presentation of two-year development process of AR app

The Swamp Observatory Gotland. Research File by Urbonas Studio unfolds two-year development process of the artwork, and is presented at the Out of the Sky, Into the Earth exhibition at the Gotland Art Museum, curated by Edi Muka, curator at Public Art Agency Sweden, in collaboration with Helena Selder, artistic director of BAC.

The Swamp Observatory Gotland consists of an Augmented Reality environment available on mobile devices and online. The future reality of the Visborg plain is enriched with imaginary, as yet unknown species – eco-monsters as the artists call them – that have been created together with pupils from the Athene School in Visby. Through QR codes, visitors can activate the experience and follow the monsters as they interact with each other and guide visitors around the secrets of the swamp to discover ‘shadow biosphere.’

The museum space presents Translation process of the Eco-monsters (Indigo print on paper), design in collaboration with Indrė Umbrasaitė, and script with Kristupas Sabolius, 2022.

The Swamp Observatory. Reference Library (Indigo print on paper) consists of 121 images of local, cultural, historical, botanical, geological and mythological references collected in the process of developing the artwork. Design in collaboration with Gailė Pranckūnaitė, 2022

The Swamp Observatory. Mise-en-scènes (curtains) serve as backgrounds for the AR experience of individual eco-monsters. Design in collaboration with Indrė Umbrasaitė. Digital print on Fabric, 2022

The Swamp Observatory. Trailer gives a glimpse into the moods of five compositions of the AR environment: Carbon Coral, Methane Cloud, Atom Ring, Sulfur Swarm and Phosphorus Moss. Unity programming by Terry T Kang and Thomas Harriett; Sound mixing by Mouse on Mars based on sampling by pupils at the Athene school; Video editing by Gabrielė Urbonaitė. Unity transfer to HD video, 2:15 min, 2022