Collective Voices is a social practice art project where members of the public were invited to contribute a brief message about something they are grateful for that helped them get through the shelter in place stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Submissions could include a drawing, written statement, or a voice recording. The submissions were used to create digital mosaics that trigger an augmented reality experience with audio.
Viewers could get the full experience by downloading Walker’s app “Collective Voices” from the Google Play or the Apple App Store and visiting any of the art installation locations. When viewers looked at the art installation through the app, they’d hear the community members’ audio submissions and see their messages of gratitude appearing to float out from the art installation into the universe.
The impetus for the project began when through a juried process, Caroline Walker was selected by the Dougherty Arts Center of Austin's Museums & Cultural Programs to participate in a new program, ArtsResponders: Social Practice Responds to COVID-19, and commissioned to train in social practice and engage the community in an artistic response to cope with and overcome COVID-19.