ECHO - The virtual Mirror

ECHO comes to Maleny

An interactive digital Experience that helps you connect by stepping into the shoes of another. An AI AR Mixed Reality experience where you get to shapeshift with another and as you do so you feel empathy, imagining your life through their eyes.

The digital experience was created by the artist Georgie Pinn and uses interactive facial tracking technology and personal storytelling to explore empathy and the desire to break down prejudice and stereotypes. The experience was developed years before COVID hit the world and now seems even more useful as a tool for people to tell their stories and to be heard. The physical restrictions of the virus has has left a lot of us in a place of isolation and depression. ECHO offers us a safe space to have an intimate one on one connection with someone we might not get the chance to meet in real life. The artwork highlights our similarities rather than our differences and encourages us to step outside of our closed circle and predictable data sets.

For the last 3 years Echo has travelled the world and collected stories and perspectives from many different cultures and ages. The next location where it will be exhibited is the brand new super-tech Science Gallery at Melbourne University. The title of the group exhibition is called ‘MENTAL’ and focuses on different perspectives of mental health, specifically giving a voice to the youth of today.

experience ECHO at Maleny Flexi School on Monday the 1st of March and meet the artist Georgie Pinn. You can experience some of the stories and shapeshift with the digital community of ECHO. Everyone has a story to tell and if you would like to become part of the artwork and donate your perspective, Georgie will return the following day to privately record new stories and feelings from you, the local youth community. Be part of something bigger, let someone see through your eyes and share your perspective.