mark skwarek's blog

POLITICAL ACTIVISM, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND AUGMENTED REALITY on Augmented Legality

2012-01-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

POSTED ON NOVEMBER 29, 2011 IN AUGMENTED REALITY WITH 8 COMMENTS

POLITICAL ACTIVISM, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND AUGMENTED REALITY

I'm in the 2012 zero1 biennial!

2012-01-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

I'm in the 2012 zero1 biennial!

I'm presenting at Activist Tech Demo Day hosted by EYEBEAM this upcoming SATURDAY!!!

2012-01-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

I'm presenting at Activist Tech Demo Day hosted by EYEBEAM this upcoming SATURDAY!!! Technology for Activists > 3- 6 > I will be showing AR Activism. There will be a number of other presenters defiantly worth seeing so please come out- I don't think it's on line yet- soon....

At Activist Tech Demo Day I will launch a new collaboration with John Craig Freeman and Tamiko Thiel called "Augmented Reality Activists". The website will serve as a knowledge base for the community of activists interested in augmented reality. The site will also archive the past and ongoing efforts of activists working in augmented reality.

more >> island

2012-01-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

Made form mainly screen caps of "the island" project shown at the 2011 Dumbo Arts Festival.

Venice AR Intervention in Flash Art

2012-01-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was a co-curator of the 2011 Venice AR Intervention which was written about in Flash Art!

Border Memorial: Forntera de los Muertos

2012-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

Border Memorial: Forntera de los Muertos
This is real and on location in AZ. These augmented reality wooden Calaca are marking the points where migrants passed away during entry to the United States. Created and shot by John Craig Freeman [I collaborated on this].

LA RePlay!!! @ CAA this year

2012-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

dumbo arts festival 2011!!! >> more!

2012-01-13T10:17:00.001-08:00

eyebeam / alan sondheim : foofwa d'imobilite : azure carter : chris diasparra : mark skwarek

2012-01-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

eyebeam 2012 :: alan sondheim :: foofwa d'imobilite :: azure carter :: mark skwarek

2012-01-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

eyebeam 2012 :: alan sondheim :: foofwa d'imobilite :: azure carter :: mark skwarek

2012-01-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

eyebeam 2012 :: alan sondheim :: foofwa d'imobilite :: azure carter :: chris diasparra :: mark skwarek

2012-01-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

eyebeam 2012 :: alan sondheim :: foofwa d'imobilite :: azure carter :: chris diasparra :: mark skwarek
In this work Alan is projecting the virtual world Second Life on to Eyebeam's wall. Foofwa is dancing in the physical space where Azure is also singing. Mark is adding augmented reality to mix the physical and virtual worlds which was and is viewed on smartphones and mobile devises.

The shown video is Mark Skwarek's documentation and the augmented reality should be viewed as a sketch rather than finished work.

eyebeam 2012 :: alan sondheim :: foofwa dﾒimobilite :: azure carter :: mark skwarek

2012-01-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

eyebeam 2012 :: alan sondheim :: foofwa dﾒimobilite :: azure carter :: mark skwarek

tHE CREATORS PROJECT writes on arOCCUPYWALLSTREET!

2012-01-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

http://thecreatorsproject.com/blog/ar-occupy-wall-street-the-augmented-reality-sit-in

tHE CREATORS PROJECT writes on arOCCUPYWALLSTREET!

"pool hopping" on the island of the bull

2012-01-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

"pool hopping" on the island of the bull

Artist Mark Skwarek will transform different locations tied to the financial crisis into islands surrounded by a sea of fire with augmented reality [AR]. Skwarek will travel from island to island in a special AR boat and partake in the tradition of "pool hopping". Skwarek and other pool hoppers will party in the island's pool until kicked out by security or until the party moves.

We are performing at Eyebeam Monday - Saturday!!!

2012-01-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

We are performing at Eyebeam Monday - Saturday!!!

BEIJING china !!!

2011-12-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

mark skwarek presenting @ dorkbot Jan 4th 2012!

2011-12-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

mark skwarek presenting @ dorkbot Jan 4th 2012!

eyebeam / open studios / winter 2011 :: resident alan sondheim :: azure carter :: mark skwarek

2011-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

eyebeam / open studios / winter 2011 :: resident alan sondheim :: azure carter :: mark skwarek
This was a collaboration organized by eyebeam resident alan sondheim for the winter 2011 open studios. The work deals with pain, loss, and wounded avatars. The work combines alan's virtual world [second life], the physical world [alan and azure playing and performing], and the virtual world and physical became one with augmented reality by mark skwarek.
All three components attempt to react to each other in realtime.

eyebeam

2011-12-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/asondheim/sets/72157628462154959/

eyebeam - alan azure mark

2011-12-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

1st solAR and lunAR AR eclipse ~!

2011-12-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

and it happened in Bushwick!!javascript:void(0)

performing @ eyebeam w resident alan sondheim fri/ sat Fri and Sat 3-6!

2011-12-14T17:27:00.001-08:00

performing @ eyebeam w resident alan sondheim fri/ sat Fri and Sat 3-6!

predatAR

2011-12-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

island of the bull

2011-12-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

island of the bull

Im in 21st Century Literature today pg 44-53 ^^

2011-12-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

I'm in 21st Century Literature [the Korean publication] today pg 44-53.

