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Exploring the Los Angeles Art Scene With Google Lens and Wescover

09.27.19 | By
Exploring the Los Angeles Art Scene With Google Lens and Wescover

Whether traveling across parts of Asia, Europe, or the Middle East, over the years I’ve relied upon Google Lens to help me translate a myriad of signage, menus, and price tags. Now I’ll have the option to explore my own hometown’s landscape of art and design, using Google Lens and augmented by the vast catalog of art discovery platform, Wescover to learn more about art and artists across Los Angeles.

Currently hosting a digital art archive of more than 50,000 images of unique products across the globe, Wescover’s inaugural launch with Google Lens began with a map in San Francisco, plotting numerous info-augmenting pieces of art within institutions like MOMA’s In Situ restaurant and more casual spots across the city, like the interior of Craftsman and Wolves coffee shop.

The digital art discovery platform has recently expanded to a much larger city – the City of Angels – helping Los Angeles Google Lens residents and visitors alike discover the stories behind favorite pieces of physical art and design objects. Using Google Lens unlocks an extra layer of information about both art and artist that otherwise might go unknown and unappreciated.

Public art enhanced by Wescover and Google Lens in Los Angeles now includes Leta Sobierajski’s mural at The Row, Jessalyn Brooks painting in Bar Caló, Gratitude mural by Ruben Rojas, and artwork in LA’s Ace Hotel.

We are excited to give creators the credit they deserve. With these exact matches, we help consumers bridge the gap between inspiration and sourcing as they can trust the results they’re getting. Our hope is to enrich every physical environment with digital context and stories.

– Rachely Esman, Wescover co-founder and CEO

Android users benefit from Google Lens integration baked into their device, while iPhone/iOS users will need to install the Google Search app onto their device to access the Google Lens feature. Once installed and after clicking the Lens Icon, information is revealed by pointing the camera toward demarcated artwork, launching screens showing additional information about the artist/designer, alongside a selection of additional work from their portfolio (“virtual showroom”), and options to reach out to connect with its creative mind. It’s not quite augmented reality, but an augmented experience nonetheless.

Currently over 7,000 local brands and independent artists are represented in Wescover’s vetted catalog of art and design, all accessible via Google Glass. Hopefully in short time more art and design destinations are represented similarly, empowering the exploration of art outside the walls of museums wherever our feet take us.

For more information and a map of the Experience LA Art —Outside Museums with Wescover & Google Lens, check out their site here.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.