“Cities aren’t just made of buildings,” Architect and urban planner Paulo Alcazaren explained to us while we walked trough the “Plazas of Manila” exhibit he curated for the joint project by Samsung and the Philippine Science Foundation, Inc.
Alcazaren laments how we’re losing the once central part of our cities. The big open spaces that help give inhabitants a sense of belongingness to their communities.
It’s no secret that these landmarks have mostly fallen into a state of disrepair. They’ve either been neglected or housed by informal settlers, making city residents avoid these areas due to safety concerns.
That’s why Samsung and Philippine Science High School Foundation want to celebrate these almost forgotten landmarks through the ongoing “Plazas of Manila” exhibit held at the Yuchengco Museum.
The exhibit highlights the historical and cultural significance of these spaces. And they show these off by using augmented reality and Samsung’s latest digital tablet and smart TV technology.
The exhibit will be running until September 18. Samsung hopes to bring the “Plazas of Manila” exhibit around the country as well as cover other important landmarks in the future.
If you’d like to see more and get to know the city of Manila, Samsung also launched the Culture Explore app alongside the exhibit’s opening. The app makes use of AR technology, too, and acts as your virtual tour guide as you navigate through the streets of Manila. Integrated with a social component, you can even connect with other “Culture Explorers” through the app.
The Culture Explorer app is limited to Manila at the moment but Samsung hopes to expand this as well. It works on all Android smartphones and tablets and it’s available for download through the Google Play Store and Galaxy Apps Store. Samsung isn’t closing its doors on bringing this to iOS as well as they want the initiative to be as inclusive as possible.
