NONUMENT 01::McKeldin Fountain

The public art project and virtual monument, “NONUMENT 01::McKeldin Fountain” is Baltimore’s first public monument presented in augmented reality (AR). When viewers hold up a tablet or smartphone like a protest sign, they reveal a full-scale, 3D architecturally correct model of the controversial half-acre McKeldin Fountain. Tap on a protest sign at any time to bring back the brutalist-style monument that once boasted 18 waterfalls before it was demolished in January 2017.

The fountain may be viewed anywhere in the world, but viewers at the original site at McKeldin Square in Baltimore MD, are given an audio tour by the artist. Viewers wander the animated waterways, including the infamous double waterfall. Sprinkled throughout the site are ‘memory artifacts’ guiding the viewer through a game-like experience. Walking through whisper chambers and tapping on artifacts trigger the Baltimore heroes who reminisce on Occupy Baltimore, Women in Black and Freddie Gray protests; women’s trans picnics; anime costume events; rappers, a former mayor; kids swimming; a marriage proposal, and an arrest in the Square.

Open the NONUMENT 01 app. A flat half-acre site without obstructions is ideal.
Put on headphones.
To bring back the fountain at anytime, tap on a protest sign lying flat on the ground.
Hold your device like the protest sign, and walk around the half-acre fountain.
Tap on hidden “memory objects”.
If you loose the utopian structure, bring back the fountain by tapping on a protest sign or through the menu.

NONUMENT 01 is the first AR app of its kind that offers a large-scale 3D simulation of an architectural work using high quality rendering techniques typically only available in virtual reality and GPS location tools.

Find out more by searching NONUMENT 01 on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

Project Team: Project Team: Lisa Moren, Director and Producer; Jaimes Mayhew, Co-Production; Martin Bricelj Baraga and Neja Tomšič, NONUMENT founders; along with programming and development team Balti-Virtual. Music by Erik Spangler with “Whisper Chambers” by JMoney fur and “Guided Audio Tour” and “Finale” engineered by Timothy Nohe; 3D models by Ben Shaffer, Ryan Zuber, IRC at UMBC and Look on Media.
Sponsors: This project was funded by the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund in Film + Media at Johns Hopkins University.

This project is also grateful for support from the Andy Warhol Foundation, The Gritt Fund from the Contemporary Museum, the Museum of Transitory Art, the CAHSS Summer Research Initiative Fund at UMBC and CEC Artslink International.