'Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds: Indigenous Stories are All Around You'

Starting Thursday, Jan. 26, indigenous experiences stream to the palm of your hand with “Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds: Indigenous Stories are All Around You,” an exhibition at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute (QI) in Atkinson Hall.

“OurWorlds” is an educational extended-reality platform and mobile application designed to integrate Native American heritage and knowledge with everyday environments. As users navigate their landscapes, the app uses geolocation, 360º video capture and artificial intelligence to superimpose written and spoken Native language, artifacts and site-specific historical imagery over the modern world.

At Gallery QI, “Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds” will share woven basket art and maritime craftsmanship from the Kumeyaay peoples, whose historical territory encompasses San Diego County. Using a series of narrative moving-image scenes, including the making and use of traditional tule boats, or ha kwaiyo, the exhibition creators — Lattin, Eng, Stanley Rodriguez of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and Ana Gloria Rodriguez of the San Jose de la Zorra Kumeyaay — create space and a future for local Indigenous voices at UC San Diego.

“Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds” will be on display in Gallery QI, Monday to Friday, from Noon to 5 p.m. through Friday, March 17, 2023.

Gallery QI will host a closing night ceremony and panel discussion with local tribal leaders and exhibit creators on Thursday, March 16 at 5 p.m. All Gallery QI events are free and open to the public.

Gallery QI on Facebook / Instagram

Directions and parking:
The Qualcomm Institute is located in Atkinson Hall on the UC San Diego campus at the corner of Voigt Drive and Equality Lane. Visitor parking is available in UC San Diego’s Hopkins Parking Structure (for more on visitor parking, see UC San Diego Transportation Services). [Map]