Art goes virtual with City Unseen
Snap! Orlando’s app turns city into museum for smartphone users.
Some traditionalists might argue that technology and art are mutually exclusive. Others, like Snap! Orlando, are discovering innovative new ways to combine the two.
The local gallery has found a way to preserve previously destroyed public works of art, introduce new ones and make them more interactive and accessible from the palm of your hand.
City Unseen is an art installation that merges traditional art forms with augmented reality technology to create a public, always-accessible installation throughout Orlando.
There are currently nine digital artworks available for viewing around the city by anyone with a mobile device who downloads the City Unseen app.
Snap! Orlando Director Patrick Kahn, who created the project, said it’s essential to stay on top of the latest technology.
“It is very important that the art doesn’t fall behind and that we, as a city and as an art organization, are not left behind,” Kahn said. “It’s almost like having a museum throughout the city. That’s the idea.”
Behind Snap! Orlando on East Colonial Drive, visitors can find a digital rendition of a mural from German artist Mark Gmehling. It pays homage to the Mills 50 work that was destroyed when water damaged a building next door.
On Mills Avenue, across the street from Hawkers Asian Street Fare, cellphone-wielding art fans can see a resurrected mural from French artist JR’s Inside Out project. The collection of portraits celebrating DACA students came to live on that wall in November 2017 only to be washed away in January 2018.
Through the augmented reality version, the subjects of several of the portraits, such as Italia Rico, a Rollins College student, tell their stories in video form. She said it’s exciting to see the mural live on in a new and different way.
“Now it’s back, and I feel like it’s back to life,” Rico said. “You can even listen to our stories – all the struggles that we’ve gone through, but also how motivated we are, no matter what happens.”
Rico said it can be challenging at times to live in a place where she’s not accepted as a full citizen.
“You feel that you’re not a citizen, you’re not a resident, you’re really nothing, but I’ve been here for 20 years,” Rico said. “It’s like, this is my home, no matter if I was born in Colombia.”
More interactive pieces can be found throughout downtown Orlando, in Winter Park and Thornton Park. In one location, you can even “walk” through an artist’s studio.
Kahn said that while nine installations are a good starting point, the project will experience a lot of growth in the coming years.
“We wanted to create a permanent installation that will spawn throughout the whole city, little by little,” Kahn said. “By the year 2020, we’ll have 20. That will probably give enough weight to have a real destination with public art and augmented reality.”
Some users experienced technical glitches during the public walk, but Kahn assured everyone that the bugs would be smoothed out.
“This is the 1.0. We may encounter a couple of glitches here and there,” Kahn said. “But we shouldn’t wait until the technology is absolutely perfect to start. I think this is going to be here for quite a while.”
Information about City Unseen and the apps are available at cityunseen.us. Want to get in touch? You can find me on Twitter @PConnPie, Instagram @pconnpie or send me an email: pconnolly@orlando sentinel.com.