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- The History of Bubiko Foodtour, AR Superstar (part 1)
The History of Bubiko Foodtour, AR Superstar (part 1)
Before traveling the world and making metaverse history, Bubiko was a one dimensional character.
stephen black
September 23, 2024
Bubiko was created by myself and Sayuri Okayama. We had committed to Augmented Reality, but had no money, no technical skills and no connections in the industry. With Bubiko, we had a story; a tangible way to connect with AR. I made a paper doll version of Bubiko and, using a wire, I would move her around. “In the future, Bubiko will be able to walk on tables and talk and do all kinds of things.” This was in 2015 .
Ipoh, Malaysia. We had no computers with us, and this version of Bubiko was made by a young man whose computer was in the back of an Indian bridal shop, surrounded by colorful dresses and occasionally, brides-to-be.
In Ipoh, our base was the Abby Hotel. I did a durational art piece on the roof, for which I broadcasted live on Facebook for 72 hours straight. This resulted in the article above. Also, in Ipoh, Bubiko made a book of food photography.
Bubiko was conceptualized in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But, previously, we had been using the word “Bubiko” as the name for an antique doll a friend from Thailand had given me. The doll was so old that the clothes she wore eventually disintegrated. This is the very first version of Bubiko:
The city of Penang held a food festival in Kuala Lumpur. This was the first appearance of Bubiko. Bubiko’s head is from a photo taken of the little plastic doll that we named Bubiko.
After Ipoh we based ourselves in Penang, where we spent the Christmas of 2017.
Then we went north, into Thailand. Bubiko was going home.
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