Educating the public on pollution via AR and VR
A new generation of artists tackle environmental issues using technology to innovatively depict the devastating effects of indiscriminate human consumption, writes
CREATING awareness on how badly our planet, especially the oceans, is being polluted is not something that is easy to do. A group of artists recently took this on as a challenge and organised a one-of-its-kind exhibition at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore to educate the public on how severe pollution is today.
Their initiative was also to inspire action towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which include creating sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production.
But what’s interesting about this exhibition, called MeshMinds 2.0: #ArtxTechforGood, is the way the artworks are being presented. As you walk into the exhibition gallery, you won’t see much of the typical displays except for some static artwork and a few large TV screens.
This is because the real artworks are in the virtual realm, and this is what makes the MeshMinds 2.0: #ArtxTechforGood one- of-its-kind.
There were more than 20 immersive multi-sensory experiences by these new generation of artists who are ready to tackle the toughest challenges facing the planet. All of the displays are interactive and you need to scan the QR Code and slip on the VR headset to see how the artists combine art and technology to tackle or create awareness on various environmental issues.
From stepping through a virtual portal to help clean a polluted ocean, or imagining the future of our cities through augmented reality, visitors take part in this ongoing conversation on sustainability through the lenses of technology and the arts.
The exhibition, organised by MeshMinds, a not-for-profit arts organisation that is focused on enabling sustainable development through creative technology, has opened visitors’ eyes to how bad the pollution issue is and the sustainability problems we are facing now.
These artists have been working with Apple products and technology (including the iPad, Mac, ARKit, and VR tools such as the HTC Vive) which have played a significant role in their creative journey and workflow as they developed their apps and augmented/virtual reality experiences.
One of the exhibits is called Our Ocean Life by Warrior9 VR. It shows pollution of the oceans from the huge amount of plastics thrown into them.
Warrior9 VR (@warrior9vr) is an immersive media company that specialises in making narrative experiences that are of high quality, easily accessible and designed for wide audiences. Based in Singapore, their work is imbued with Asian influences. They create their own projects, and also DPLMT’s The Mount That Keeps Growing comes to life on an iPhone.
work with organisations across industries who are open to solving problems with bold and imaginative immersive experiences.
Their works of art were created using MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Unreal Engine, and ARKit. To educate visitors on this issue, the artists use augmented reality technology to create an experience where visitors will be invited to step through a portal by wearing a VR head gear and uncover a story about the consequences of plastic pollution on marine life.
Once they put on the head gear, they will enter the virtual realm where they take a dive into the ocean full of plastic bottles. They are given a task to clean up the ocean by collecting as many plastic bottles as they can in the water as they dive.
Inspired by real events, this interactive experience aims to leave visitors with a sense of wonder about life beneath the waves, and emphasises why our actions matter more than we realise.
Visitors can also download Our Ocean Life on the App Store to use at home.
A group of artists and graphic designers who call themselves DPLMT (@dplmt_) created an interesting and colourful artwork called The Mount That Keeps Growing. It