Imagine seeing artworks from well known artists in your home for free. Anyone would think that it is wishful thinking, but augmented reality has made it possible.
Popular artworks such as Solar Friend by Olafur Eliassons and Peacock Spider by Tomas Saraceno can now be displayed in your abode. However, they will only be visible virtually through a smartphone application.
Augmented reality art
Augmented reality (AR) art is designed similarly with the technology that gave us the Pokemon Go mobile game. Today, modern artists like KAWS, Judy Chicago, and Cao Fei, have adapted this kind of art. AR art allows the viewers to take their daily dosage of art during the pandemic by projecting digital artworks on surfaces indoors and outdoors, merging science fiction and reality.
According to Olafur Eliasson, AR art allows people to be occupied with wonders, making the lockdown bearable. Danie Birnbaum, the director of Acute Art, also said that AR art is an intimate way to explore art during the times that galleries are closed.
With today’s advancement in augmented reality devices, switching between real and virtual worlds are becoming more seamless. This makes AR art capture people’s imagination and it’s becoming even more sophisticated.
Visual elements are in the middle of the technology of augmented reality, taking up the screen of the user. Augmented reality art has two types, one is prompted by highly specific images while the other appears according to the immediate environment.
How augmented reality will transform the future of art
Since you now have a clearer idea of AR art, here’s the main question. How will it change art’s future?
As of today, the art industry is being influenced by two ways:
- It influences how artists render art
- It controls how viewers consume art
Artists now have a new set of mediums to work with thanks to augmented reality technology. Of course, more technical knowledge is required. However, 3D art software that has user-friendly interfaces like 3DSMax, is there to assist traditional artists in exploring modern methods to their art. Art lovers will be able to see the improvements that augmented reality technology brings.
Augmented reality art is a shareable art
Cao Fei, a multimedia artist says that AR art is a shareable and portable art. AR is a kind of art that allows the user to recreate an art piece so it doesn’t become static and so that it grows.
When artists utilize AR, it makes way for opportunities. Judy Chicago, an author and feminist landscape artist who has been using colorful smoke sculptures to entertain audiences since 1960s made her works accessible through AR. Today, AR users can enjoy such sculptures from their gardens at home.
Judy believes that art is about “discovery” and that AR has the ability to “democratize art like printmaking.” You can access her work through the App Store and Google Play.
Takeaways
Overall, how art is changing due to the advancement of technology is both exciting and intimidating. For some artists augmented reality art is an opportunity to expand their art medium. Meanwhile, other artists feel like AR art makes them and their art slowly become irrelevant.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image by https://pixabay.com/photos/people-man-artist-painting-paint-2590655/
2nd image by https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-drawing-on-a-tablet-4238489/
