On April 4th, Meta launched the Spark Indigenous Augmented Reality Creator Accelerator in partnership with Slow Studies Creative in an effort to incorporate immersive augmented reality experiences with Indigenous storytelling.
A five-week incubator program will supply 10 Indigenous creators in Canada with customized and hands-on training to showcase their culture in a new way through AR. This allows creators to connect with audiences beyond the limits of physical spaces.
Meta Spark currently grants more than 750 million people to experience AR to connect and communicate across Meta’s technologies every month.
Founder of Slow Studies Creative and multi-disciplinary Indigenous artist Josh Conrad developed Spark Indigenous as a way to empower Indigenous creators. The program aims to ensure that Indigenous culture and voices are properly represented for the world to both hear and see.
Meta Spark Studio will be used as a free AR design toolkit to give participating creators training to bring their creative ideas to life in virtual spaces.
Additionally, creators will participate in weekly sessions that offer opportunities to share ideas collaboratively and consider how AR can continue to amplify meaningful causes. Tutorials on building AR experiences will become available once the program is complete.
Meta says it’s committed to ensuring its technologies are places for First Nation, Inuit and Métis people “to connect to their communities, share their stories, enable cultural preservation and share history,” both now and in the future.
Source: Meta