Augmented Reality Car Decals

2011-12-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

Augmented Reality Car Decals

Congressional Garden

2011-11-23T06:58:00.000-08:00

#OWS Augmented Reality Yankees Hat

2011-11-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

Anyone with a Yankees Hat can generate an Augmented Reality mask by using Junaio's #OCCUPYar Channel and the correct lighting conditions.
by mark skwarek
markskwarek.com
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/

Mark Skwarek presenting at ARNY on Tuesday

2011-11-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Mark Skwarek will present about the #arOCCUPYWALLSTREET augmented reality protest @ ARNY on Tuesday Nov 22 2011.

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET remains after eviction w AUGMENTED REALITY

2011-11-18T11:34:00.001-08:00

we got the FACT >> ART SENSE Commission!

2011-11-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

we got the FACT >> ART SENSE Commission!

On the Chinese website Techen!

2011-11-17T06:29:00.000-08:00

On the Chinese website Techen!

http://www.techcn.com.cn/index.php?doc-view-130557

AR Flash Mob Protest @ Wall St!!!

2011-11-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

FREE Augmented Reality Protest Mask!

2011-11-12T07:16:00.001-08:00

FREE Augmented Reality Protest Mask!

print this marker-

tape it to something flat-

then attach it to your head-

come to Wall street today at 4:00 pm > sharp

load OCCUPYar channel from the Junaio smart phone app-

Have a friend look at you with your smart phone.

Keep the star in the camera view, move slowly.

Try to stay out of the shadows-

Have fun!

more info here

http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/join-participate/

FLASH MOB @ NYSE / WALL ST. TOMORROW!!

2011-11-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

VIDEO TRAILER
This is a special invitation to an the first ever “Augmented Reality Flashmob Protest” @ the New York Stock Exchange [NYSE] at Wall Street. The event will take place on SATURDAY Nov 12th at 4:00 p.m.

CHECK THIS WEBSITE ON NOV 11th for SPECIAL DETAILS
MAP
What to do-
***Try not to get arrested, if it looks like trouble walk away

1. Before you come to the NYSE download the Layar and Junaio apps to your Supported Smart phone. [see bottom of page for
supported phones].

2. Arrive at Wall Street NYSE around 3 to 3:30. Participants are asked to show up at Wall Street / NYSE at least 10 mins early.
Have your volume turned all the way down-

3. Special hats/head bands will be given out between 3-3:30 next to Trinity church by a person wearing this bag

Ask the person wearing this Bag if they are “George”- to get a FREE Augmented Reality Mask

this can be you!

4. After getting your hat walk to the NYSE, try not to attract attention-

5. First load the Layar app, in the menu chose “layars” and search for “aroccupy”. Choose the Layar called “Occupy AR”-
It is VERY important that everyone is looking at the same layar at 4:00-
The Occupy AR Layar will have works from all the artists in one Layar.

6. A> Find a spot along the police metal fence [if the fence is still there] facing the NYSE try to get a good view of the stock exchange.
Our goal will be to line the fence with Flash mobers so it’s ok if you move to different areas.
B> If the fence is gone stand somewhere between the Federal Hall Memorial [looks like Parthenon] and the NYSE.

7. At 4:00 everyone one will load the OccupyAR Layar on the Layar app- turn your volume up slowly – don’t make it to load to attract police attention.
8. After viewing the Occupy AR Layar at 4:00 click begin to click on augments to open individual artists Layars or search the term “aroccupy”.

9. If you are wearing the AR Mask some people will come around and video you with the mask with an iPad. They will not be able to see your face-
Please try to pose for them ^^

HAVING PROBLEMS?
If you are having problems loading the app-
Hold you SMARTPHONE UP [as if u are trying to take a picture] and scratch your head- A project assistant will attempt to aid you with time permitting.
Once you get it working act like you are taking pictures w ur phone until 4:00.
Supported Phones & Tablets
The iPhone 3GS and newer will work- [sadly the 3G will not work]
Most Android Phones will work-
The iPad 2 is the best choice for a tablet.
The most current Black Berries will work [test b4 u come] Sharing this Invitation

Devotion Gallery is sponsoring this ongoing event

#arOCCUPYWALLSTREET Opens Nov 12th @ Wall Street!

2011-11-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

#arOCCUPYWALLSTREET Opens Nov 12th @ Wall Street!

Visit this site for IMPORTANT INFO if you are coming !
[ Site will be updated the day before the event]
Get a free RA George Washington avatar!
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/opening-info/

http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/

Layar's Blog > #arOCCUPYWALLSTREET

2011-11-05T07:09:00.001-07:00

Layar's Blog > #arOCCUPYWALLSTREET
AR Occupy Wall Street
Show by Devotion Gallery > Nov 11 @ Wall Street~

Style Wars Blog > arOCCUPYWALLSTREET

2011-11-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Style Wars Blog > arOCCUPYWALLSTREET
Show by Devotion Gallery > Nov 11 @ Wall Street~

Jackpot! with protestAR

2011-11-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Show by Devotion Gallery > Nov 11 @ Wall Street~

Jackpot! with protestAR
http://protestars.wordpress.com/

Devotion Gallery opening for #arOWS Nov 11th @ Wall Street!

2011-10-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

Devotion Gallery opening for #arOWS Nov 11th @ Wall Street!
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/

I Shall Please

2011-10-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

protestAR Occupies Victoria Canada!!!! Home of #OCCUPY

http://protestars.wordpress.com/
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/

greed

2011-10-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

http://streetsofgreed.wordpress.com/about/

Augmented Reality brings the #OCCUPYWALLSTREET protesters to Washington D.C.

