It can only be viewed with a smartphone: Augmented reality art is the ‘world’s premiere’

Düsseldorf (dpa) – There are no real art objects that can be touched, but only visible on a smartphone or tablet: From Sunday onwards, the NRW Forum Düsseldorf is organizing the “world’s first AR Biennale” with the participation of 19 international artists. AR stands for Augmented Reality – the digital expansion of reality – and according to the organizer, it is one of the “most exciting current forms of representation for contemporary art”. The project begins in Ehrenhof and Hofgarten near the NRW Forum, and more work is scheduled to be seen in Cologne and Essen.

If you want to explore the “worldwide unique” project with the Digital Sculpture Garden, you need a smartphone or tablet – and a special app. With this ‘AR Biennale’ app, digital artworks are inserted into the real environment and are visible on the device – and only there. Without the final device, the visitor sees: nothing.

“Augmented reality is hybrid, new and very artistic. Physical boundaries are lifted and you see things that weren’t really there,” said Alan Pepper, Artistic Director of NRW Forum and Curator of First Edition. Several artists are currently developing such innovative works for augmented reality. A platform will be presented to them for the first time as part of the Biennale. On display, for example, are large-scale sculptures or a virtual figure infiltrating the Kunstpalast collection in order to steal works there.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210820-99-908638 / 2

Source: DPA