AncestAR Project
AncestAR project seeks to digitise African cultures that are becoming extinct leveraging Augmented Reality technology (Instagram Filters) that enables interactivity with digital artifacts of the Makonde tribe.
AncestAR AR effects combined various elements of the Makonde tribe such as 3D scanned sculptures, facial scarifications transformed into face filter and narration, dances and stories from the Makonde elders.
Launching Video
Roles and Responsibilities
I was contracted by the OnaStories Group to support the development of the AncestAR project, an opportunity to impact 10 creatives with relevant skills and oversee the development of Instagram Filters.
• Led the design of the curriculum for training ten Tanzanian creatives about the Augmented Reality technology and how to develop Instagram filters to represent various components of the Makonde tribe such as body scarification art, carvings and music.
• Supervised the design of four Instagram effects (attached above) from ideation, prototyping, development to deployment on Instagram. During this process the creatives leveraged tools such as Meta’s LMS that hosts the learning resources and Spark AR platform for development and publishing of the effects.
• Assessed the learning progress of the creatives and provided support through office hours, dedicated hackathon and providing feedback on the various artworks produced by creatives that incorporate augmented reality technology.
• Produced digital content for learning that included presentation slides, learning experiential games, ice breakers, quizzes and various challenges for aiding the learning process.