2011-10-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Take part form around the world-

http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/
http://protestars.wordpress.com/
http://bullparade.wordpress.com/

The 1st Bull Parade Commission goes to Inky Stainsworth!!!

2011-10-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

The 1st Bull Parade Commission goes to Inky Stainsworth!!!

Squid Attack!

Apply Here!

#arOCCUPYWALLSTREET is mentioned in the art blog!

2011-10-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

News: Vollis Simpson ArtPlace grant, Dilworth + Occupy, Cannonball Press and opportunities

By chip schwartz | October 21, 2011

http://theartblog.org/2011/10/news-vollis-simpson-dilworth/

Mark Skwarek has organized some events in NYC in affiliation with Occupy Wall Street including an augmented reality occupation of the Wall Street area (where real protesters are prohibited).

Mark Skwarek showing in "I Shall Please" October 24 – Nov. 2

2011-10-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

I Shall Please

Digital Arts Weeks, Off Label Festival Exhibition, The Art Of Placebo, October 24 – Nov. 2

To view the work on location, make an appointment with the doctor/artist at the ManifestAR Clinic at Open Space or visit the Exhibition at Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Bookmark the Project Launch page on your iPhone or Android.

The protest continues!!!

2011-10-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

"Let them EAT CAKE"
protestAR @ Wall Street
&
House Divided by John Cleater @ Wall Street

The protest continues - on site at Wall Street.
http://protestars.wordpress.com/
http://bullparade.wordpress.com/
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/
— at wall street.

Layar's [the augmented reality app] Gene Becker Visits NYU Polytech's 3d AR Grad class

2011-10-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Gene showed off Layar's new "Layar Vision".

Bull Parade Commission at Wall Street - Open Call!!

2011-10-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

The world famous Cow Parade Artist Commission moves to Wall Street with a twist. The Cow Parade cow has been replaced with the Wall Street Bull and is seen with augmented reality [AR] on smart phones.

This is a open call to anyone with an idea for a parade bull. Written ideas, images, and or videos may be submitted. ***The best "ideas" will be selected and created.
Selected works will be put on permanent display throughout the NYC Financial District.
They will also be included in a show by Devotion Gallery in Brooklyn NY.

Submit here-
http://bullparade.wordpress.com/

part of
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/

by
www.markskwarek.com

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET beats Bloomberg's eviction!!!!

2011-10-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

This video was shot on the morning of September 14th, the day of Bloomberg's scheduled eviction of #OCCUPYWALLSTREET from Zuccotti Park. We won!!!

The moment everyone begins to cheer in the video was the moment the protesters found out they could stay [about 7:00]. Up until that moment it looked as though we were all going to be arrested.

I arrived at Zuccotti Park at 6:00 and was greeted with an incredible sight. The park was overflowing with protesters. It looked as though the protest had tripped from the largest I had seen it since the start of the protest. I was at the front line between the protesters and police to get the best footage.

People from around the world are invited to join-

info here!
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/
http://protestars.wordpress.com/
http://markskwarek.com/

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET POLICE STAND OFF @ Wall and Willams St

2011-10-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

protestAR in Washington DC

2011-10-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

protestAR in Washington DC

ProtestAR @ Wall Street and the Global Call

2011-10-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

http://protestars.wordpress.com/
http://aroccupywallstreet.wordpress.com/

THE SEPARATION BARRIER DIVIDING ISRAEL AND PALESTINE HAS BEEN ERASED! this morning-

2011-10-04T17:26:00.001-07:00

THE DIVIDING ISRAEL AND PALESTINE HAS BEEN ERASED! this morning-

image taken by - Ghassan H. Bannoura & Daz Chandler

This screen capture was taken at the Israel Palestine Separation Barrier on October 6, 2011, at 8:00 A:M.

Project by: Mark Skwarek, Daz Chandler, and Ghassan H. Bannoura

Call to AR Activists to Unite at Wall Street!

2011-09-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Call to AR Activists to Unite at Wall Street!

More Dumbo Arts Festival!

2011-09-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Island

dumbo arts festival 2011!!!

2011-09-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Island

FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TOMORROW

2011-09-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

THE ISLAND IS COMING- NYC issues ***FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON
LIVE PREFORMANCE AT 7:30 in the flood!
Brooklyn Bridge Park Tonight-

The Island

All Boroughs

Updated: 09/23/2011 07:36 AM

***FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TOMORROW***
*** 1" to 3" of rain expected***

TODAY

Clouds/fog. Muggy
Steady to heavy rain develops
High: 76
Winds: E10-12

TONIGHT

Occasional Downpours
Some flooding possible
Low: 67
Winds: E10mph

TOMORROW

Mostly Cloudy
AM:Steady rain eases
pm:Scattered showers
High: 77
Winds: SE10mph

EXTENDED OUTLOOK

Scattered showers will continue through the rest of this weekend. Otherwise Skies will be mostly cloudy with a few breaks of sunshine possible. Highs will be in the 75-78 range on Sunday.

Highs could reach 80 degrees on Monday with the threat of more showers and isolated thunderstorms. Temperatures will ease down to the mid 70s on Tuesday with lingering showers.

