Hummingbird: Illustrated Menagerie AR Scavenger Hunt

This virtual treasure hunt exhibition formed as part of We Shine Portsmouth 2022 Festival of Art and Light. It featured thirty five illustrations of animals that were strategically installed at given locations throughout three distinct public sites within Portsmouth, UK, namely Victoria Park, St. Mary’s Church and Alexandra Park, according to a trail which aimed to take the viewer through, and interact with, every artwork.

Through the use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology, the exhibition enhanced prints of the artwork by incorporating digital media such as animation, sound, moving image and film, triggered by viewing the work through an app, and creating an interactive and immersive experience aimed at fostering a deeper level of engagement with the artwork. The free app enabled viewers to unlock the full potential of the illustrations, allowing the animals to ‘come to life’ and enter the viewer’s space. Some of the works were immersive and could be explored by the viewer moving around inside and through the artwork. One artwork could react to the viewer’s proximity and as it was approached it would trigger a sound. Each piece was assigned a map reference, and the clues to the locations were delivered as part of the AR layer for each artwork scanned.

We Shine, Portsmouth Creates’ Art & Light Festival, drew 90,000 attendees. The three day non-profit event engaged 30 local groups and offered free creative workshops to 2500 local people. www.weshineportsmouth.co.uk

Illustrated Menagerie is a collection of illustrated animals established in 2012 and curated by Nicola Hay, Senior lecturer for BA (Hons) Illustration, University of Portsmouth School of Art, Design and Performance.
www.illustratedmenagerie.blogspot.com