Big 3 Art July 2017

The Augmented Landscape at Salem Maritime National Historic Site
May 27 – November 30, 2017

This summer, the National Park Service’s Salem Maritime National Historic Site is home to eight augmented reality (AR) sculptures for The Augmented Landscape, an outdoor exhibition presented by the Boston Cyberarts Gallery. Located on the historic waterfront in Salem, MA, the free exhibition will remain on view from May 27 to November 30, 2017.
The sculptures for The Augmented Landscape were commissioned from four internationally acclaimed artists; John Craig Freeman, Kristin Lucas, Will Pappenheimer, and Tamiko Thiel. Inspired by Salem’s unique history and ecology, these works consider issues as diverse as East-West relations, American idealism, piracy as warfare, and the effects of climate change and global warming.
In augmented reality artworks, computer-generated sound, video and graphics are layered into a real-world environment. Sited throughout the park, on the land or in Salem harbor, the sculptures are positioned via GPS, each in a specific place on the Salem campus, and are viewable by using the augmented reality app ‘Layar’ (free for iOS and Android) on a smartphone or tablet.
The experience of viewing augmented reality artwork is a strangely physical one. The sculptures convincingly feel like they are ‘situated’ in space, and while the floating works drift around you, your mind is tricked into thinking that you can reach out and touch them at any time.

—Maryam Yoon

Big 3 Art Image: Tamiko Thiel, Gardens of the Anthropocene, 2016.