Local artist Marcus Brown brings Ghosts & Spirits walking tour to life with new augmented reality experiences
Gray Line New Orleans haunted history walking tour hailed as a “must-see” this Halloween season
NEW ORLEANS - Through a partnership with local artist Marcus Brown, Gray Line New Orleans will debut three interactive augmented reality experiences as part of their Ghost & Spirits Walking Tour starting Oct. 1, just in time for the Halloween season.
Brown, a local artist whose expansive work includes national and international exhibits and performances, combines a new form of creative storytelling using augmented reality sculptures with interactive multimedia elements. The three-dimensional experiences explore the Great Fire of New Orleans, Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and the Yellow Fever of 1853 … with zombies, of course.
"I hope to give a glimpse of the nightmares and treasures of New Orleans. Our past, present and future have the authentic stuff dreams are made of. Something no other city has,” said Brown. “I started working with Gray Line to further explore what's possible in the world of augmented reality in the French Quarter."
Though the Great Fires of New Orleans were caused unintentionally, the results were catastrophic with most structures of the 300-year-old European neighborhood being burnt to the ground. Brown’s interactive augmented reality experience, “The Fires of 1788 and 1794,” places the viewer in a flashback of what a New Orleans citizen would have seen during these great fires that ravaged the city.
Marie Laveau was born a free woman of color in New Orleans and became a legendary and enigmatic figure in American history during the 18th mid-19th centuries. Laveau was a prominent and influential practitioner of Voodoo and known for her spiritual abilities, herbal remedies and a deep understanding of the mystical traditions brought to the region by African slaves and Catholicism. Brown created an interactive augmented reality sculpture of Laveau based on images of New Orleans natives of color with African, European and Native American ancestry.
During the yellow fever Epidemics of the mid to late 19th century, New Orleans faced problems with where to bring their dead. As a result, stacks of human remains were created around city blocks, some of which contained the undead who were ill with yellow fever. In the third augmented reality experience, “Zombie Origins,” Brown imagines the almost dead being buried or stacked with the dead during the epidemic.
“When we learned about Marcus’ most recent AR project on view in New York City, The Slave Market: Wall Street, we immediately knew we wanted to bring his creative talents to our Ghosts & Spirits walking tour,” said Gray Line New Orleans Director of Marketing, Deidra Edwards. “The addition of these three new experiences right at the start of spooky season makes this a must-see for locals and tourists in October.”
In addition to Brown’s augmented reality experiences, the Ghost & Spirits Walking Tour is filled with fascinating and eerie tales about hurricanes, floods, wars, slavery and conflict. Visitors will learn about the real history of colorful characters who lived, died and have chosen to remain in the French Quarter. Follow their shadows down cobbled alleys, through streets aglow with gas lamps and feel the mythical presence that makes New Orleans the most haunted city in America.
The two-hour tour includes stops at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Lalaurie Mansion, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral and along the banks of the Mississippi River. The augmented reality experiences are compatible with iPhone or iPad and alternative viewing options are available for Android users.
The Ghost & Spirits Walking Tour starts daily at 7 p.m. and departs from the heart of the French Quarter at the Gray Line Lighthouse at the Steamboat NATCHEZ, located at 400 Toulouse St. Tickets can be purchased online at graylineneworleans.com.
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About Gray Line Tours
Gray Line Tours was established in 1910 by a young restaurateur named Louis Bush. Bush refurbished an old Mack Truck chassis, painted it blue and gray, and began offering sightseeing tours around the city of Washington D.C. It is now one of the largest, oldest and most respected sightseeing organizations in the world. Brought to New Orleans in 1924, Gray Line New Orleans is locally owned and operated by the New Orleans Steamboat Company. Founded by Wilbur and Bill Dow, New Orleans Steamboat Company is well recognized and regarded for its contribution to the New Orleans cultural landscape and tourism industry. Since 1975, the Steamboat NATCHEZ has sailed daily offering Mississippi River cruises featuring live jazz, wonderful New Orleans Cuisine and the best view in town! Take a tour or cruise and experience part of our Southern Heritage. For more information, please call 504-586-8777 or visit www.graylineneworleans.com.
About Marcus Brown
A native of New Orleans, Marcus Brown is a sculptor, painter, inventor, musician, and educator. Brown holds a M.Ed. from Portland State University and BFA from Kansas City Institute of Art (KCAI) in Missouri. His work is expansive and includes national and international exhibits and performances in New York City, Berlin, Germany, and Krakow, Poland, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, McKenna Art Gallery, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, to name a few. Brown currently has public sculptures in Biloxi, Mississippi (Human Universal Musical Sound [HUMS]) and The New Leaf on St. Bernard Ave., St. Peter Claver and Henriette Delille at St. Peter Claver School in New Orleans. He also has sound sculptures at JAMNOLA and recently developed a public piece for interactive display at the 2022 New Orleans French Quarter Festival.