Michael Kuetemeyer and Anula Shetty combine new media storytelling and immersive documentary forms with socially engaged art-making practices to explore themes of place, cultural identity, memory, and hidden histories. The collaborative team is interested in expanding access and use of emerging technologies such as mobile apps, augmented reality, and virtual reality while, as they explain, “creating socially impactful work with communities.” Their interactive documentary and mobile app Time Lens (2013) incorporates panoramic images, videos, and the voices of members of the homeless community. They are currently at work on two projects: Places of Power, an immersive web and virtual reality project that invites viewers to experience a shifting North Philadelphia neighborhood, created in collaboration with community residents; and Cosmic Egg, a transmedia documentary set in Mumbai, India addressing the emotional and physical impact of reproductive technologies. As co-directors of the video collective Termite TV, Kuetemeyer and Shetty have created video installations and facilitated digital media workshops for communities in Philadelphia and beyond. Their work has been screened globally, including at the International Film Forum, Tokyo; Athens International Film Festival; MoMA; and the National Museum of Women in the Arts; among others. Both received their MFAs from Temple University, where they currently hold teaching positions.
