July 28, 2021 – Darabase, a provider of an augmented reality (AR) advertising platform that allows brands and advertisers to manage and monetise AR permissions in the physical world, has recently announced that it partnered with the Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA), Landsec, the Royal Academy of Arts and artist Isaac Julien, to create an AR 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.
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.”
Isaac Julien CBE RA is taking over the Piccadilly Lights screen for his piece,’ 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 there.
Commenting on the initiative, Julien 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.”
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 viewers in the original ten screen work, transporting users 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 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.
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.”
Darabase first announced in December last year that it was working to test the use of advanced AR technology to connect the iconic screen in London’s Piccadilly Circus to audiences and trigger interactive 3D experiences. For more information on Darabase and its platform for immersive augmented reality outdoor media, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: Darabase / Vimeo
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.