Art + AR

I am pleased to share my new augmented reality project, Daydream.  


 To view this piece in augmented reality you can: 

Purchase a print 

Request a postcard (free)



Daydream depicts an abstract landscape. When the painting is viewed through the Artivive augmented reality app, it reveals a starling murmuration. Murmurations occur when hundreds of starling birds gather and form expansive patterns in the sky. I see parallels between this natural phenomenon and my own creative practice. Both have intriguing contradictions, such as being simple in their approach while remaining visually complex. Randomness and control with a sense of intuition.

I am interested in the symbolism of this event and the interactions that produce collective behavior. Flocking is an aggregate result of an individual's actions, each acting solely on the basis of its own, local perception. The mystifying result is the impression of centralized control, propelled by the moment at which a unit becomes a whole. Following a globally shared year of tension, I think such representations of unity are particularly relevant. 




view through the augmented reality app


The augmented reality feature was created through a custom-made animation. This project was a collaboration between myself and Berlin-based artist Juan Garcia Segura. The animated video starts with my painting as the basis for the composition. From there, the video slowly transforms into a new virtual landscape. The process was a meticulous back and forth through months of emails and zoom calls.


 behind the scenes of the animation process 

 

behind the scenes of the animation process 

 

Juan created the animation in 3D digital space utilizing "real" physics and natural light to create the illusion of moving particles shifting across the surface. The movement is generated by reading the textures of the artwork and employing flocking algorithms. In the end, the painting is digitally manipulated into an abstract sky and waving ocean with the resemblance of a murmuration in the foreground. 



behind the scenes of the animation process 



This project was inspired by my interest in the digital experience. In the past year we relied more than ever on the internet for communication and information. I am curious about the ways that art can cross the boundary between being a purely physical visual encounter and benefit from also existing in the virtual world.