Portrait of America to Use Google Glass
Portrait of America, the seminal work of David Datuna’s “Viewpoint of Billions” series, is a 12-foot multi-media flag to utilize Google Glass.
Portrait of America chronicles the journey of a diverse nation through a new visual language.
Presidents’ Day Weekend visitors of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery are invited to try on Glass and experience the artist’s interactive, multi-discipline work of art, with an opportunity to become a permanent part of the digital narrative unveiled within it.
The monumental flag, the first of 10 works in the “Viewpoint of Billions” series, is covered in Datuna’s signature style with hundreds of eyeglass lenses.
Creating an experiential dialogue through a sculptural veil of optics, the artist uses different magnifications to draw the viewer to the thematic collage inside his work.
Artist David Datuna with Portrait of America and Google Glass at his Brooklyn, NY studio.
The prismatic effects invite inspection, while offering a vehicle for observation, and expanding the definition of modern portraiture.
Poignant moments revealed within the flag recall generations of innovators who often dared to be different— figures like Nicholas Tesla, Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson, Lucille Ball and others.
“I am intrigued to discover how people will interact with David Datuna’s Portrait of America,” said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery. “This work paired with an innovative device such as Google Glass, are exploring how art and technology can create a conversation with a visitor about the influential people who made, and are making America.”
Patrick Moore, Deputy Director of The Andy Warhol Museum, and Michele Fabrizi, chair of The Warhol’s Board of Directors, interacting with David Datuna’s Portrait of America.
During the three-day (Feb. 15–17, 2014) installation, the public is invited to visit the National Portrait Gallery to view the artwork with or without Google Glass, and enjoy the immersive experience it offers.
David Datuna is a Georgian-born American artist (b. 1974, Tbilisi) now living in New York.
