Will cats be the ones breaking the barriers between tech and fine Art? An XR exhibition displaying Mona Lisa as a cat might answer that.
Also, more is revealed about Facebook's project Aria. Read on!
XR makes room for itself in the Art field
Technology is hardly among the first things that come to mind when thinking about fine Art. However, that is about to change.
An example of the sweet union of tech and Art is HTC and Japanese artist Shu Yamamoto's Step into Cat Art virtual exhibition.
Opening to the public on September 17th via HTC's Viveport platform, the online gallery will feature well-renowned Art such as the Mewna Lisa, Grande Odalisque, and The Saucer. Viveport's technical team incorporated dynamic movement, audio, and various interactive elements into the Artwork. The pieces come to life as the characters lick their paws, yawn heavily, and perform other cat-based activities.
"Our collaboration with Shu Yamamoto's CAT ART is a fantastic example of combining Art with VR in a continued expansion of the Metaverse. We hope to convey the unique cat perspective envisioned by Shu Yamamoto through this exhibition. Ultimately we want to provide visitors with a unique and immersive viewing experience," said Viveport President Joseph Lin in a statement.
"It's incredible seeing how immersion can completely change the way you experience a moment, whether that's appreciating artwork, watching a story, or playing a game." More about the exhibition here.
Immersion is key when experiencing Art. It is easy to achieve in a gallery, but how about the times you can't go to one? The Artworld is waking up to the reality where Art lovers want Art experiences in the virtual.
Luckily, more and more options for creating immersive and engaging virtual Art experiences are out there. One particular one even without the need for any coding skills or software installs.
Virtual Art Gallery offers an easy-to-use and ready-to-go extension to Art and work. Only imagination is the limit when extending our conception of Art. Read more here.
Your Art here 👇?
How do Facebook's Project Aria AR glasses work?
Almost a year ago, Facebook introduced its Project Aria - a research effort to test smart glasses. The project was about employees using these research devices in the wild and collecting a bunch of data to help the company figure out what sensors it needs to add to future devices.
The company has been rather quiet about the project but has now cracked the curtain - thanks to newly published regulatory documents, including the device user manual.
Protocol listed a few key elements of the project and the device.
The device is called Gemini EVT and has no visual AR component, meaning Project Aria is all about collecting data, not displaying it. That is in line with what Facebook told a year ago.
Gemini Glasses are available with prescription lenses and come with a mobile companion app called Ariane. The glasses are equipped with four cameras, capable of recording both photos and videos, and a "privacy mode."
"Project Aria's Gemini glasses are clearly an experimental device and not meant for consumer use. However, the existence of a privacy mode, a relatively simple UI and the companion mobile app are all things that may find their way into future consumer products," Protocol wrote.
That's all for now, see you next time!