Conditions may finally dry out by Wednesday through Friday with partly to mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows will fall back into the mid and upper 50s.

Edgard Nuñez
–Weather Department

L magazine -- Manifest.AR 10 top things to see @ DAF

2011-09-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

L magazine -- Manifest.AR 10 top things to see @ DAF

Art Ten Must-Sees at This Weekend's DUMBO Arts Festival 2011

Posted by Benjamin Sutton on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 3:34 PM

"the island" PROMO video

2011-09-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

The Island

Dumbo Arts Festival 2011

2011-09-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

project description

Lucky visitors who come to "The Island" may have their wish's granted during the Dumbo Arts Festival 2011!
On September 23 at 6:30 and 24th at 6:00 and during the entire festival lucky visitors may have one wish granted.

Visitors with supported smart phones may visit "The Island" during the Dumbo Arts Festival.

To enter "The Island" go to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Main St. or Washington St. entrance.
At these entrances turn on your smart phone and load the "Layar" app. Search for "The Island" and launch the app. An ocean and a bridge will appear leading into the park. The bridge leads to an island in the middle of the park. Care should be taken of the ocean while crossing the bridge. Once on the island walk to the top of the hill at the center of the park. Look for the island mystic. It is through
the island mystic that island visitors may communicate with the island goddess. If you are lucky you may ask the island goddess for one wish. Before coming to the island think very carefully what to wish for because only one wish will be granted to a lucky viewers. If you are lucky the goddess will grant your wish!

Hacking Space and Time --

2011-09-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hacking Space and Time

By Gene Becker on Tue 19 Apr 2011
In my recent Ignite talk Hijacking the Here and Now: Adventures in Augmented Reality, I showed examples of how creative people are using AR in ways that modify our perceptions about time and space. Now, Ignite talks are only 5 minutes long and I think this is a big idea that's worth a deeper look. So here's my claim: I assert that one of the most natural and important uses of AR as a creative medium is hacking space and time to explore and make sense of the emerging physical+digital world.

When you look at who the true AR enthusiasts are, who is doing the cutting edge creative work in AR today, it's artists, activists and digital humanities geeks. Their projects explore and challenge the ideas of ownership and exclusivity of physical space, and the flowing irreversibility of time. They are starting to see AR as the emergence of a new construction of reality, where the physical and digital are no longer distinct but instead are irreversibly blended. Artist Sander Veenhof is attracted to the "infinite dimensions" of AR. Stanford Knight Fellow Adriano Farano sees AR ushering in an era of "multi-layer journalism". Archivist Rick Prelinger says "History should be like air," immersive, omnipresent and free. And in their recent paper Augmented Reality and the Museum Experience, Schavemaker et al write:

In the 21st century the media are going ambient. TV, as Anna McCarthy pointed out in Ambient Television (2001), started this great escape from domesticity via the manifold urban screens and the endless flat screens in shops and public transportation. Currently the Internet is going through a similar phase as GPS technology and our mobile devices offer via the digital highway a move from the purely virtual domain to the 'real' world. We can collect our data everywhere we desire, and thus at any given moment transform the world around us into a sort of media hybrid, or 'augmented reality'. [emphasis mine]

When the team behind PhillyHistory.org augments the city of Philadelphia with nearly 90,000 historical photographs in AR, they are actively modifying our experience of the city's space and connecting us to moments in time long past. With its ambitious scope and scale, this seems a particularly apt example of transforming the world into a media hybrid.

In their AR piece US/Iraq War Memorial (pictured below), artists Mark Skwarek and John Craig Freeman transpose the locative datascape of casualties in the Iraq War from Wikileaks onto the northeastern United States, with the location of Baghdad mapped onto the coordinates of Washington DC. In addition to spatial hackery evocative of Situationist psychogeographic play, this work makes a strong political statement about control of information, nationalist perspectives and the cultural abstraction of war.

us-iraq-maps

Now let's talk about this word, 'hacking'. Actually, you'll note that I used the term 'hijacking' as well, so let's include that too. My intent is to evoke the tension of multiple meanings: Hacking in the sense of gaining deep understanding and mastery of a system in order to modify and improve it, and as a visible demonstration of a high degree of proficiency. Also, hacking in the sense of making unauthorized intrusions into a system, including both white hat and black hat variations. I use 'hijacking' in the sense of a mock takeover, like the Black Eyed Peas playfully hijacking the myspace.com website for publicity purposes, but also hijacking as an antagonistic, possibly malign, and potentially unlawful attack. In the physical+digital augmented world, I expect we will see a wide variety of hacking and hijacking behaviors, with both positive and negative effects. For example, in Skwarek's piece with Joseph Hocking, the leak in your hometown, the corporate logo of BP becomes the trigger for an animated re-creation of the iconic broken pipe at the Macondo wellhead, spewing AR oil into your location. It is possible to see this as an inspired spatial hack and a biting social commentary, but I have no doubt BP executives would consider it a hijacking of their brand in the worst way.

In his book Smart Things, ubicomp experience designer Mike Kuniavsky asks us to think of digital media about physical entities as 'information shadows'; I believe the work of these AR pioneers points us toward a future where digital information is not a subordinate 'shadow' of the physical, but rather a first-class element of our experience of the world. Even at this early stage in the development of the underlying technology, AR is a consequential medium of expression that is being used to tell meaningful stories, make critical statements, and explore the new dimensionality of a blended physical+digital world. Something important is happening here, and hacking space and time through AR is how we're going to understand and make sense of it.

iSLAND of hOPE @ ISEA 2011 !!

