Welcome to the Urgent Futures podcast, the show that finds signal in the noise. Each week, I sit down with leading thinkers whose research, concepts, and questions clarify the chaos, from culture to the cosmos.
The best way to support the show, you ask? Pop over to YouTube and hit that Subscribe button. You hear it all the time for a reason—nothing will help the channel grow more than that simple click.
🎧 For audio-only, subscribe to Apple Podcasts & Spotify so you never miss an episode!
My guest today is Idris Brewster.
Idris Brewster is a Brooklyn-born artist and creative technologist who disrupts traditional narratives through spatial experiences. Idris’s work explores the liminal space between the historical archive, public space, and technology. Idris is the Executive Director of Kinfolk Foundation, an augmented reality archive that puts the power of monument making and historical preservation into the hands of Black and Brown communities. Idris has received several awards and recognitions for his work, including Forbes 30 under 30, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, New Museum, Eyebeam, and the Museum of Modern Art.
The Apple Vision Pro has everyone talking about spatial computing again, but as I’ve said in the past and continue to believe after a decade in the industry: XR adoption is a question of culture. Cultural norms will ultimately determine if and how spatial computing becomes a reality.
I’m not even saying we should necessarily be advocating for spatial computing to be adopted at mass scale—my opinions on that continue to evolve. But what I know for certain is that the only way I believe we’ll see positive outcomes is by using the tools for different ends than data harvesting and advertising; using the tools in unexpected ways, in ways that are unique to them.
To that end, Idris is doing urgent work through Kinfolk. One of AR’s unique affordances is its ability to activate specific real-world sites. In Kinfolk’s case, those activations are about revealing erased histories, deepening context to space. And those new understandings don’t leave you when you put the phone down. This is something that came up in an earlier episode of Urgent Futures with Asad J. Malik, and it’s something I’ve learned firsthand through working with Nancy Baker Cahill on AR public art projects like Battlegrounds (2019).
One of my goals for this show is to square my background as somebody covering and working in technology with my sense that we are in a critical time for developing new systems that will sustain life on earth. Modes of information, communication, and creative expression are part of that picture, and Idris’s work and thinking demonstrates why.
Reality Studies Recommends:
NOTE: Purchasing through these links supports the work I do with Reality Studies. I will only ever share products that I would endorse regardless of financial incentive.
ZBiotics: Right now, get 10% off ZBiotics. Just head over to zbiotics.com and use code JESSEDAMIANI. The next day after drinking feels way better when you take one of these. Art fairs have no shortage of alcohol—perfect time to test drive ZBiotics.
Genetically engineered by a team of PhD microbiologists, ZBiotics is a probiotic drink that breaks down the byproduct of alcohol responsible for rough mornings after drinking (acetaldehyde).
NordVPN: Right now, get up to 66% off + 3 months extra through this link. Some people tell me that “VPN” brings to mind ideas of hackers and the dark web, but honestly VPNs are just an extremely easy way to stay much safer online. I’ve used NordVPN for the past four years, and appreciate what they offer, including Threat Protection against malware, 24/7 customer support, fast speeds, and more. One account can protect up to 6 devices (phone and computer), and they don’t track or share what you do online. Another benefit: you can always access the content/apps you have at home, wherever in the world you are.
Mission Farms CBD: Mission Farms CBD crafts full-spectrum CBD products for specific conditions like sleep, stress, and discomfort, using a combination of CBD and terpenes found in essential oils. I swear by this stuff: I take one of their Marionberry Lemon gummies to end each day.
There’s a lot of junk CBD on the market. All of Mission Farms’s CBD comes from a small farm in Bend, Oregon. They farm the hemp organically, tend every plant by hand, and test for purity four times: the soil, the hemp, the hemp-extract, and the final products. This CBD is designed for wellness and it shows. Go to this link and use code HAPPYHEMP20 for 20% off.
CREDITS: This podcast is edited and produced by Adam Labrie and me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also directed, shot, and edited the video version of the podcast, which is available on YouTube. The podcast is presented by Reality Studies. If you appreciate the work I’m doing, please subscribe and share it with someone you think would enjoy it.
Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Past conversations include Taylor Lorenz, Asad J. Malik, Lia Halloran & Kip Thorne, Cherie Hu, Eric Czuleger, and more.
Idris Brewster: Why AR Matters