Augmented Reality Graffiti and Street Art - Augmented Reality Art - page 187

Fig. 11.2 Two works by Shannon Novak, Transcription -36.848264,174.762129 (2013) [L],
Manhattan Phrase Site 4: 40.737755, -73.997383 (2013) [R] (Images reproduced courtesy of the
artist)

or step back to see the whole piece. However, unlike painting or a conventional
piece of street art, the viewer can move through the layers, giving the impression of
being inside the artwork. With these AR works the artists are very much concerned
with rethinking the use, perception and boundaries of public space and they adopt
mobile AR technologies to allow people to experience the urban landscape and their
relationship with it in a different way.

11.5.2 Case Study Two: Shannon Novak

Shannon Novak describes himself as a synesthete, someone who can see colours and
sounds in everyday objects. In many ways AR is the perfect medium for a digitally
informed artist who can pick up on the resonances and cross-references between
digital media forms. Novak's AR work builds a relation between compositions of
staccato notes and geometric forms to not only create a discourse between audio and
image, but also between digitally generated content and the physical environments
that they are mapped onto (Novak 2013 ).
Novak describes his work as compositions for objects and spaces, and he uses
the sides of buildings, public parks and street signage as canvases for his work
(Fig. 11.2 ). However, these real-world artifacts and spaces are more than simply
placeholders for virtual content, as the digital audio/visual animations that make up
Novak's work are created specifically for each location. Each site is considered from
a number of perspectives, which include the physical geometry, the surrounding
environment, and other socio-cultural and operational connotations that might
be associated with the place. These factors are then used to inform animations
consisting of formal compositions of abstract geometric symbols, colour and music,
which unfold over the virtual surface of the physical location or artifact.