2011-09-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

110 Stories Opening Party Interview with Brian August

2011-09-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

110 Stories Opening Party Interview with Brian August

U.S. Iraq War Memorial OPENING

2011-09-10T06:54:00.001-07:00

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts - Iraqi Memorial Exhibition

2011-09-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

iraqimemorial.org

Chuck Chaney, One Was Too Many, installation view, 2009

iraqimemorial.org

OPENS THIS Friday at 6:00, Craig and Mark
The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts - iraqimemorial exhibition
http://www.efanyc.org/iraqimemorial-exhibition/?SSScrollPosition=0

Mark in New York Post ^^

2011-09-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

I was in the New York Post

Wall Street Journal -- Grand Illusions on the Hudson An Upstate Sculpture Park Goes Virtual

2011-08-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Wall Street Journal !! http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424053111904332804576537092583736826-lMyQjAxMTAxMDMwMTEzNDEyWj.html -- I was an adviser on this project ^^

By VIBHUTI PATEL

Studio Daniel Libeskind/Architecture Omi

Images by Studio Daniel Libeskind are part of the new 'Augmented Reality' exhibit at the Omi International Arts Center, which offers digitally rendered structures as viewed through cellphones.

Who would expect an innovative, hi-tech architectural installation in Ghent, the tiny hamlet in the Hudson Valley? The bucolic area, which was fortunate enough to suffer only minor damage during Tropical Storm Irene this past weekend, is the host of a new permanent show, "Augmented Reality: Peeling Layers of Space Out of Thin Air." The exhibit is inaugurating the newest program at the Omi International Arts Center: Architecture Omi.

Curated by architect John Cleater, the site-specific show "located" on Omi's lush green meadows is invisible at first sight. But it springs alive on a viewer's smartphone when the device is held up to the designated site. As visitors wander the rolling acres, fanciful modernist installations pop up in the phone's frame via a downloaded application. There is no brick and mortar: Every "piece" designed with 3-D computer software is digitally built and uploaded to be viewed at its site, its image projected onscreen, literally "peeling layers of space out of thin air."

Augmented reality, unlike virtual reality, requires no goggles; it is accessible, via an "A/R" app designed by the Danish software company Layar, on any smartphone. For this unprecedented show, Architecture Omi asked prominent architects such as Daniel Libeskind and Vito Acconci to create 3-D installations to be overlaid onto Omi locations. The hi-tech visions appear as fully executed architectonic meditations, linking architecture with landscape and making ground-breaking technology an important component of the program.

View Full Image

Sebastien Franck

Kathleen Triem and Peter Franck of Omi Arts.

"Technology is the hero here," said Architecture Omi's program director, Peter Franck. "Our installations barely scratch the surface of the potential that could be realized through this experimental application." Extensively used in other fields such as navigation and medicine, A/R is new to architecture, making this project financially viable and environmentally noninvasive.

In February, the newly opened Architecture Omi named Mr. Franck, an architect with degrees from Columbia University and Pratt Institute, its director. Two years before that, he and his partner, Pratt graduate Kathleen Triem, had completed Omi's 4,300-square-foot Charles B. Berenson Visitors' Center and Art Gallery, the first LEED certified—that is, green—building in Columbia County. Boasting natural daylight, solar power and recycled materials, the building welcomes visitors to the Fields, the famed sculpture park that Ms. Triem and Mr. Frank designed and curated for seven years.

Omi International Arts Center, the brainchild of real-estate tycoon Francis Greenburger, began 20 years ago as Art Omi, a nonprofit artists' residency. It offers international artists, writers, musicians and dancers free room, board and studio space to hone their crafts in luxurious surroundings. It also arranges coveted networking possibilities, allowing visiting artists from some 80 countries to connect with professionals in their chosen fields.

In 1996, Mr. Greenburger hired Ms. Triem and Mr. Franck as Omi's resident directors and property managers of its 300 acres. Soon the campus also included the Fields Sculpture Park, a free outdoor public-exhibition space for which Mr. Greenburger acquired 16 large contemporary sculptures. "We were lucky to be here when Francis's idea was taking shape," Ms. Triem, who served as artistic director, said. "As curators, we selected works, did shows, figured out installations, expanded the collection to 90 pieces."

The Fields invites obvious comparisons with Storm King, Hudson Valley's older, grander prototype of a sculpture park. But Mr. Greenburger enunciated his own vision: "What differentiates us from Storm King—which has a fantastic modern collection—is that we're trying to be on the cutting edge of where sculpture is today." Mr. Franck added, "Storm King's permanent collection of established sculptors is a museum-like installation. We responded to their niche by consciously focusing on younger artists."

Mr. Greenburger, a hands-on manager who steers everything at Omi, gave his curators full artistic freedom, trusting their sensibilities while subtly making them aware of his own. They proceeded to create progressive multimedia installations such as "Sound in the Landscape" and "Photography in the Landscape," exhibited video pieces and large paintings outdoors and pushed the boundaries of outdoor sculpture with a focus on experimentation. Mr. Greenburger then commissioned the couple, long since married, to design Omi's Visitors' Center, which attracted more viewers and created an increased capacity for artwork.

