Purpose in Place: Discerning and Forefronting Forgotten Landscapes using the Methodological Lens of Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is an under-studied tool that deserves more academic attention and gaze. By using the built landscape as its point of orientation, but providing a virtual interface with which to engage, the augmented landscape serves as a departure of the traditional digital-physical divide. This realm raises questions regarding purpose and intention, but also has its own limitations and issues with dynamic, complex spaces that change frequently. Each chapter of this dissertation stands alone as a “part” – they connect, however, through the use of this technology to answer questions unique to their spaces.

Part 1 explores the relationship between the virtual, augmented, and physical landscape in a secular sacred space; part 2 delves into the complications of free speech, street art, and representation; part 3 examines a series of data generated by users of AR to see if there is evidence of critical considerations of landscape within the documentation. The introduction section stands as a critical overview of the concept of “landscape” within cultural geography, with a particular emphasis on the political and cultural iconography present that is prominent within American landscapes. The conclusions drawn from the work as a whole are discussed following Part 3 and discuss the studies’ moments of dissonance and disagreement as well as their consensus.