Augmented Reality (AR) Art Transforms Santa Clarita’s Walk of Western Stars
The City of Santa Clarita is proud to announce the debut of the Western Star Dust, a new, interactive art installation that transforms the iconic Walk of Western Stars in Old Town Newhall. Created by acclaimed media artist Victoria Vesna, this Augmented Reality (AR) experience merges Western cultural heritage with cutting-edge technology—bringing the past vividly into the present.
Building on the success of the internationally recognized Alien Star Dust installation and AR project, Vesna introduces Western Star Dust, a participatory artwork within the City’s Arts Masterplan that invites visitors to step into the golden glow of Western cinema history. Using the Western Star Dust app, participants can explore interactive 3D saddles by scanning the stars along the sidewalk or transform into “Western Stars” themselves, surrounded by shimmering golden stardust.
This celestial dust not only honors Hollywood’s silver screen legends but also connects to Santa Clarita’s history of gold mining and its legacy as a hub for Western film production. Through front-camera effects, visitors can transform into a Western Star surrounded by golden stardust and upload selfies to the project website, joining a collective portrait gallery. Back-camera features allow exploration of animated 3D saddles that come to life once scanned.
To learn more and download the app, visit WesternStarDust.com or find it in the Apple Store. Please note, the app is available only on iOS devices.
For more information, visit SantaClaritaArts.com, contact the City’s Arts and Events Office at aeo@santaclarita.gov or call (661) 250-3787.
