Page 56 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2019

BUSINESS INDUSTRY augmented reality &
THE FUTURE OF ART
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of ARtscapes
“THIS IS TRULY
THE CUTTING EDGE OF ADVERTISING”
Augmented Reality (AR) sounds like something from the future, but the truth is it's already
here — right on the Coast.
ARtscapes, a subsidiary company of Scanscapes, is bringing art to life with the help of technology. The
AR behind the name consists of creating an interactive experience based on a real-world object, in this case, artwork. By downloading a free app, art viewers unlock the door to an immersive encounter that is computer- generated to alter your perception of the piece.
Okay, so that all sounds very complicated, but I assure you, on the front end it seems like magic. Here’s how
it works: ARtscapes takes a piece of art, such as Van Gogh’s famous self portrait, and creates visual markers for the app to pick up on. From there, they computer generate a new experience that the viewer will see when they view the artwork through their app.
When viewing the Van Gogh painting, the artwork changes from the self portrait to the inside of Van Gogh’s room. It’s three-dimensional and feels like you’re really there. As you walk around the painting you’ll see the room from different angles, almost like you’re looking in from outside a window.
The artwork visuals are paired with sound efforts or music, which builds the illusion that you’re not just looking at a piece of art on canvas. The music in Van Gogh’s room is dark and moody, while the music for the Butterfly Lady, another ARtscape piece, is funky and contemporary to match the style of the painting.
Regional Director Mark Spain knows the possibilities are endless when it comes to AR and is excited to bring
56 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2019
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