After diving into the world of ethnographic documentary filmmaking, Mitchell Wilson has now entered the immersive world to explore his passion for telling stories in more intimate and creative ways. Currently, he is most interested in the use of augmented reality as a novel experiential medium for interactive installation art.
Mitchell is currently workshopping how to design accessible hybrid spaces around Bristol and Bath for queer and non-conforming people, through the use of a location-based augmented reality app. This early R+D phase is being supported by Bristol+Bath Creative R+D‘s Inclusive Innovation funding. The design of the AR spaces will be motivated by what the community wants and needs from these spaces.
The first iteration of this project began with the launch of the @nonconformingbristol social media channel on Instagram. Inspired by the style of stories of this community, Mitchell hand-crafted garments which could be augmented using mobile AR, tying together people’s lived experiences with histories of non-conforming fashion as part of an interactive piece exhibited at Bristol Beacon’s Prevail Festival 2021. The feedback from this event has fuelled his desire to design more inclusive hybrid spaces across the South West where people can feel supported in how they choose to express themselves.