This mixed reality interactive display questions the boundaries between the real and the unreal. The physical becomes digital and the virtual turns into objects. We explore the transition of a photo studio in Quetta, Pakistan, examining the interplay between the past and present, reality and unreality.
The advancement of photographic technology, particularly the commonness of mobile phones with cameras, has led to the shutdown of photo studios. What was once a communal event—visiting a photo studio—has largely faded, and with that, its aesthetics as well. This installation uses the same technology that caused the decline of the photo studio, where we explore a once-shared aesthetic experience, creating a virtual world within real space. Visible machine made glitches in these virtual spaces counter the deliberate manipulations in studio photography made by humans—fantasies crafted to appear real.