Access is a sense that most people don’t have enough of.

We built Augmento to let culture travel,without borders, budgets, or buildings. Zanzibar reminded us what happens when presence experiences scale: people feel more, learn more, and share more.

On the island, art isn’t confined to walls. It’s woven into kanga patterns, carved into doors, sung in taarab rhythms, told in the cadence of markets and tides. With so much inspiration on us from the beautiful scene and its people, we set out to prototype something simple and generous: a layered experience that could expand access for village communities,who rarely have access to technology or art galleries,and for visitors who crave a deeper connection than sightseeing.

All built in just a couple of hours.

Building a layered reality (Fast)

We mapped textures, stories, and sounds to physical places: murals that bloom with animation when seen through a phone, and wayfinding that connects makers to their craft in real time. Nothing heavy, nothing precious. Just lightweight triggers and an interface anyone could hold.

This bears witness to how all of us can bring a complete union of borders and people, with the infinite possibilities of Augmented Reality.

The Maasai, wearables, and a new way of seeing the world

We had the chance to visit the Maasai for the first time. We spent a few days with the  tribe, and their presence, their rawness, deeply moved us. What stayed with us the most from this trip - Its place, and more importantly, its people.

There’s something profoundly beautiful in the exchange of culture and knowledge. Watching the head of the tribe experience Augmented Reality for the first time, floating visuals through Google Glasses, reconnected me with the deeper reason behind our work:

We offered a few unobtrusive wearables,light glasses,and invited them to look at their place from a different lens.  A layered way of experiencing the world.

What we learned

1. Access grows emotion. Give people more ways to connect and they feel more, learn more, and share more.
   
   
   

2. Speed matters. You can assemble a meaningful cultural layer in hours if you design for the street, the communities.
   
   
   

3. Wearables change posture. Hands-free moments create confidence, presence, and eye contact,a better social interface than a screen in your face.
   
   
   

4. Freedom is the UX. Let communities choose what’s layered, and be seen.