Having accomplished many of their ideas, Mr. Franck and Ms. Triem moved on, and the Fields added to its ever-growing collection of sculptures under new direction. But Mr. Franck was lured back this year to head Architecture Omi, because, as he said, "its potential—linking art and architecture—excites me." Ms. Triem has remained on the institution's board, devising environmentally responsible strategies for the vast property. Now, with "Augmented Reality," the team is combing it all—the art, the design, the environmental awareness and the technological wonder. "'Peeling Layers,'" Mr. Frank said, "uses cutting-edge technology in ways not normally associated with architecture."

My ticket to JSA / DMZ on day of fighting between North and South Korea

2011-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Shown are my tickets to the JSA / DMZ dated same as North and South Korean fighting.

North and South Korea are currently at war which makes documentation of military locations mainly prohibited. This is for good reason. During my stay the 2 countries fought on the day of a trip I had scheduled to go the JSA DMZ. info here-

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/11/2011081100239.html
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/10/2011081002591.html
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/10/2011081002225.html

Dumbo Arts Festival 2011!

2011-08-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Dumbo Arts Festival 2011
the island
Mark Skwarek vs Alan Sondheim and Azure Carter

Live Augmented Reality Performance - take part! >
Sept 23th 6:30pm - 24th 6:00pm >
Location-
Dumbo NY, Brooklyn Bridge Park - Main St.

http://dumboartsfestival.com/category/outdoor/page/3/

‘증강현실’ 아티스트 스쿼렉 교수 실사에 가상 더해 ‘통일 뒤’ 그려

2011-08-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

‘증강현실’ 아티스트 스쿼렉 교수
실사에 가상 더해 ‘통일 뒤’ 그려

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/492594.html

Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project 2011 TRIP

2011-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Documentation of the 통일 한국의 프로젝트 / The Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project-

The Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project unites North and South Korea with augmented reality [AR]. The project evolved as I documented it. North and South Korea are currently at war which makes documentation of military locations mainly prohibited. This is for good reason. During my stay the 2 countries fought on the day of a trip I had scheduled to go the JSA DMZ. info here-
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/11/2011081100239.html
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/10/2011081002591.html
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/10/2011081002225.html

Photos of the actual DMZ are strictly prohibited for which reason I have
voluntarily removed augments in all prohibited photo locations so not to tempt someone to break these rules. The conflict between these countries is not a joke and posting the wrong image could endanger many peoples lives. If you ever go to visit these locations, go knowing that photos are mainly not allowed. Sadly this is not made clear by tour groups until the tour has begun [I asked multiple times beforehand and was give vague answers].
The shown picture is at a approved photo location. Directly behind this building is the DMZ. I chose to remove the South Korean outpost by turning it into part of the mountain [shown].
http://koreanunificationproject.wordpress.com/

This project is being developed by Mark Skwarek and uses erasAR technology.

Augmented Reality in North Korea!

2011-08-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

FRONT PAGE OF The Hankyoreh!!!!

2011-08-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

I was on the FRONT PAGE OF The Hankyoreh!!!! [Korean News Paper] today!!
http://www.hani.co.kr/

Me @ JSA Panmunjum DMZ, North South Korean Border

2011-08-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

standing in North Korea

Israel / Palestine Wall erased with Augmented Reality

2011-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON POST!! -- Augmented Reality Provides Glimpse At A United Korea

2011-08-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON POST!!!!

Augmented Reality Provides Glimpse At A United Korea

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ business/technology/augmented-reality-provides-glimpse-at-a- united-korea/2011/08/03/gIQAA54KsI_story.html

NEW YORK TIMES!! 110 stories

2011-08-12T18:56:00.001-07:00

NEW YORK TIMES!!!!!!!!! I'm an adviser on this project! http://tinyurl.com/3tzjdfcEdit

An App Puts the Twin Towers Back in Sight

NPR - BBC Interview!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-08-10T17:04:00.001-07:00

http://www.theworld.org/2011/08/smartphone-makes-korea-dmz-disappear/

_______________________________________________

Smartphone Makes Korea DMZ Disappear

By The World ⋅ August 4, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Audio: Play | Download

Korea's Demilitarized Zone before and after the use of a smartphone app (Photo: Korea Unification Project)

A new technology allows smartphone users to visualize Korea without its heavily fortified frontier between North and South. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the media artist behind the project, Mark Skwarek.

Read the Transcript
The text below is a phonetic transcript of a radio story broadcast by PRI’s THE WORLD. It has been created on deadline by a contractor for PRI. The transcript is included here to facilitate internet searches for audio content. Please report any transcribing errors to theworld@pri.org. This transcript may not be in its final form, and it may be updated. Please be aware that the authoritative record of material distributed by PRI’s THE WORLD is the program audio.

Lisa Mullins: Many Koreans dream of seeing the border between North and South free of weapons and checkpoints and walls and barriers. Well, soon they may be able to, at least, virtually. The Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project is being launched this month. The idea is to allow people to see an alternate reality when they look at the Demilitarized Zone that separates the Koreas. Michael Skwarek is developing the project. The New York based artist has a goal.

Michael Skwarek: To allow the general public, the Korean people, to view this location and show them what it could look like, or would look like, if the conflict was no longer taking place. I think of, possibly, older people who may never see a united Korea which is probably a very likely thing and then it would give them one last look, or something like that. It is what it is. We are not actually healing the border, so we are not making any broad claims. But, I think, what it wouldn’t do is, just sort of the idea in…we’re trying to go back to the idea of the unified Korea and maybe if…it’s keeping that fire alive, keeping the hope alive that something like this can come to pass soon.

