Parade Town Exhibition 2021
ArtCenter DTLA

GO CRUISING is an augmented reality “parade float” that is triggered by cars cruising through Downtown LA. It celebrates queer culture, history, and sexuality, and is symbolic of gay history in Los Angeles. The project was developed by collecting data-sets and behaviors that celebrate urban co-located events, triggering augmented reality parade "floats" to celebrate their presence in DTLA.

Parade float and title image. 

Research on the history of gay resistance and parades.
 


From 1920 to the 1960s, Pershing Square, in DTLA, was at the center of what was known as “The Run,” a series of bars, parks, public restrooms, hotels, and bathhouses in close proximity to one another, and were well-known places for LGBTQ+ individuals to meet and socialize. In addition to cruising for sex, the park provided a space for activists to discuss social issues during a time when homosexuality and transexuality were illegal. In 1951 the park went through a variety of design changes in order to accommodate a parking garage, and as a result, the lush landscape was removed.This removal functioned as a form of crime deterrent, as the queer sexual contact prevalent in this space was illegal at the time.