An interactive fight against gender-based violence
Priya's Shakti is a transmedia comic book that utilizes augmented reality to discuss violence against women and gender parity within the context of modern day India. Created and directed by Ram Devineni, the comic book was celebrated with an art exhibition in New York last week at City Lore. Viewers were invited to interact with the artwork through their smartphones with Blippar, a free visual discovery app which turns imagery into a 3D interactive experience.
Priya’s story is one of a gang-rape survivor turned superhero. She challenges sexual violence and patriarchy with her partner, a Hindu goddess. The walk-in comic book exhibition is manifested through animations which pop out of the wall art when scanned with smartphones. Priya’s story comes to life as viewers are able to connect directly with the characters and their adventures.

The exhibition also encourages viewers to become more aware about gender-based sexual violence through the augmented reality apps presentation of stories of other women sharing their experience with violence. “With Priya's Shakti came the chance to put a symbolic face to this issue and enlighten all genders about sexual violence,” says Dan Goldman, the artists behind the Priya's Shakti comic books. “And there's no format better suited to this than the instantly accessible medium".

To promote the project, murals were commissioned around the city of Mumbai. These murals can also be scanned by smartphones which allows viewers to experience the story within a virtual space and “stand with Pryia”.

These days activism can come in much subtler forms. Our recent Observation Can Clicktivism Ever Replace Activism looks at how politics and charities are turning to social media over demonstrations in order to reach the widest audience.

Priya’s Shakti’s co-creator, Ram Devineni, will be speaking May 30th at TEDx in London.