Los Angeles, renowned as a pivotal art hub, gears up for a bustling February 2023 with a line-up of artistic showcases including the LA Art Show, Frieze Los Angeles, SPRING/BREAK Los Angeles, Felix Art Fair, and a pioneering Augmented Reality Art Exhibition at ART LAB on the iconic Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
Amidst this artistic flurry, an AR*t installation stands out. Birthed from a cross-generational and international collaboration, Swiss artist Sarah Montani teamed up with Gerhard Knolmayer and a team spanning four countries to craft a distinctive Augmented Reality Art Installation centered on climate change. Its singularity is heightened by being the sole augmented reality piece during these fairs, uniquely accessible without any app.
The seeds of this collaboration trace back over two decades. Sarah Montani recalls Gerhard Knolmayer as a professor of business informatics at the University of Berne. As she ventured into law studies and initiated her legal tech venture, Gerhard’s vast knowledge was her backbone. Their paths serendipitously intersected again in Vienna, 2022. With Gerhard transitioning into a second artistic innings as a painter and Sarah spearheading painting workshops at Kunstfabrik Wien, they reminisced and shared their artistic endeavors. Mutual admiration sparked a collaboration.
Starting from Gerhard’s canvases, Sarah choreographed the transformation of these imageries into a 3D AR object. The technical baton was handed to Joey Montani of APTIQ and Jamie F.G. After several iterations, an awe-inspiring replica of our globe was birthed, marking its debut at Los Angeles’ ART LAB in February 2023.
A moved Gerhard Knolmayer remarks, « I cherished collaborating with this truly global team. Hopefully, through this art, we can resonate with those usually impermeable to climate scientific facts. » Sarah Montani emphasizes AR’s prowess to shift our lenses, urging us towards greater empathy for our planet and ourselves.
This AR*t installation isn’t mere artistry. Physical artwork photos accompany the Augmented Reality Artwork, creating an interconnected display. Additionally, a QR code whisks visitors into a virtual realm on their smartphones, merging art and tech to amplify the climate change narrative.