Media alert: Local artists invite Atlantans to envision more ways to travel at free, public workshops

On Sunday, August 18, and Saturday, August 31, Atlanta artists Emma Chammah and Eddie Farr will host interactive workshops exploring the need for an improved public transportation network in Atlanta. During the free workshops, all are invited to engage with the artists’ project, Traffic Cams, which creates a real-time augmented reality experience to show what Atlanta could look like with expanded transportation options. The project is supported by Smart Growth America’s Healing Our Highways grant program.

Traffic Cams uses OpenCV, Georgia DOT traffic camera footage, and custom software written by artist Eddie Farr to visualize the amount of space wasted by the status quo approach to transportation, which emphasizes driving at the expense of other modes of travel.

What: Traffic Cams public workshop, a project aiming to envision a healthier and safer transportation environment in Atlanta.*
Who: Led by Atlanta artists Emma Chammah and Eddie Farr;
When and where: Sunday, August 18 at Atlanta Streets Alive (btwn 12th and 13th Street); and Saturday, August 31 at the Hapeville Depot Museum

*These workshops are free and open to the public.

“Dude,” said artist Eddie Farr, “what if we took street cams and made them show us the future we want?”

“We are inspired by this opportunity to use our minds and skills as artists to bring people together to talk about the future,” said artist Emma Chammah. “In both my practice and Eddie’s, you will see work that talks about issues we need to address as a society, or imaginations of a future where we are more inclusive and caring.”

“Smart Growth America is proud to support Traffic Cams, yet another strong example of how artists and cultural workers can inspire communities to rethink our greatest challenges,” said Marian Liou, Director of Arts & Culture at Smart Growth America and local Atlantan. “Emma and Eddie’s project reframes our assumptions about our harmful transportation system and sparks collective change toward a better one.”

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