Augmented Reality: Is this art or just a nice gag?

On a cold August day, there’s not much going on in the Düsseldorf Hofgarten. A couple of dog owners go for a walk, and a man drinks a can of beer on a park bench. Squirrels jump over empty lawns. This is the world we all know.

But there’s also another world hidden in the park in front of the NRW Arts Forum. In this other reality, a silver bead the size of a truck hovers over a squirrel. In front of the man holding the beer, a pink rubber hose in the shape of a balloon animal is piled high in a tree, where a cartoon elf is performing gymnastics. Elsewhere, blue bubbles fly through the air, controlled by an algorithm that reacts to air pollution. Some strollers have virtual lookalikes that won’t leave their side.

A flashy fantasy world is created in an application. Those who download it can view sculptures and animations in the park near the Rhine. To do this, the code must be scanned with the smartphone and the camera must be aligned at the correct angle. If you hit the intended place, sculptures, flying objects or dancing elves are created on the screen. 13 prints are free, and 22 more can be activated for 5.49 euros.

Visit Teletubbies

augmented reality (AR) is the name of splash screen, meaning augmented reality. unlike Virtual Reality Your goal is not to plunge into another world, but to create an illusion, the appearance in the familiar environment.

For many people, technology has always been a part of everyday life. Since 2016, more than 1 billion people have hunted virtual fantasy creatures in Pokémon Go. Snapchat or Instagram users put on cat ears to take selfies. However, in the rather quiet world of art, augmented reality is only now considered modern. Those who don’t want to lose touch are equally busy with NFTs or AI. These technologies are often said to be the future of art, and Alvor Eliasson also has an AR project.

who – which NRW الفن Art Forum So she boldly announced the ‘AR Biennale’, one of the first exhibitions of its kind in Germany, to be a spectacle in the museum’s forecourt and in the garden. Venerable institutions loom large in the neighborhood: the registry office, the Kunstpalast and the concert hall of the symphony orchestra. There are also some QR codes in Cologne and Essen.

Augmented reality offers great opportunities for new perspectives. The way we see the world can be changed in a way that directs our thinking in different directions. This technology is also cheap, flexible and environmentally friendly. Each parking space can become an exhibition space, no sculptures need to be shipped, and no insurance is required to be paid.

But you can tell in Düsseldorf that augmented reality is still an unfamiliar medium. Many businesses rely on staggering effects, but organizationally they lack a segment related to content. A brown worm with shiny nipples and a mole’s face hovers in the courtyard in front of the museum. its name Genius LuceSo the spirit of the place – why remains unclear. It’s like Teletubbies, Spongebob and Peter Pan came to play together.

More teamwork through more screens?

They are colorful and lively, often rich with sound effects. But only a few works indicate beyond the form and themselves. Stay with the technical trick. Some works cite templates already found elsewhere, such as the famous steel bead “Cloud Gate” by British artist Anish Kapoor in Chicago. The app is now showing it in Düsseldorf – but is this equally fine art?

Programmer Lauren Lee Mc Carthy is one of the most recognizable names on the show. She presided over eight benches in the park with tasks such as “This place for people who regret a decision” and “This place for people who miss someone.” The letters in the app appear above the seats, hoping visitors will reveal their state of mind when they sit down and start talking about it. A noble, but perhaps slightly naive, desire for social togetherness.

You must be sure that AR Biennale will attract a young, tech-savvy audience, its low threshold is good for you. It doesn’t require climbing the stairs of a terrifying building, paying the entrance fee, and dropping your backpack. No one should be quiet or allowed to touch anything. You can enjoy here with your cell phone without feeling small. If you would like to take pictures and post them, you are welcome to do so. The art world will need more of these exhibitions if it is to educate future generations about cultural consumption. Fun, maybe even with a beer on hand.

Technology draws the eye

Will the “Pokémon Go” aesthetic prevail with in-app purchases? Is the adorable world really an extension of the concept of art – or its surrender to the triumphant progress of entertainment technology?

These questions will likely only be answered in a few years, when a frame of reference for these forms of representation will be found. As long as the criteria for evaluating digital art are still missing, no one dares to determine whether a mole exists Genius Luce By Theo Triantafyllidis It has lasting value or just a nice gag. “We are trying something completely new here. I am as excited as I have been in almost any other exhibition,” museum director Felix Kramer said shortly before the opening.

No wonder, because here technology is completely in control of the art. If the mobile device data volume is used up while playing in the park, it is no longer possible to scan the QR code. Biennale also consumes a lot of power. For visitors with old batteries, it could be gone after the fourth statue.

But maybe someone who’s depleted their battery in augmented reality directs their steps toward the art palace group next door and exchanges their screen for canvases. Alternatively, you can see the amount of Baroque inspiration in modern paintings. Art from 350 years ago, quite representative, even without exploring the volume of data.

_Exhibition: AR Biennial, NRW Forum Düsseldorf, Ehrenhof and Hofgarten, from August 21, 2021 to February 20, 2022