Darabase is putting the “AR” into the Art of London initiative transforming Piccadilly Circus
Darabase has partnered with the Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA), Landsec, the Royal Academy of Arts and artist Isaac Julien CBE RA to create an Augmented Reality experience in Piccadilly Circus. The Piccadilly Art Takeover forms part of the new Art of London initiative that has transformed Piccadilly Circus and the surrounding area, bringing the work of five artists associated with the Royal Academy of Arts to the streets.
Isaac Julien CBE RA is taking over the Piccadilly Lights screen for his piece, Lessons Of The Hour – a poetic meditation on American abolitionist Fredrick Douglass, who spent two years in the UK and became legally free during his time here.
Trailers for the piece will show on the big screens throughout July and August, also promoting the AR destination with a QR code linking directly to Darabase’s WebAR site. The AR experience immerses the viewer in the original ten screen work, transporting the user to a virtual gallery space.
There will also be a full 30-minute screening taking place of the work on the Piccadilly Lights screen in August, for which Darabase is leveraging its unique Audio Sync technology, using AR computer vision on a user’s mobile phone to synchronise the large screen video with the audio streaming on the viewer’s personal device or headphones.
Isaac Julien CBE RA said, “The AR experience has been absolutely fantastic. The artistry which went into the formation of the AR is really meticulous and incredibly well done. Everyone I have shown it to has literally said Wow! Working with Darabase has been absolutely amazing.”
Mark Williams, Director of Destination Marketing at HOLBA and Director of Art of London added, “As London’s West End really opens back up for business, we saw a unique opportunity to work with Darabase as part of the Art of London initiative. AR is an innovative and effective tool to attract and engage visitors and we are thrilled with the experiences that have been developed through our partnership ”
Dominic Collins, CEO of Darabase commented, “It has been a true honour to work with Isaac Julien, his studio, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Heart of London Business Alliance to leverage Darabase’s platform to create such a special and transformative AR experience. I’m sure that it will surprise and delight thousands of visitors to Piccadilly Circus in the weeks to come.”
