XR technology has a way of livening up any space – even if that space was already pretty lively. When the XR festival VRHAM! (Virtual Reality & Arts Festival Hamburg) wanted to liven up Hamburg this summer, they turned to Spanish artist MAGOZ for AR experiences.
Who Is MAGOZ?
MAGOZ is a Spanish artist currently based in Sweden. His blog details his artistic process, events that he attends, and his life as a digital nomad. Digital nomads, like the journeymen of old, travel from place to place, bringing the tools of their trades with them.
“I see myself as an author that uses the communicative part of an image or an animation. I’ll try to say things with images. I use poetry or poetic resources to say the things I want to say,” MAGOZ told VRHAM! in an interview they shared with ARPost. “And in the last year, I have been very much into technology – coding, creating hybrid artworks. And this exhibition at VRHAM! is an experimental approach to my previous works where we can see some more depth.”
ARt-Exhibition by MAGOZ comes to life thanks to AR and the QR codes placed in the Hamburg’s Rathausmarkt square. These codes can then be scanned with a mobile phone using a Facebook-enabled mobile app. Boats floating in the sky and characters walking on the roofs of buildings are only some of the AR experiences. VRHAM!, which took place this year June 7 – 15, calls it “the first virtual exhibition in public space.” That’s fitting as VRHAM! also claims to be Germany’s first international festival for virtual art.
“I am just trying to add more value to my work – rather than visual fireworks. AR adds more things to the actual world,” said MAGOZ. “This was the approach. To put my work around you and create a virtual exhibition.”
Working with VRHAM!
Through this collaboration, VRHAM! achieved a number of things. They gave thousands of users the ability to easily and freely view the AR experiences. They also enabled artists like MAGOZ to experiment in a new medium.
“When I started as an illustrator, I basically had to put all of my ideas in one static image. Animations not only brought me movement but also the possibility to add sound and music. In addition, I could decide to reveal certain parts of it when I wanted to. And all of these things add more depth to my work,” said MAGOZ. “Technology makes my work more interactive. Maybe you can talk or interact with [the work]. It is still very experimental.”
Hamburg might be a long shot from where you are but that shouldn’t keep you from getting excited. Thousands of people were introduced to the AR experiences of MAGOZ. As AR is a global phenomenon, we all benefit from it wherever it happens.
