In February 2025, New York marked the 20th anniversary of The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude—an iconic installation that transformed Central Park and sparked a global dialogue about public art. Dirt Empire is proud to have led creative on two new augmented reality projects presented as part of the retrospective Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealised Projects for New York City at The Shed.
The Gates AR Experience, co-created with immersive studio SUPERBRIGHT, brings the installation back to life in Central Park. Visitors can view a virtual re-creation of The Gates along select walkways starting at E 72nd and 5th Ave, free via the Bloomberg Connects app.
The Gates Interactive Map at The Shed invites audiences to explore the full scope of the 2005 work. Developed with Pixels Pixels, the experience includes an 18-foot tabletop map and custom iPad software that offers a bird’s-eye AR view of the installation, unlocking archival sketches, photographs, and 360° panoramas by photographer Sam Rohn.
Role: Lead Producer for Dirt Empire
Created by Dirt Empire
Creative Director: Nicholas Rubin
Lead Producer: Clementine Seely
Multimedia Designer: Caren Ye
Story Editor: Alistair Griffin
Senior Designer: Maxx Berkowitz
Senior 3D Artist: Zach Shukan
3D Artist: Illia Kulishko
3D Artist: Gregory Guy
3D Artist: Oliver Carr
3D Artist: Ker Chen
Art Director: Erin Bazos
Central Park AR
Built by Superbright
Technical Director: Igal Nassima
Senior Producer: Erica Newman
Senior UX Designer: Krystian Zun
Senior Unity Engineer: Mark Burkitt
Unity Engineer: Adrian May
Senior Graphics Programmer: Ivan Safrin
Technical Delivery Manager: Ivan Vynchenko
CG Production Artist: Paul Jackson
The Shed Exhibit
Curator: Pascal Roulin
Art Director: Erin Bazos
3D Artist: Oliver Carr
Interactive Map
Built by Pixels Pixels
Technical Director: Ivaylo Getov
Senior Engineer: Brandan Roots
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
Director of Operations: Vladimir Yavachev
Collection and Exhibitions Manager: Lorenza Giovanelli
Treasurer and Secretary: Jonathan Henery
President: Karin J. Barkhorn
Powered by Bloomberg Connects
Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies
Thanks to
Central Park Conservancy
NYC Parks
The Shed
Event Manager: EDC/Adam Kaufman
Photographer: AR Campaign Image Joe Pugliese