EAR EXPERIMENTS WITH AR
PERSONAL PROJECT - WORK IN PROGRESS
IDEA
Experimenting with the possibility of using AR as a means for virtual exhibitions and art.
CONCEPT
A small exhibition space where installations can be placed.
RESULT
WORK IN PROGRESS
EAR (Experimenting with AR) is the continued result of a university course focusing on Augmented Reality (AR) in architecture. Originally, it was merely a basic representation of an AR prototype aimed at visualizing an object intended for later production.
As a result of this work, interest arose in exploring the extent to which Augmented Reality could be utilized to present art and exhibitions anywhere and cost-effectively. Given the growing interest of both industry and society in topics like Spatial Computing through products such as various Smart Glasses, Oculus, or the Apple Vision Pro, I saw an intriguing field that could develop in the years to come.
The objective was also to explore the limitations of AR in a mobile application, i.e., on smartphones, and to assess the possibilities this technology could offer beyond the current smaller-scale applications in art and exhibitions.
This project represents a personal endeavor involving significant effort in iteration and boundary testing. Therefore this project is awork in progress.
CONCEPT
A virtual space large enough to accommodate small installations, yet compact enough to be deployed in various locations in different sizes.
IMPLEMENTATION
A small, rudimentary-looking room designed to accommodate small installations, with dimensions suitable for placement in most locations.
THE SPACE
THE OBJECTS
The objects are smaller experiments aimed at exploring how such a virtual space can be designed, utilized, and experienced. Some of the objects are movable and move in a way that would not be possible in the physical world.
The space resembles a structure that could be built by anyone and placed anywhere, reinforcing the idea that the project can be placed and visited by anyone with a smartphone.
RESEARCH & DESIGN PROCESS
The EAR project is the continuation of a smaller university project that focused on the basics of Augmented Reality. It was here that the idea first emerged of how AR could be used to create digital spaces, essentially advancing what is mostly found today in art or other fields where digital objects are integrated into physical spaces.
Given my research interest in human-machine-space interaction, I saw this concept as an interesting opportunity to explore the opportunities and challenges when the space in which interaction occurs is not only shaped by technology but is entirely digital.
The design consists of two different furnishing elements. These elements were carefully designed to present and stage the screens in the room in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
The first furnishing element, which was also presented in AR, impresses with its elegant construction. It consists of a vertical column with a lateral cantilever on which the screen is mounted. The mounting is done through a simple hook-in system that allows the screen to be adjusted in height. This ensures that the display can be optimally tailored to the needs of the installation and the room. The vertical screen mount is designed to be used as a recurring element in the room. Through its strategic placement, it creates visual continuity and forms a cohesive experience for the viewer.
The second furnishing element, which we can call the "highlight of the exhibition," forms the centerpiece of the installation. It consists of a four-sided construction on which four screens are mounted. This pedestal was deliberately designed as a striking focal point to specifically attract the attention of visitors. The screens on the pedestal are always turned on, offering a constant visual appeal. They serve as a point of orientation in the installation and convey a clear hierarchy and structure to the viewer.
To begin, I would like to briefly discuss the university project that served as my practical introduction to the topic of Augmented Reality.
The goal was the creation of an object that could be used in a freely chosen application. We were to represent the object as a digital prototype in AR, and I took the additional step of demonstrating how this object, in conjunction with other objects, could find a specific application.
Both furnishing elements are characterized by their open cable arrangement, further emphasized by the use of LED cables. This design feature not only serves the functional connection of the screens but also creates subtle lighting in the room. In an otherwise dark space, the LED cables produce an atmospheric base lighting that enhances the aesthetics of the design and reveals a certain technical transparency. It creates the impression that the installation is accessible and inspires visitors to explore and display their own video installations. The individual elements are activated by proximity sensors.
My original idea of using AR for a complete exhibition could not be realized in this context. Consequently, I continued to work on the topic privately, which has now resulted in EAR.
Working on this project differs significantly in some aspects from the approach I am accustomed to from my studies, as it involves not only the aesthetic qualities that can be created but also the technical limitations associated with Augmented Reality. While these limitations can be stretched and shifted with devices other than a typical smartphone, doing so requires a larger budget, which was not available for this project.
Therefore, form-finding, or determining the maximum possible size that an object in AR can have, was a significant part of the project, involving a lengthy iteration process. This is because the display quality of larger objects in AR is also heavily influenced by factors such as the lighting of the surroundings.
The current form of EAR represents the maximum size that can be more or less reliably displayed in AR via a smartphone.
The space, or the shell of the space, in its representation, follows a relatively direct translation of the characteristic of AR objects in that they could be positioned anywhere and everywhere, which I express through my design.
Thus, a rudimentary-looking box with dimensions of 5 x 10 x 5 meters developed. The interior of the box can be designed differently depending on the objects to be displayed and also offers enough space for a sequence of rooms, smaller in comparison to the previous variants.
One of these variants focused on a rather direct translation of how one might set up a traditional exhibition, attempting to create different spaces in which various artworks could occupy the room. The layout of these spaces and the associated access routes naturally need to be adapted depending on the type of art, but the isometry shown here was intended to serve as a starting point.
Although this approach is probably the most direct translation of the original idea, it turned out that a size of approximately 40 x 40 meters could not be cleanly displayed in AR using a standard smartphone as the means of presentation.
With the temporary specification of a spatial form, the focus then shifted to exploring different objects that could inhabit this space. Currently, I am concentrating on two simpler objects that should be understood more as placeholders.
One is a wave-like rigid structure, and the other is a column that dissolves into spheres which rotate around themselves. The primary focus now is on testing objects that function well in a digital space and how they can interact with the user. However, this step of the process is still ongoing.
