Stitched in Time: Unraveling Motifs in Bernini's Chigi Palace in Augmented Reality

Blending traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation to explore the intersection of materiality, labor, and augmented reality (AR), this work is inspired by floral motifs found within Bernini's Chigi Palace in Ariccia, Italy. The 16"x18.5" piece was painstakingly designed and crafted over hundreds of hours. The piece was then transformed through augmented reality (AR), where it was broken into layers, each representing hours of labor then virtually exploded, allowing viewers to experience the artwork in a new, fragmented temporal and spatial dimension. Several theoretical foundations were combined to provide a framework to analyze the project's combination of handcraft, labor, and digital mediation. Manovich's (2001) work on new media and AR provides insights into how this cross-stitched piece, initially rooted in a tactile and material form, is translated into digital layers. The theory of digital aesthetics emphasizes how AR reshapes viewer interaction with objects, as it transcends its physical confines and is rendered into a dynamic, interactive experience. The layered explosion of the piece through AR underscores the tension between analog craft and digital manipulation, positioning the work within contemporary discussions of the post-digital, while pushing the viewer to reflect on the time this type of physical creative work requires. Lippard's (1995) perspective on feminist art practices and invisible labor further contextualizes the project within the history of gendered craftsmanship. Cross-stitch, often associated with women's domestic labor, can be framed within the context of invisible labor and the significance of time-intensive artistic processes; the component of time is central to this work, as each stitch represents both the physical exertion and the often-overlooked labor embedded in textile art. By deconstructing the piece in AR, the viewer is invited to recognize and engage with the invisible layers of time and effort that underpin the work. Process was key in the development of this work. After studying the intricate floral motifs of the Chigi Palace, each aspect was carefully considered to honor the original artistry. The stitching process, spanning over 200 hours, was a labor of dedication and precision. Once completed, the piece was digitally deconstructed into 20 layers, with each layer representing 10 hours of effort. Through an AR app, exhibition viewers can engage with the work in both its physical form and as a dynamic digital experience, exploring the layers that reveal the story of its creation in detail and perspective. The fusion of craft and technology intertwined in this work challenges traditional notions of art and materiality (Cramer, 2015). Utilizing motifs from the 17th century and techniques from 7th and 21st centuries, this exists in a liminal space between the tangible and the digital, offering commentary on the ways in which traditional art forms are continuously reimagined in the post-digital age.