15 Virtual Public Artworks Unveiled on Major Sacramento Corridor
Eleven renowned artists from Sacramento, Canada, Spain, and around the country have created artworks that have been virtually installed along the Broadway corridor in Sacramento, California. The artworks were designed specifically for sites along the street and in the city’s historic cemetery. They were then translated into computer-generated models, which can be viewed in the real-world environment using an Android or Apple smart phone or a tablet.
The virtual public artworks, located throughout one of Sacramento’s most eclectic transitional neighborhoods, will be unveiled at a reception Sept. 13 and run through Oct. 31. The reception will be held 4-6 p.m. at the project’s headquarters in the offices of Sacramento Republic F.C.,
Viewers who download an Augmented Reality (AR) application (app) on their mobile device can follow a map within the app that indicates where the virtual artworks are located. Aiming the device’s camera at a particular location allows viewers to see it.
“Even though there is no actual piece to be seen with the naked eye, 3D models, images, animations and videos are linked to the physical site through image recognition – the artwork appears in the environment on the device’s screen as if it’s in front of you,” says Sac State New Media Professor Rachel Clarke, project co-curator, technical director and artist.
The free app will be available at the project website www.BroadwayAugmented.net, and the project’s headquarters on Sept. 13.
There are fifteen projects by eleven artists: Michael Rees, Benjamin Hunt, Gioia Fonda, Rebecca Krinke, Sabrina Ratté, Chris Manzione, Rachel Clarke, Jose Carlos Casado, Joseph DeLappe, Malcom Cochran, and Mark Emerson. Several of the artists work in traditional media, while others are new media artists, some with an expertise in AR.
The project is funded in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with generous in-kind support from the Urban Land Institute, Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento Republic FC, and Verge Center for the Arts.