SPACE JUNK / Arthur Clay (CHE)
The work "Space Junk" is a complex "zero gravity" artwork involving real and virtual realities and the interaction between them. The element of the work that can be experienced as a physical object is a light powered crystalline rocket ship, and the virtual element is used to simulate the experience of being in outer space. The effect is achieved through a complex set of mirrored reflectors and a crystal engine that creates an animated light field that simulates the wonder of being in a rocket traveling through the universe as stars fly by and a sense of weightlessness is created by the AR objects floating about. In its essence, the work connects diverse genres and at the same time opens up new dimensions of artistic expression by combining the real with the virtual and critics space travel and makes the viewer aware that pollution in space is an issue comparable to oceanic pollution. Artwork that may be included in the Space Junk Project (tbc) are digital reproductions (bootleged) of the actual objects include works by Neil Armstrong, Carl Sagan, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Tavares Strachan, Arthur Woods, and Trevor Pagen, and the group work with Robert Rauschenberg, David Novros, John Chamberlain, Claes Oldenburg, Forrest Myers and Andy Warhol.
Title: The Coming of the Tralfamadorians
Artist: Arthur Clay (CHE)
Placement: Platz der Weltausstellung, Hannover Germany
Tralfamadorians are a fictional alien race, that appear in several novels by Kurt Vonnegut. They have the ability to experience reality in four dimensions, meaning that they have full access to the past, present and future, and this allows them to do whatever they want at any time. The AR work "The Arrival of the Tralfamadorians", developed by the Swiss artist group The Curiously Minded, is based on Vonegut-s idea of the possibility of a parallelism between the future, the present, and the past, which is artistically interprted by the artists at the interface between the smartphone display and Platz der Weltausstellung Essentially, the work is an installation that creates a virtual environment in which a viewer can experience timelessness and develop a sense of place, where he can intervene and transcend the present. Flying objects reminiscent of unearthly visitors come and go through an infinite loop of day and night, modulating between far and near and made viewable by the looking glass of the 21st century - the smart phone.
Title: Crystal Coffin with Virtuale Switzerland
Artist: Lily & Honglei (CHN) with Virtuale Switzerland (CHE)
Placement: Trammplatz, Hannover, Germany
"Crystal Coffin" is the title of the Chinese artist duo Lily & Honglei created as a walk-in pavilion based on Moa's Crystal, which is virtually placed in front of the new town hall. The creation of the "Crystal Coffin" was inspired by the object of the same name that which has been on exhibiton since his passing on Tiananmen Square. As the artists themselves write: "While China has in many ways transformed into a modern society in the 21st century and is gaining more economic and political influence around the world, Mao's crystal coffin, the immortal-looking shell, still exists as a symbol of an authoritarianism system of rule. In the spring of 2011, cracking down on dissent - including the imprisonment of many intellectuals and members of religious groups - followed by clear signs of a revival of Maoist policies has stunned people about China's future direction. We therefore use the crystal coffin of Mao as the main component of the virtual "China Pavilion" crowned with a tower and an old-style roof, as mandated by the Chinese Ministry of Construction: architectural designs must reflect traditional Chinese architectural styles. " In the end, the work poses the question to the viewer as to whether it is a symbol indicative of the exportation of an authoritarian system manifesting at Hannover-s town hall.
Title: Portal Garden (Premier)
Artist: Yasuyuki Saegusa (JAP) with Virtuale Switzerland (CHE)
Placement: der Georgstrasse entlang, Hannover, Germany
"Portal Garden" was the result of a transformation of Yasuyuki Saegusa's graphic templates into a new work using AR technique by Virtuale Switzerland. The starting point was a series poster prints of Japanese Butoh dance and its digital processing into skin textures for floating lantern. The artists hopes to express through the work, that "Butoh dance knows no jump, no spin in the air like the classical ballet or the modern dance, but happens slowly, slow motion like the depating of souls". Calm and silence are part of the expression of Butoh, as well as the mood of the performenräs heart. The lanterns are viewable using a mobile device as they hover above the Georgstraße between the Kröpke and Steintorplatz, unfolding their magical glow, especially in the evenings. By focusing the phone at a single lantern, the viewer can steer the "skyward". The artist says: "When a lantern flies away, its soul flies from the starting point into the world. Portal Garden is a tribute to the deceased Butoh dancer souls".
