In Central Park in New York City, there are 29 statues. Chicago parks are home to 48 statues. There are 11 in Parliament Square in London. Of those 88 total statues, the number that commemorate real women is zero.
As activists work to improves that statistic, a new initiative is making sure the role women have played in history is honored in the meantime — at least virtually. Launched by marketing firm Y&R New York and developed with Current Studios, The Whole Story app uses augmented reality technology similar to Pokemon Go to place statues of notable women in parks around the world. When users stand where a statue has been “built” the memorial appears in the user’s camera along with biographical information about the icon.
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Y&R New York
“It is no surprise that everywhere you turn, in almost every city, most of the statues in public spaces are men, and the few women are usually drawn from fiction,” Leslie Sims, chief creative officer at Y&R North America, said in a statement. “Many groups, including the UN and Girls Scouts, are working hard to redress this gender imbalance but, realistically it’s going to take millions of dollars and many years before we see even a handful of women taking their place in the public landscape.”
With the help of Tina Brown and a local Girl Scout troop, the app was launched last April when Brown placed a statue of Maria Tallchief, the first Native American prima ballerina in America, in Dante Park in Manhattan.
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Source: A Plus