Casting Rainbows

My project, Casting Rainbows, is an interactive rainbow filter that allows viewers to touch, hold and place a rainbow into their environment using augmented reality. The project is intended to be a fun and engaging tool that could be used by all ages to play with a virtual rainbow through a smartphone camera. I once read that no two people can see the exact same rainbow and I have been investigating these mesmerizing and fleeting phenomena ever since, using color spectrums as a tool to explore new perspectives.

The conceptual basis of this project began In 2017, in a body of work called The Rainbow Perspective where I added impossible (or improbable) rainbows to vintage photographs. In that series, rainbows connected people, radiated from their bodies, skipped off of mountains, and emerged in the night sky among other miraculous feats. Casting Rainbows represents the next iteration of my exploration of making art with rainbows in relationship with nature, this time, with a leap into augmented reality.

Images from the series The Rainbow Perspective (2017)

Casting Rainbows is the next iteration of my exploration of making art with rainbows and a leap into augmented reality. To create the rainbows that are realistic in nature, I will need to learn Blender. It is a free program that would allow me to render with transparency and diffusion that would offer an engaging rainbow filter. By also learning Spark AR, I would be able to create a rainbow that could be manipulated, scaled and placed into an environment. The rainbow could be accessed by using the camera readily available on a smart phone or tablet, or through an app interface such as Instagram.

Pre-production mockup of one augmented reality rainbow as placed in various settings:

My work is designed with the intention of providing spaces for the eyes and mind to slow down and reset - visual antidotes to offset the negativity present in our current climate. I believe this project would have a broad appeal and would provide an opportunity to engage whole families – young to old, in art centering around inclusion and playful, creative fun. Casting Rainbows create an opportunity for people to imagine more magic in our world. Since the optical effect of a rainbow never allows you to reach the end, it becomes a fun thought exercise to imagine what could be found at the bottom of these rays of light, or what kinds of vibrant spaces could be created if the community could bend and shape rainbows through the use of AR in their environments.

Past Public Art Projects / Murals

Since painting her first large scale mural in Buffalo, NY in 2019, Cassandra has discovered a passion for creating uplifting public art. Producing large scale works in the community adds vibrant spaces to uplift and engage people of all ages and backgrounds. Each project offers unique opportunities, production challenges, and a chance to stretch and grow as an artist.

Additional Work Samples / Rainbow Exploration