ART+, created by several artists, has been expanding in Latvia and has recently been complemented by new 3D artworks. Artists say these types of objects are gaining increasing popularity as technology develops.
Project ART+ curator and artist Maija Demitere said: “There are always these little pictures in museums and books, but I don't find those pictures very interesting myself and it's also hard to imagine their scale.”
For those interested to have a clearer idea of what cannons looked like in Fort Liepāja, they can now be viewed through a mobile phone or tablet screen. With the ART+ application, the view opens with a landscape complete with an augmented reality object.
Artist Agnese Damberga said: "the sizes may not be accurate because I didn't quite find those 100 percent sizes on the internet, but I tried for a shell. I had two dimensions -- I came here to measure the diameter and the shell. And after that, I was building it - after a couple of pictures I found."
The artist says creating works in augmented reality is very exciting because there are essentially no boundaries - gigantic sculptures, interactive objects, and unrealistic scenes can be made.
“There are a lot of digital artists in Liepaja who are happy to exhibit their works. They can't be put in the museum, so this app is like a gallery for our artists,“ adds Maija Dimitere.
The ART+ app currently offers a view of a total of 48 works placed in the augmented reality of the urban environment of Liepaja, Kuldīga, and Valmiera. People who do not have access to phones suitable for loading the application can view art objects only on a computer – the ART+ website. However, artists believe that as technology develops, augmented reality will become increasingly accessible to the public, with the rise in the popularity of such artworks.
This year, the cities of Latvia will be supplemented with new works of augmented reality, inviting the public to explore history, think about environmental pollution and other topical topics.
