Looking Glass in 2025
Hey folks, Adrian here!
Last year was all about getting the Looking Glass app live and raising awareness. I remain humbled by the response to that effort. This approach to preservation and remembering is something that resonates with folks.
With the app out in the world, this year’s priorities are now refinement and growth. I’m on a mission to uncover as many stories as possible across Pittsburgh. And I want Looking Glass to become a more engaging and useful tool to discover those stories. Here’s a quick preview of what’s cooking:
Audio Library
Accessible from the Explore screen, the Audio Library will hold the Looking Glass Soundscape and collections of oral histories. With the help of my collaborators, Reiley Freed and Susan Scott Peterson, and hopefully a few institutional partners, archival recordings and new oral history interviews should soon live together in the library.
Android Release
My Android using friends, you have not been forgotten. Looking Glass’s architecture allows it to run on both Android and iOS, but there are a number of compatibility issues to resolve. The Audio Library will likely introduce a few more issues too, so anticipate an Android release to follow the library update.
Story Queue
The Story Queue is in the earliest stages of development, but I’m envisioning this as the direct channel to submit stories and artifacts to the archive. I want to call this space a queue to introduce a level of transparency. Before a story can be loaded, research and 3D modeling has to take place. It is a process. So within this space, I’d like to expose the stories that are in development and make visible everything that’s been submitted. Since all this work takes time, I think it’d be great to provide folks the ability to weigh in and affect the queue’s order.
Ways to Help
I’d love to introduce new features, stories and neighborhoods to the app right now, but my visions of growth and refinement require resources. If you’re rocking with Looking Glass, please share it with a friend or someone in your network. If you know anyone who might be interested in partnering with me to grow this platform for overlooked stories, nudge them to reach out at info@looking-glass.space.
Peace,
Adrian