Dreams, Diaspora, and Destiny is an augmented reality mural in West Philadelphia’s Conestoga neighborhood, created in a multi-faceted partnership between painter Joshua Mays, DJ and composer King Britt, local technology firm Blue Design, and students from Mastery Charter’s Shoemaker Campus and The Haverford School. Mays and Britt worked together to engage the students in an unusual synthesis of public and private school perspectives. The project initiated a conversation about the future of the neighborhood, teaching the students how to interview their neighbors and compose their own music.

Using the youth-created sounds, Britt created an original score for the mural that viewers can access through the MuralArtsAR app (available through iTunes). Blue Design used image recognition software to bring the mural to life, integrating art and technology in Philadelphia’s first augmented reality mural experience.