Why did we start it? We, as artists, felt a deep commitment to using our creative abilities in times of conflict and chaos, to help navigate through them. Art has a unique power to convey complex realities and translate them in a way that speaks to everyone, while still maintaining hope amidst the darkness. It is our role as artists not just to observe but also to act, to bring our voices into the fight for understanding, empathy, and change.
Why AR? Augmented Reality (AR) is our chosen medium because it allows us to step out of traditional artistic spaces and into the public sphere, where dialogue with society can occur on multiple levels, creating new encounters and augmenting new understandings. By integrating AR into our art, we bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, enabling us to share our reflections and translations of reality in a completely new way, engaging the senses in the digital encounter while our bodies remain in the physical space. AR also gives us a unique opportunity to challenge and transform the way we perceive and interact with our surroundings.
Many streams make a big river. The ARTWP project is a creative powerhouse where artists from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to create digital AR art that reflects and generates new reflections on the theme of war and peace and the complexity of understanding this theme. Through a fusion of visual, digital, instrumental, virtual, auditory, written, and scenographic elements, we explore the many nuances of war and peace, creating a work that speaks to the heart of the human experience.