After reflecting upon my questionnaire responses, I attended an exhibition at the Royal Standard as part of the Cognitive Sensations’ series of exhibitions. I chose to attend this exhibition, due to the reference to augmented reality.
My brief experience with AR caused me to pursue other examples of artists experimenting with AR. Artists Ash/Ella used augmented reality in their exhibition “A Questionable Companionship”, in order to show the unlikely relationship of worms to humans. One aspect that I found particularly engaging, is the fusion of the virtual with the physical. Visitors could hold their phone up to the artworks, and allow the pieces to come to life and become animated.
In my previous augmented reality filter of a brain tumour, it was a standalone piece that was unconnected to my other art pieces and offered as a souvenir from my virtual exhibition. However, once visiting this exhibition, I became fascinated with how I can connect AR to my physical artworks. Bridging these two worlds proposes a fascinating dialogue and new ways of seeing.
I wanted to bring this dialogue within my art pieces. Based on my research into intra-operative imaging within medicine. I found that this could be a fascinating aspect to explore, particularly based on research into the substance Gleolan. Recent research has found an optical imaging agent that highlights tumour cells for tumour resection surgery. By applying ultra-violet light during surgery, tumour cells light up a magenta colour. To insight this colour change, patients drink the Gleolan substance before going into surgery.
I wanted to replicate this, by allowing visitors to image a tumour for themselves by using their phones. Through using AR visitors could hold their phone up to my brain sculpture, and it would reveal the location of a brain tumour through glowing a magenta colour.
I began conducting some preliminary research into creating an AR filter, and using the function of object tracking. Based on my previous experience of the software Spark AR and the connection to Instagram. I found this to be the most suitable software, as there were a multitude of tutorials with no coding experience needed. I also found the connection to Instagram was useful for when I want to share my AR filter to Instagram; thus, allowing visitors to easily access the AR filter through Instagram.
After watching this tutorial, I first started creating a digital illustration of a purple brain, based on an image I found online. I then coloured in an area of the brain in magenta, to echo the tumour location.
Once I had created the digital illustration based from a pre-made image of the brain, I then went into Spark AR to create a fixed target tracker, so that when my camera identified an image of the pre-made brain, the Gleolan brain would appear as though the visitor could investigate the brain and reveal the tumour.
After creating this AR filter and testing it out on my phone through Spark AR app, I found that it worked by fixing the Gleolan brain to the image of the brain; however, I would prefer for it to stick more to the brain and not hover around too much. Overall, this test proved favourable and something that I aim to pursue for my exhibition, by having it work on my 3D printed brain.