These New Glasses Block Out the Life-Sucking Rays Coming From Your Screens
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
Subverting humanity’s over-reliance on technology is WNW Member Ivan Cash’s calling card. It’s these explorations into enabling actual human connection that led to Ivan founding IRL Labs. His latest offering? Glasses that block out the screens taking over your life.
The IRL Glasses just launched on Kickstarter. As the Kickstarter page explains, “Not too long ago, phones were attached to the wall, TVs weighed as much as refrigerators and computers rivaled minivans in size. Then everything changed. The world has seen an explosion of screens all vying for our attention (Americans spend 11 hours a day looking at screens, NY Times 2018), making it harder and harder to have uninterrupted experiences and genuine human connections.”
IRL Glasses aim to put you in charge of how and when you are force-fed information from a screen. The design for IRL Glasses is inspired by the 1988 cult classic film They Live, which features a magical pair of glasses that block billboards and outdoor ads (and show you that aliens have taken over.) 30 years later and life is imitating art.
IRL Glasses are first and foremost a concept piece, designed to spark conversation about the role technology plays in our lives. IRL Glasses currently block LCD/LED screens by flattening and reorienting polarized lenses. The beta pair does not yet block OLED screens, such as smartphones or digital billboards, but that’s on the horizon. Same goes for “alien vision mode.”
There are also beautiful, limited edition artist collaborations featuring WNW Members and world-renowned visual artists including Jessica Hische, Shantell Martin, Mike Perry, Leta Sobierajski, and Zebu.
Photo by Jonathan Chu
Photo by Jonathan Chu
Photo by Jonathan Chu