Mullins: If I were standing at the border, what would we need to be looking at? I mean, what would we have in our hands?

Skwarek: You would have a smartphone; our mobile device. So this could be Android or iPhone. It would have to be a 3GS iPhone, or newer. You could stand there with this phone; you would load up the App. Then, what would happen is, you would hold it out in front of yourself and you would see the model appear in front of you. It would, sort of, cover over the fortifications, the obstructions in that space.

Mullins: So what’s there instead?

Skwarek: Nature, essentially. So, there would be a continuous valley instead of the obstacles which are dividing both North and South Korea. So, it’s an additive process as well.

Mullins: Well, what are you adding?

Skwarek: Sometimes, you would be adding trees. You would be adding, maybe, rice paddies; you could add natural topography.

Mullins: Can you pan with this?

Skwarek: Yes, you can. You would be able to stand in place and you could, sort of, pivot for the best results. We’d be standing in place holding the device in front of you like a looking glass – think that you’re looking through a magnifying glass or a looking glass. You’re using that Tablet or that smartphone as a looking glass, and you can pan back and forth and see the space. What you would see is bits of physical reality and then it would be mixed with these 3-D objects. So it’s kind of a collage – a 3-D collage of virtual 3-D computer-generated objects in the physical world.

Mullins: Really briefly, tell us about the part of this augmented reality.

Skwarek: What’s happening is, think of it the way we create our art is, we take these 3-D models and put them into physical space. So, it’s like using your computer, but it’s all around you, all the time. And it’s spatialized so I can walk around it and it can move with me. The way that we work, mainly, would be very similar to using a Google map. If people were to use a pin…you create a pin and a marker and place it on that map and say, I put a pin at my house. What we’re doing, or I’m doing, is actually putting a model there…instead of showing where my house is, I’m putting a model at a specific point in space. This software that we’re using will calculate the GPS and where that model is supposed to be located. And, you can actually go to that place, turn your phone on and then see the model; walk around it and view the art. What this basically allows us to do is, or allows me to do would be, to put art in places that would be very difficult to do using any other medium.

Mullins: That’s a fascinating project. We wish you the best on that. New Media artist, Mark Skwarek, who has developed the Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project that unites South and North Korea, at least with the use of a smartphone. Mark, thank you.

Skwarek: Thanks a lot.

Mullins: You can have a peek at the augmented reality of the Korean DMZ through our website, theworld.org. About an hour’s ride north of the DMZ, there’s a North Korean vacation resort that greets visitors with this music [music playing]. It’s a hearty welcome to a grand experiment between the North and South. That experiment is the Mount Kumgang Special Tourism Zone. It’s a complex of hotels, restaurants, paths and trails around Mount Kumgang. The resort was developed in the 1990′s by the South’s Hyundai Asan Company as a way to create economic ties. It’s attracted thousands of tourists from South Korea and brought millions of dollars into the North. But, 3 years ago, one of the many North Koreans soldiers posted at the resort, shot and killed a South Korean woman who strayed from the mountain path. South Korea retaliated by stopping all tourists. The North then seized control of the resort from Hyundai and threatened to sell South Korea’s assets. Now there’s a new development. Just yesterday, came news that a New York based company has signed a deal to operate tourists to Mount Kumgang in North Korea.

By the way, a couple of years ago, I got to spend the night at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. You can check out my story at theworld.org.

Copyright ©2009 PRI’s THE WORLD. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to PRI’s THE WORLD. This transcript may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior written permission. For further information, please email The World’s Permissions Coordinator at theworld@pri.org.

Korean Unification Project website

Beyond The Beyond --- Augmented Reality: WallbuildAR

2011-08-09T11:56:00.001-07:00

http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2011/08/augmented-reality-wallbuildar/

techcrunch.com --- Augmented Reality Provides Glimpse At A United Korea

2011-08-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/03/augmented-reality-provides-glimpse-at-a-united-korea/

wallbuildAR

2011-08-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

Distributed Collectives -- OPENING

2011-08-06T17:31:00.001-07:00

This is documentation of the Little Berlin opening 2011 which manifest.AR was a part of.
Some of the documentation focuses on my "Portable Islands" project. In the larger project I transform city vehicles into other objects. The first city department I am transforming is the NYC Sanitation department vehicles into floating islands. More specifically garbage trucks. For the little Berlin performance a mid sized car was chosen as a stand in for a garbage truck [my requests to the city of Philadelphia were rejected :( ]

Due to extreme last minute technical difficulties a shopping cart had to be used as a substitute for the car.
http://vimeo.com/27089509

Guerilla Science opens today!!!

2011-08-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Guerilla Science opens today!!!
Sander and I are showing in this... on Long Island
I lecture at 4:00- come see my Portable Islands!

View Larger Map

BBC interview today !!!!

2011-08-04T06:10:00.001-07:00

BBC interview today !!!! hear it on --- The World, a public radio show that airs on NPR stations across the US -- TODAY
Korean Unification Project-

boingboing -- Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project

2011-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project

Posted by David Pescovitz on Wednesday, Aug 3rd at 9:52am

Portable Islands Little Berlin Gallery Distributed Collectives Guerrilla Science Opens Friday!!!

