Pataverse

Pataverse is a location-based augmented reality platform that allows users to leave AR messages and artworks anchored to real-world coordinates, visible to anyone who visits that location with their phone.

The core concept draws on the psychogeographic tradition, the idea that every place accumulates invisible layers of meaning from the people who have passed through it. Pataverse makes that latent history legible, without destroying the mystery of it.

The platform is built around a channel system that serves the full spectrum from casual public use to institutional cultural programming. General users can leave text messages in public channels, moderated algorithmically on submission.

Verified users and organisations, including galleries, arts venues, and event organisers, have access to dedicated channels where they can place images and rich media, enabling genuinely novel use cases: an outdoor gallery in a public park, a self-guided tour of a neighbourhood, a site-specific exhibition that exists only in a particular place at a particular time.

Built with Django, A-Frame, and AR.js, the backend handles location querying, a tiered permission system, content moderation, and a full notification pipeline. The AR viewer renders objects anchored to GPS coordinates directly in the browser, requiring no app installation.

The project is a personal one, rooted in years of attending open arts events and a longstanding interest in pataphysics, the science of imaginary solutions, which lends the platform its name and its philosophical texture. The vision is a world where physical space carries a richer, stranger layer of human meaning, accessible to anyone who thinks to look.