Janis FontaineStreet scenes come alive with smartphone technology.
There are sea turtles swimming in Centennial Fountain on Clematis Street and gigantic petals cascading down from the fuchsia orchids on the Anya Apartments on Banyan.
It’s DowntownWPB Unlocked, augmented reality features developed by the Downtown Development Authority to animate the cityscape. Through its partnership with Hoverlay, an AR company based in Acton, Mass, the city turned more than 30 sites in a roughly 1-mile radius into interactive destinations.
DDA Executive Director Teneka James-Feaman unveiled the interactive project Monday at Centennial Fountain.
It’s simple: Download Hoverlay’s free app on a mobile device and choose Downtown West Palm Beach. Now, your phone can access turtles swimming in the sky, artists speaking about their work and historians discussing landmarks.
“Downtown has always been full of stories,” James-Feaman said. “Through our partnership with Hoverlay, we’re making those stories visible, interactive and accessible to everyone.”
On this augmented reality walking tour, everyday places are transformed. “With just your smartphone, you can uncover hidden layers of downtown, exploring its history, culture, art and architecture in a whole new way,” James-Feaman said.
The DDA has been working with Hoverlay for about two years, and over the last year, digital artist/animator/videographer Hunter Wenglikowski of Atlanta brought the project to life.
His favorite?
“I’m a big fan of the petals,” he said. This installation uses “Orchid City,” Ben Leone’s fuchsia orchid sculpture on the side of the Anya Apartments at 345 Banyan Blvd., as its anchor. Now, point your phone and poof! “Hundreds of petals are all flying around you, and they form a big heart in the middle that you can then pose in with your friends to take a photo,” he said.
For Wenglikowski, partnering with the local artists and business owners to make the content using greenscreen technology was the most rewarding part.
Wenglikowski hopes spontaneous conversations happen when guests see his work; that when Eris in the mural “Eris and the Golden Apple” on Fern Street bursts off the wall to take a bite from her fruit, their reaction draws in more people.
From utility boxes to art boxes
Tiffany Faublas of the DDA explained that the process started with utility box artists.
The art box project, introduced in 2020, invited local artists to turn those nondescript gray utility boxes — the brains of traffic and streetlights — into something pleasing using the theme of Nature in the City. Now, a dozen metal cubes are public art and have become sites on the DowntownWPB Unlocked tour.
Lynn Doyal’s piece at Datura Street and Flagler Drive is “Deep Calls to Deep 2,” a blue and green coral filigree that nearly disappears into the landscape; its colors blend with the aqua of the nearby Intracoastal Waterway dotted with yachts and the verdant palms that shade the drive. Now, with help from Hoverlay, point your phone at the box, tap the screen, and Doyal appears to speak to you about her work.
The vignettes were recorded in front of a green screen at a local studio and the audio and graphics are almost seamless. “You feel like that person is really next to you,” Faublas said. The DDA supported the artists and businesses, but they had creative control.
The DDA paid $20,000 to create the interactive features and will pay $4,000 each year to maintain them.
“There’s also a real economic impact to this program,” James-Feaman said. “Each stop along the tour creates an opportunity to visit local businesses, experience public art, and engage with many of our cultural institutions. By increasing foot traffic and encouraging exploration, we’re supporting our small businesses and strengthening our local economy.”
In other words, happy, engaged tourists could spend more money, and the joie de vivre of the multicolored skeleton dancing on the bar at Rocco’s Tacos could sell a few more margaritas.
After the utility boxes, Faublas said, the DDA focused on popular murals: “We went toward the artwork that’s well-known in our downtown area.”
Downtown favorites in a new light
Featured animations include “Einstein’s Theory of Love” at 509 Clematis St. by Eduardo Kobra and “I Lost My Shoe When I Saw You” on the eastern wall of the Clematis Parking Garage by Lonac.
Artist Sam Weinberger’s giant mural “Big Optimism,” at 335 Clematis St., portrays an urban warrior and her canine companion. The familiar piece comes to life as the dog turns his head to play with a bird that takes flight.
The tour will be available as long as you have the app, and more locations will be added to keep content fresh, Faublas said.
West Palm is among the first Florida cities to bring augmented reality to the streets. Erica Constantine of Discover the Palm Beaches said the project will connect visitors to the city.
“Today’s travelers really are looking for more than just a place to stay; they’re looking for a connection that’s meaningful to the destination. This addition to the collection of experiences we offer to our visitors really helps set the Palm Beaches apart.”
How to explore DowntownWPB Unlocked
1. Visit DowntownWPB.com/Unlocked and download the free Hoverlay app (available on iOS and Android).
2. Search for channel “DowntownWPB” to access the digital map of locations.
3. Allow “Camera” and “Location Services” access on the smartphone and visit participating DowntownWPB Unlocked locations using the in-app map.
4. Click on the Hoverlay icon or hold up your phone at each stop and follow the brief instructions to activate the augmented reality.
