occupation forces overview :: home

The Occupation Forces project is the invasion of our public space by alien invaders. Augmented
reality is used in conjunction with mobile devices [iPhone 3GS – Android coming soon] at site
specific locations to create a large scale narrative. The project merges an alternate reality with
the local resident’s [viewer’s] everyday life. The viewer’s experience is any unfolding narrative
through time and space which transforms their daily real-world existence into something
otherworldly and thought-provoking. The project encourages viewers to explore their natural
surroundings, letting them see it in a way they never have before.

The project mixes alien invasion mythology with contemporary images of a foreign troops'
occupation. As viewers go about their daily activities they see what it is like to be a country
under occupation. The aliens attempt and fail at controlling a stylized consumer society. The
figures small scale, cute proportions, and strange actions make it hard for viewers to take them
seriously. Users question whether the alien invaders are actually in control.

Viewers may freely download and install the project on their mobile device. When the viewer
launches the Occupation Forces iPhone or Android app they are able to see the alien’s invasion
at different site specific locations throughout the real world. What the user sees is an augmented
reality, a mix of the virtual aliens and a live video of the real world seen through the user’s
mobile device. The virtual aliens stay in alignment with the real world thanks to GPS and or a
tracking marker [depending on the app which is running].

The different groups of alien figures the viewer encounters do different things. Some aliens
might be patrolling the city block, trying to set up a perimeter. Some aliens work at the entrance
to a subway or a bus stop where they will try to set up a checkpoint. Aliens may trying to
interrogate the viewer. Viewers are not able to understand the aliens because of their strange
R2D2 like language. Other aliens may also ignore viewers and continue what they were doing.
All the while the alien’s actions work towards  a larger narrative. This narrative will grow as the
viewer explores the public space. The alien’s actions always change according to their
surroundings so the viewer’s experience is never the same twice.

 *** Please know that this is a work in progress.