AR Research-Creation with Korean Artists
A workshop based research-creation for Augmented Reality (AR) production with South Korean artists
AR Research-Creation Demo, Gangnam, Seoul, Korea, May 2022
AR workshops with South Korean artists were organized and successfully held with the Bachelor of Media Production and Design (BMPD) program at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) from April to May 2022 in Seoul, Korea. In this research-creation project, we explored how Augmented Reality (AR) can be used as an artistic tool for South Korean artists. The research also investigated how AR technology can be democratised as a creative device for novice users. To achieve the goal, we conducted workshop-based research with South Korean artists who do not have expertise in AR technology and created AR artwork prototypes.
Sojung Bahng directed and ran the AR workshop based on teaching materials Victoria McArthur created for BMPD students. Bahng reconstructed McArthur’s lectures and tutorial documents for Korean artists and helped artists from various backgrounds, such as music, theatre, design, literature, visual art, media art, photography, and film, create an AR artwork prototype. Twelve inspirational AR artwork prototypes were created, and demo exhibitions were held in Gangnam, Seoul.
Attending Artists: Semi Kwon, Young Shin Sin, Hobin Kim, Räy Sooeun Lee, Sojung Bahng, Jeong Seob Lee, Hayoung Lim, Yeonju Lee, Sunyoung Cho, Kyukang Kim, Seol Hee Shin, Yoorim Choi, Woonam Kim
AR Artwork Prototypes
Dust by Semi Kwon (권세미)
Dust is an invitation letter to a theatre play called Dust, directed by Kwon. The work explores the transitory nature of life and death. Kwon used the AR component to reveal the unfixed and disappearing traits of our lives like dust.
Tell Me Who I Am by Räy Sooeun Lee (이수은), Sojung Bahng (방소정)
Tell Me Who I Am is an AR 3D diorama-style play prototype by Lee and Bahng. When viewers scan character miniatures via a mobile device, clues about the character’s identity appear with AR. If viewers correctly guess the character’s identity, the room inside the model changes, adding various AR objects related to the character’s cultural background, such as the Eiffel Tower, a Korean mountain, or a McDonald’s menu. The work asks questions about our stereotypes regarding cultural images and humorously highlights the importance of expanding our perspectives to other cultures using AR.
Imaginary Burden / Breathing by Sunyoung Cho (초선영)
Imaginary Burden and Breathing are AR visual art cards by Cho. The viewer can imagine the ideas and feelings of burden and breathing when they see the cards. When they detect the cards, Cho’s 2D animated illustrations are seamlessly combined with the cards’ images. She used AR to elicit the viewer to fill in the gaps when they scan the parts of the images as well as to introduce her ideas and representations of the topics.
Frame C by Young Sin Shin (신영신)
“Frame C” is an AR photograph exhibition that uses three frames to help the viewers appreciate the photos Shin took. He developed two AR mobile devices, called Frame A and B, which show various images differently. Last, Frame C is a transparent frame that lets viewers think about their own perceptions of the photos. Shin asks fundamental questions about how framing works in photography and AR.
&Circle by Seol Hee Shin (신설희)
&Circle is an invitation letter to Shin’s music show. When viewers scan the letter, a surreal performance video by Shin appears, enabling them to imagine the show. Moreover, she created 2D animations that depict sand resonating with certain sound frequencies. When a viewer scans the image of the waves, the sounds of their frequencies and animations appear. Shin used AR to show and share the experimental aspects of her music performance.
The Time of Endangered Animals by Hobin Kim (김호빈)
The Time of Endangered Animals is an AR-illustrated calendar. Kim made a printable calendar but created the animal illustrations for AR. If we detect a particular month in the calendar with a mobile device, the images and sounds of endangered animals appear. Kim uses AR to represent the unseen time of endangered animals and to make checking a calendar an exciting experience.
Remember the Music by Hayoung Lim (임하영)
Remember the Music is an AR album containing the memory of Lim’s music performance. She created a card to contain her special memory related to her career as a musician. When viewers scan the card, her performance video plays with AR. Lim said that it feels like she holds and carries her special memories in her hand by having the AR album.
Invitation Letter 초대장 by Yeonju Lee (이연주)
Invitation Letter is a 3D AR aquarium. Lee has been working on creating fish illustrations mixed with diverse urban spaces to represent fishes’ ecosystems in the contemporary city. She expanded her artistic potential using AR, which enables viewers to carry and bring a pocket AR aquarium with a fish tank made of paper.
Learning Strings by Yoorim Choi (최유림)
Learning Strings is an AR strings piece by Choi. She created various sounds played by several strings. When the viewer scans her drawing of a particular instrument, that instrument’s sound is played. When the viewer detects the image of all the instruments, a strings piece she wrote plays. Choi aims to apply these AR strings to teach a music course about instruments.
Greetings from Everywhere by Jeong Seob Lee (이정섭)
Greetings from Everywhere is an AR travel diary. Lee added various photos, using AR, to a printed map. He took the photos while travelling. When viewers scan a certain spot on the map, the photos that contain Lee’s memories of travelling appear. The work uses AR to archive and interestingly share our travel memories effectively in the digital era.
Music for Eyes 눈으로 듣는 음악 by Kyukang Kim (김규강)
Music for Eyes is an audiovisual artwork by Kim. He created several drawings and paintings. When viewers scan his visual artwork, the music he made plays. He used AR to share his expertise and outcomes as both a visual artist and musician. Kim wants viewers to feel the music while appreciating the paintings.
Maru by Woonam Kim (김우남) and Sojung Bahng (방소정)
Maru is a visual poem created by Kim and Bahng. Bahng is Kim’s daughter. Maru refers to a wooden floor in a traditional Korean house. Kim drew her mother’s home in her hometown, and Bahng combined a photo of Kim and her mother (Bahng’s grandmother) sitting on the maru to the painting using AR. Kim created a poem to reminisce about her childhood and hometown and added it to the painting. The work represents inheritance and memories from generations as well as our lives’ transitory nature.
Project Director: Sojung Bahng (방소정)
Producer: Victoria McArthur
Workshop developers: Victoria McArthur, Sojung Bahng
Workshop managers: Sojung Bahng, Hobin Kim (김호빈)
Organized by Include Lab and BMPD at Carleton University
Collaborated with Artengine (아트엔진)
