El Segundo's augmented reality public art program has surpassed 3 million views since launching in 2023, the city said in a press release Friday, July 31. The Snapchat-based initiative lets visitors point their phones at nine murals and installations across the city and watch them animate with rockets, butterflies, and rolling waves.

The program is a partnership between the City of El Segundo, the El Segundo Art Walk Foundation, Reality Experience Design (RED), and Snap Inc. The city seeded it with $30,000 from its Cultural Development Fund at launch.

Christian Enriquez, an El Segundo resident and Snap Lens Academy alum who founded RED, built the AR experiences that overlay digital animation and sound onto physical murals. He serves as both artist and lead design engineer on the project.

"We live in a wonderful age where art, technology, and the physical world can merge together," Enriquez said. "With AR, if you can imagine it, you can create it."

The most popular piece, City Hall Plaza's "Butterfly Lands," has drawn 3.1 million views on its own. "The Fox" by artist Bunnie Reiss follows with 1.28 million views, and "Portal to Memory" by Nanibah Chacon at the El Segundo Public Library has logged 1.24 million views.

Residents can access the full AR map by searching @ElSegundoAR on Snapchat.

The numbers represent a different approach to public art than what neighboring cities are pursuing. Redondo Beach is spending $450,000 to install at least 10 traditional artworks along Artesia Boulevard by 2027, according to MyNewsLA. El Segundo's program layers digital experiences onto existing physical pieces for a fraction of that cost.

Mayor Chris Pimentel said the initiative showcases El Segundo's identity as a community where creativity and technology intersect, calling the AR art more accessible and interactive than traditional installations.

The program debuted at the El Segundo Art Walk on August 26, 2023, with 11 site-specific AR pieces. The current map features nine. City officials did not explain the reduction.

A new AR experience for "Flying or Falling II" by artist John Park is set to debut at the 2026 El Segundo Art Walk on Saturday, August 22, from 3 to 9 p.m. Future plans include integrating the AR map into official city websites and continuing partnerships with local artists, schools, and businesses.