Augmented reality and the art world
Nine of the United Kingdom’s most famous artists have come together to partner with Crisis, a national charity that works for the benefit of the homeless. Art and philanthropy have been tied together for centuries, but never has the relationship been expressed in this way. The artists are working to create a new contemporary art exhibition using augmented reality. They will be using the Aurasma augmented reality platform to create digital content that will be linked to various pieces of art work. The exhibition will be located at the Somerset House, one of the country’s most prestigious arts and cultural centers.
The artists involved in the initiative are Anthony Caro, Nathan Coley, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Nika Neelova, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Bob and Roberta Smith, Gillian Wearing, and Jonathan Yeo. Each artist will be presenting work that touches upon themes and issues relevant to the homeless community. Such themes will include security, property, hunger, exposure and privacy. Each piece will have its own augmented reality experience which will delve further into these themes.
Visitors to the Somerset House can use their smart phones to view the digital content associated with the art using the Aurasma mobile application. Each piece will have an exclusive video of the artist describing their inspiration and why they are participating in the exhibition. Visitors will also be able to make donations through their mobile devices. Crisis hopes that the exhibition will be a big hit with tech-savvy art lovers that have an interest in augmented reality.
Augmented reality and art have come together several times in the past two years. The technology gives artists a new medium to work with and enables them to present their talent in a new way. It also gives them a chance to reach out to a new audience – one that is growing increasingly reliant of mobile technology.
The Crisis exhibition at the Somerset House will begin this week and will run through April 22, 2012. The exhibition will not only feature the work of esteemed and well-known artists, but also that of homeless and vulnerably housed individuals that have been chosen by Crisis.
