't enough statues of women—so this app creates them in augmented reality
In the U.S., less than 8 percent of public statues represent women, meaning you're way more likely to see bronze dudes while strolling through public squares and parks.
A new app wants to change that. Launched last month with Current Studios, marketing firm Y&R's The Whole Story Project uses augmented reality like in Pokémon Go to create and place statues of famous women in spots where they're noticeably missing.
Already 22 statues have gone up in New York, many in Central Park. They include suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, author Edith Wharton, and pilot Amelia Earhart. These women join more than two dozen actual statues of men -- and not a single woman -- in the massive public park. But to see the badass ladies, you'll have to download the iOS or Android app.
The video shows how it looks to wander around a park commenting on statues that no one else can see. It's not much different from noticing Charmander on someone's shoulder on the subway.
The project hopes to create 100 more virtual statues by the end of this year to join the ones in Central Park and others in Washington, D.C., Mount Rushmore, London, Prague, Milan, and Rome.
"Until we break the bronze ceiling, the Whole Story Project gives immediate voice to the stories of so many brave women, who have been part of building and bettering our nation,” Coline Jenkins, Elizabeth Cady Stanton's great-great granddaughter, said in a release.
There's an open call for developers around the world to create statues in their cities, along with hackathon events in New York and elsewhere to get more bronze women onto the app and into public parks.
Gender equity has never been so immersive.
Topics Augmented Reality
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
