I recently had the chance to volunteer with Future Arts Future Arts at their AUGMENT Seattle event! Here's a video recap of the event.
Artists from around the world submitted physical artwork (2D illustrations, paintings, blow-up sculptures, popsicles?!, cocktails?!!) that was accompanied by a Spark AR augmented reality (AR) experience. The AR portion of each experience was accessibile via smartphone, by scanning a QR code near each installation. I volunteered to help passersby discover the AR content and navigate the technology. The installations were set up on a busy city block, and most people had no idea what they were walking by! I was impressed with how many people were willing to take a few minutes out of their day to interact with the art and learn about augmented reality, which many of them had never heard of until that moment. I helped everyone from little kids to an elderly man experience 2D artwork come to life.
The range in scale of the installations was also impressive. The smallest piece of art was a popsicle made with ingredients indigenous to the Seattle area. Each popsicle had a laser-cut wooden handle with the QR code for the Spark AR experience. Scanning the code and opening the AR effect revealed artwork coming out of the popsicle- 3D plants and vines swirling around the food to represent how it was made. Another installation involved an entire skyscraper, where visitors had to stand on a marked spot on the sidewalk, look up at a building through their phone, and see a school of fish swimming around the skyline. It was so cool to see such different uses of AR side-by-side, each taking advantage of space in a different way.
