PERSPECTIVE is a multimedia journey through the evolution of Zimbabwe. By utilising different mediums including video production, visual effects, animation and augmented reality, the project creates an immersive experience that takes each viewer through time: beginning with the great Ancient Empires, through colonisation and liberation to the present – a time plagued by poverty, corruption and turmoil – and into the future, a blank canvas. The project is divided into two parts, the main part being an Augmented Reality (AR) Art Exhibition. Umuntu will work with local artists, models, designers and animators to create a series of prints for the three eras: ‘Our Past, Our Present and Our Future’. A mobile augmented reality app, ‘PERSPECTIVE’, will also be developed especially for the exhibition. Using computer vision and image recognition, the app will trigger an immersive AR experience for each print the user views through his or her Smartphone or tablet. The second part of the project will be a documentary that focuses on how best to change negative narratives and create a shift in the Zimbabwean mindset. PERSPECTIVE intends to present discussions with ordinary Zimbabweans, especially the youth, on their opinions on the project theme and the future of the country in particular. The project will use the opinions gathered on the possibilities of the future to guide the AR visualisations and create a digital image of the future that the youth of Zimbabwe want to see.

Umuntu is a Zimbabwean digital production company focusing on video production and augmented/virtual reality experiences. Umuntu works with a number of local and regional brands, developing video content and strategy. Umuntu Sessions is a popular video series in which the company works with local artists to develop fresh content; one of its in-house projects that draws particular attention to social issues. AR and VR development is one of Umuntu’s particular interests, and the group explores different possibilities of using this technology to create unique content experiences.