2011-08-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Distributed Collectives

http://littleberlin.org/

Portable Islands --

2011-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Portable Islands __ Little Berlin __ Distributed Collectives __ Opens Friday!!!

The Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project -- Uniting Korea with Augmented Reality

2011-07-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project unites North and South Korea with augmented reality [AR]. The project tries to heal the scars left by years of conflict in the Korean peninsula by removing the Korean Demilitarized Zone [DMZ] and returning it to its natural state before Korea was divided. The public may view Korea as a unified country as it once was. The Korean Unification Project removes weapons, checkpoints, fortifications, barriers, walls, and all reminders of the ongoing conflict from the Korean landscape.

Images From EYEBEAM Creator's Project Lecture

2011-07-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Unveiling wallbuildAR @ EYEBEAM Lecture.

ErasAR @ Eyebeam Lecture

2011-07-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in DITS Art Magazine

2011-07-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'm in DITS Art Magazine!

"Not There"@ the Kasa Galeri in Istanbul opens today!

2011-07-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

"Not There"@ the Kasa Galeri in Istanbul opens today!

wallbuildAR launches at Eyebeam Lecture

2011-07-22T17:51:00.001-07:00

My new augmented reality project wallbuildAR launched yesterday at my Eyebeam Lecture.

iraqimemorial.org/

2011-07-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Vote for us! here
http://www.iraqimemorial.org/proposals_list.php?last=Freeman&first=John%20Craig&mode=vote&voted=5

File 1:

File 2:

1310998739US_-_Iraq_War_Memorial_seen_with_Augmented_Reality.mp4

Proposal Title: U.S./Iraq War Memorial, 07/18/2011, Other

Proposal Synopsis: The U.S./Iraq War Memorial is an augmented reality public art project and memorial, dedicated to the thousands of individuals who have died on both sides of the border. The public can simply download and launch the Layar Augmented Reality Browser app on their iPhone or Android and aim the devices’ camera at the landscape through out the northeastern United States. The application uses geolocation software to superimpose a single computer generated 3D graphic of a casket for each of the 52,036 recored deaths, enabling the public to see the caskets integrated into the physical location as if it existed in the real world. The location of the augmentations are based on data published by The Guardian of the Wikileaks Iraq war logs. The data points have then been offset based on the precise longitude and latitude difference between Baghdad and the Washington Mall in Washington D.C. This map indicates the location of the augmentation once the GPS offset has been applied. As far as we know, this might be the first war memorial to acknowledge losses on both sides.

Artist's Biography: Mark Skwarek is a new media artist working to bridge the gap between virtual reality and the real world by using augmented realities and multi-user online environments to bring a virtual context into physical space. He explores this intersection in both his private art practice as well as in academic research projects. John Craig Freeman is a public artist with over twenty years of experience using emergent technologies to produce large-scale public work at sites where the forces of globalization are impacting the lives of individuals in local communities.

Artist's Website: http://usiraqwarmemorial.wordpress.com/u-s-iraq-war-memorial/

huffingtonpost -- 110 Stories Project Promises To Show Twin Towers From Anywhere (VIDEO)

2011-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

I'm advising on this project-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/19/110-stories-project_n_900231.html

110 Stories Project Promises To Show Twin Towers From Anywhere (VIDEO)

Posted: 7/19/11 07:45 AM ET

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NEW YORK -- For years, Brian August was obsessed with looking at the World Trade Center.

Then 9/11 happened and August's focus shifted: he began imagining what the twin towers would look like from various spots around New York if they were still standing. Now he's trying to help the rest of us get the same view of the buildings that once defined this city's skyline.

Working with developers from the industrial design company [zero], August is planning a free iPhone app that will superimpose -- at scale, as it would have looked 10 years ago -- the World Trade Center for any user who points his or her phone at ground zero. To accomplish this, August is trying to raise $25,000 through a Kickstarter page he has set up. (He's already raised about half that amount.)

The app itself will do three things. It will orient the phone toward the site of the twin towers, render a pencil-like drawing of the buildings, and enable people to post and comment on the images they make with the app online.

August told The Huffington Post he hopes the app will prompt people to tell their stories about the World Trade Center. He remembers growing up and watching the twin towers reveal themselves as his dad drove him around in the car, and he remembers moving to Brooklyn a few years ago to find that his beautiful view of Manhattan felt severely lacking.

"I know that one day I'm going to be telling my kids or my nephew how big the towers were and it's going to be really difficult to describe," August said. "It's tough to appreciate when it's not a real spot anymore."

And that's the true goal of the 110 Stories project -- to recreate the view of the towers from 110 different places. August says if he can raise the money to launch the app in time for the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks this September, he'll spend up to the next two years working on a public art installation. He'll find 110 spots in the tri-state area from which the view of the towers used to be clear and build outlines of them, creating the illusion that they're still standing.

Story continues below

He's already done this once, as illustrated above, using a piece of copper tubing that his friend held up on his roof. Now, August, who has no prior experience with public art installations, hopes to move to a much bigger stage.

"I'm just a crazy person with an idea," he said.

Watch a video produced about the project below:

A Boston, la ville se visite en réalité augmentée

2011-07-15T07:20:00.001-07:00

A Boston, la ville se visite en réalité augmentée

La réalité augmentée transforme Boston en cyberville numérique

2011-07-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

La réalité augmentée transforme Boston en cyberville numérique

OMI opening

2011-07-11T16:26:00.000-07:00