The First Drop [2014]

Poster [A1–594mm x 841mm: paper, ink, augmented reality]

I am always curious about alternate venues for story-telling and have been researching augmented reality (AR) production for the last few years now. Only recently has it become feasibly available for the general public (and educators) to engage in. Given the implication for what this entails, The First Drop was an experiment to see what is possible with this platform, but also to see what role AR might play in my own narrative practice.

This was a two poster series undertaken as a collaborative effort between Dr. Mohana Rajakumar, myself, and several of her students to explore the narrative surrounding the discovery of oil in Qatar and augmented reality. Each poster depicts a relative time in the development of the oil industry the audience can scan and then interact with. We implemented Layar® as our means to create the augmented experience as it offers the easiest access to the designing and publishing of such materials.

The premise of the augmentation is fairly straightforward. Once an audience member has downloaded and installed the Layar app onto their smart phone or iPad, it is only a matter of scanning the posters to reveal the other layers of story embedded in the imagery. The implications are intriguing, with one successful application already underway using Layar to teach basic interface design and interactivity to a class of Juniors here in Qatar.

Project Acknowledgements

• Dr. Mohana Rajakumar, collaborator

• Arwa Safri, student

• Geetha Rajeswar, student

• Omar Ezzeldeen, student

Exhibition record: VCU in Qatar Faculty Exhibition: Strange Wonders.
14 April–06 May. Msheireb Enrichment Centre, Doha, Qatar