The What
Back Then Dot Com is an augmented reality (AR) installation that transforms analog photographs into portals of digital nostalgia. Visitors are invited to explore three interactive WebAR experiences triggered by scanning the QR code on each Polaroid photo placed on a table. Each AR scene reimagines a piece of early-2000s media culture, from iconic tech to childhood rituals, rendered through a contemporary XR lens.
The Why
This project taps into a shared memory space for anyone who grew up in the pre-smartphone era. We were all raised on a steady diet of dial-up tones, grainy cartoons, and blinking chat windows, moments that shaped our earliest digital memories. This piece is a love letter to those moments: a tactile, immersive archive for fellow 90s kids to reminisce, reconnect, and maybe even giggle at how far we’ve come.
Through playful interaction and visual storytelling, Back Then Dot Com captures the joy, weirdness, and beauty of a pre-smartphone childhood. One channel surf, cassette mixtape, and “you’ve got mail” at a time.
The How
This experience is built using 8th Wall WebAR, allowing instant access through mobile browsers with no app download required. The installation features three physical Polaroids, each embedded with a unique QR code that launches a corresponding AR experience.
Interactions are light, intuitive, and carefully optimized for mobile, using simple gestures like tap to uncover a nostalgic digital layer hiding behind each analog photo. I used Blender to tweak and optimize 3D assets, Photoshop to adjust textures, and After Effects to downgrade the quality of some videos (on purpose!) and add some post-production magic.