Looking Back on 2025
Reflecting on progress and charting a path forward
Hey folks, Adrian here!
It’s been an incredibly active year for Looking Glass. When I last wrote, I shared my aspirations for 2025 and at the time, my primary goal was to use the year to usher the app out of its beta and into a more finished state. What happened instead was that I went with the flow and spent the majority of my time connecting with people.
People & Place
Since February, I’ve shown work at two arts festivals, facilitated two student workshops, led four neighborhood tours and gave seven talks. Events are only one slice of the picture but they’re a valuable signal. They demonstrate that there’s an appetite for the kinds of overlooked stories that Looking Glass celebrates and this idea of remembering and imagining continues to resonate with folks. I’m more sure than ever that real magic happens when we connect people to place through stories.
Growing the Archive
While building community connections and holding events was a top priority, it didn’t bring the rest of the work to a halt. Slowly but surely, the contents of the archive are growing and I have two new collaborators to thank. Reiley Freed is a public historian specializing in 19th–20th century Black American history and Susan Scott Peterson is an audio producer, oral historian, writer and journalist; together, they helped lay the foundation for an upcoming oral history project. We’ll be recording new interviews and working with archival materials to document and preserve the lived experiences of Pittsburgh’s Black residents. We’re already exploring some exciting possibilities with partners and provided funding comes through, you’ll hear more about this in the coming year.
The Road to Version 1.0
In an ideal world, the app would be versions ahead of what’s currently available, but truthfully, the work has benefited from some breathing room. The time that I spent this year with students, elders and collaborators has really helped illuminate how Looking Glass should develop moving forward.
Over these last three months, I’ve reestablished a groove with the software side of things. I’ve been making significant upgrades to the app’s infrastructure and this maintenance work is paving the way for transformational changes. At a high level, Looking Glass will evolve to better facilitate the core activity, which is travel to sites of memory. I’m excited to lean into what distinguishes Looking Glass and create more opportunities for folks to remember and imagine.
Until next time,
Adrian
Amazing progress and foundation to build on. Congratulations on a year that I'm sure inspired and gave voice to a lot of people!