2023 marked the twelfth year my amazingly talented design students from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and I have sold posters at the annual downtown El Paso arts festival, Chalk the Block. However, this was the first time we sold posters that hide a secret below the surface! All of them utilize Augmented Reality (AR). That is, they were designed to not only look great sitting still, but they also animate. You can view the animation in two ways:
Simply Scan the QR code on the poster with your phone’s camera. It will take you to a website where you can click to view the animation.
or,
For a BETTER, more seamless experience, Download the free Artivive app on your phone. Then, in the app, simply point your phone at the poster and watch it come to life.
The text at the bottom of this poster reads:
"Castner Range comprises 7,081 acres of the West Texas Chihuahuan Desert. Every March, Mexican Gold Poppies dazzle the hillsides. Located on Fort Bliss, the Department of the Army acquired the land in the 1920s and 1930s, and trained there from 1926 to 1966. It is named for World War I General Joseph Castner. Despite access restrictions due to remaining unexploded munitions, archeologists have identified 41 archeological sites in this area. These provide evidence of Indigenous Peoples’ presence here from at least 6,000 BCE. On March 21, 2023, President Biden established Castner Range as National Monument."
El Paso is a unique and beautiful place because of its Franklin Mountains desert setting in the most diverse desert in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most diverse arid regions in the world. Castner Range's 2023 designation as a national monument is a tremendous win for the El Paso–Juárez border region. This open space, the ecosystems that is houses (including that of the Golden Eagle soaring in the poster's animation), clean air it produces, and its opportunity for outdoor recreation, will now be protected from future development. It represents a promise from the U.S. government that the environment, health, and safety of border residents is a priority.
My daughter, many years ago, among the Golden Poppies of March at Castner Range.