ANAT Portable Worlds (2nd ed) Proposal: Ian Gwilt 2007 Sydney Australia

save_as: mobile mixed reality installation
Augmented sculpture: acrylic ,300mm x 250mm x 150mm wall mounted, 1.5m diameter interaction space, mobile video phone or PDA, Software

Introduction: save_as is a mixed reality mobile installation which combines a physical gallery space with enhanced digitally content, triggered through the use of mobile technologies. In this artwork two upturned Perspex models which appear as enlarged sculptural representations of the folder icons you would normally encounter on a computer desktop interface can be seen attached to a gallery wall. A PDA with video camera attachment or windows mobile allows the viewer to observe the virtual contents of the folders which comprises of overlaid virtual texts randomly linking common software commands with personal pronouns.
wall mounted folder artifacts – laser cut Perspex

Description: the creative repositioning of the GUI in the save_as mixed reality mobile installation plays with our understanding and expectations of the conventional computer interface, where computer icons no longer function as navigational devices and are disenfranchised from the usual desktop metaphor through changes in context, scale and media type. The sculptural folders overlaid virtual texts randomly link common software command texts such as ‘save’, ‘cut’, ‘paste’ and ‘delete’, with pronouns including ‘him’, ‘her’, ‘them’, etc. to create word combinations like “save me’, ‘cut him’ and ‘delete her’. These word combinations question our relationship with these everyday technologies and activities

Background on augmented reality (AR) techniques: Existing AR experiences use graphic markers that are easily recognised by image processing software to trigger augmented content to appear. The save_as installation is an experiment in developing an addition to the ARtoolkit developed by the hitlabNZ that will recognise physical objects as markers for augmented content. Additionally the intention of the work was to run the project using mobile technologies, not video glasses or head mounted displays. It is envisaged that the work would also serves as a model to demonstrate how a combination of AR digital content and physical objects can be used to engender cross media experiences and facilitate extended narratives and layered readings around a cultural or artist scenario.

The artwork was completed in August 2007 and displayed at The Powerhouse Museum's Beta_space venue in Sydney for a 2 week period as a part of the artist’s composite installation entitled mundane traces http://www.betaspace.net.au/ This was the first public showing of the artwork and allowed for a technical evaluation of the piece and the results incorporated into future editions of the work. It should be noted that the artwork ran successfully for 2 weeks and coped with heavy audience participation.

mundane traces Beta_space installation August 2007
cut his save her open them close her Find me complete us
testing folder artifacts - laser cut Perspex

Short artist biography: Ian Gwilt is a Digital Artist and program director of Visual Communications at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. He is also the co-director of the Creativity and Cognition Studios in Sydney. He holds an MA in Interactive Multimedia, conferred by the University of Balears (UIB) Spain, and the Royal College of Art (RCA) London, and in the last 10 years has shown interactive art installations and digital print work at numerous international new media events and galleries.

test graphic

Equipment required in the display of the work: The artwork requires one or two mobile smart video phones running mobile windows. Two Acrylic artifacts are supplied by the artist ((220mm x 80mm by 80mm deep). These need to be mounted centrally on a clean white surface a minimum of 1.25m x 1.2m. The work requires a constant light source but can be calibrated to operate in bright or semi lit environment. It is possible to run the work with one mobile device using one folder object.
Current project collaborators (institutions):
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