XA x XAMA: Augmented Salon
JULY 2019 | London
Augmented Salon was an installation and workshop by XA proposing an alternative communication space inspired by the typical beauty salon. XA hosted a live nail salon and augmented reality workshop engaging the public in discussions about the internet and social media. The installation and workshop was based on XA member Teresa Ribeiro Boulting’s project XAMA, which explored Brazilian beauty salons, a traditionally female hub of social interaction and information dissemination, as a parallel and autonomous alternative to the hegemony of existing social media platforms.
The workshop drew on the idea of the ‘Salon’ as a space for political discussions hosted by women, while using digital tools to add layers of information and spark public conversation. We invited members of the public to have their nails done while opening up discussions about the role of digital networks, and experimented with accessible digital tools to expand information dissemination and community-based interaction.
Augmented Salon took place within Michael Gozo’s Shop Work Shop, a research project supported by Theatrum Mundi (LSE Cities), in which he explored the shop as a space of economic and artistic experimentation.