Title: AR Drone aus WiWo Spinners (2011)
Artist:Will Pappenheimer (USA)
Placement: Hauptbahnhof Hannover, Germany
Die AR Drone ist eine aus einer Reihe von Netzwerk-Erscheinungen, die uns mit dem Ereignis des öffentlichen Wifi die Welt des Internets überlagern, während dieses unsichtbare Netzwerk beginnt, Objekte, Kraftfelder und Visionen an verschiedenen Stellen des Gitters auszustoßen. In der Form einer rotierenden Skulptur, die mit einer endlosen Anzahl von lebhaft gefärbten Ebenen zusammengenietet ist, taucht die Form einer Reaper Drone über der Hauptübersetzung in Hannovers Stadt auf, die aus einer Wolke von Ephemera entsteht, die von unaufhörlich optischen Mustern angetrieben wird,
The AR Drone is one of a series of network apparitions which with the event of public wifi the world of the Internet are being superimposed upon us as this invisible network begins to leak objects, force fields, and visions at various points in the grid. In the form of a rotating sculpture, riveted together with an endless number of vividly coloured planes, the form of a Reaper Drone emerges form a cloud of ephemera driven by perpetually optical patterns as it poises above the main translation in Hannover city.
Title: Ecce Homo (Premier)
Artist: Ingo Lie (DEU) with Virtuale Switzerland (CHE)
Placement: Am Markte, Hannover, Germany
The title of this "Ecce Homo" AR work realized by the Virtuale Swizerland for the Hannoverian artist Ingo Lie. It refers to the biblically proclaimed exclamation of the Roman governor Pontius Pilatus "behold, a man" at his presentation of Christ to the people. Floating as an apparition above church ruins, is artist's self-portrait, divided into eight cubes arranged into a three-dimensional cross and traversed by red and blue lines. The line system, as part of a color-theoretical and cosmological concept often used by Lie, refers to the interconnectedness of man with the surrounding world, and the geometric fragmentation of into a cruciform shape depicts the increasing loss of holistic self-perception in the digital age. In regard to the symbology of the wor, the artist has said: "Everything that is, was and nothing will be, as it was. Everything that was, will remain to appear, and that appearance will become the new being. Has man not already become the product of his imagination with the intention of recognizing and realizing less of himself and more of the imagination?" Ecce Simulatio!
Artist: Warren Armstrong (AUS)
Placement: Kurt Schwitters Platz
As a result of the constant stream of abbreviated information that is constantly fired at us, some are claiming that the Internet is destroying our ability to process long-form data like novels and operas. If so, it deserves to be classified as a disease, but one, like latent toxoplasmosis, which may actually have positive side effects in certain cases (eg increased immediate connection with the knowledge and worlds of others). But if it is a disease, what is its vector of transmission? Is there an organism responsible; incubated perhaps in the faces of LOLcats? "The Information Virus" is an AR work based around variations of a re-purposed commercial 3D model of an adenovirus. In the past, the virus sequenced of public domain images randomly sourced from Wikimedia Commons, but due to a recent mutation, it now flashes images from the present area of infection (Sprengel Museum) across its surfaces, giving it “life”. Onlookers can approach and interact with the work (by taping on the virus’s label, then pressing the “Listen” button) and are rewarded with a brief random public domain audio dispatch from the past sourced diverse and appropriate channels. Attention: Risks of new forms of infection resulting from close virtual contact should thus be considered minimal.
Title: Unterwegs zu Phoebe (Premier)
Artist: Harro Schmidt (DEU) with Virtuale Switzerland (CHE) £
Placement: Städtische Galerie KUBUS, Hannover, Germany
"On the way to Phoebe" is the title of the AR-work realised by Virtuale Switzerland for the Hanoverian artist Harro Schmidt. The work refers to the complexity, diversity and scientific background of Schmidt's artistic work and testifies to his interest in expanding borders and exploring new potentials. At the same time, the work subtly quotes earlier works. For example, a set of objects developed by Schmidt were subsequently animated in 3-D and placed in virtual space. The objects are reminiscent of both molecular structures and spaceships and cross the hypothetical orbital path of the Jupiter moon Phoebe. The free floating, spatial collage is underlaid with a soundtrack that is inspired by Andreas Eschbach's novel "Exponentialdrift". In its essence, the work connects diverse genres and at the same time opens up new dimensions of artistic expression by combining the real with augmented reality technology.