Dance with flARmingos, Gallery Protocol, September 11, 2015 - October 23, 2015

Dance with flARmingos is a hybrid art and curatorial project by Kristin Lucas, featuring works by: Eteam, Peter Baldes, Shamus Clisset, Ben Coonley, Brenna Murphy, Eva Papamargariti, Will Pappenheimer, Mark Skwarek, Jack Stenner, and Giselle Zatonyl.

List of Works

View Dance with flARmingos images from Gallery Protocol.

PDF documenting Works

Dance with flARmingos was developed for the grounds of Gallery Protocol in Gainesville, FL. The exhibition opened September 11, 2015 and ran through October 23, 2015.

Lucas invited a group of media artists engaged in a variety of virtual 3d practices to submit Augmented Reality 'sculptural' works, organized around the theme of Terraforming. Drawing parallels between the phantom-presence of Augmented Reality and equally intangible notions of 'The Future', she prompted contributing artists to envision the future of Land Art and of land use, particularly in Florida (as the site of the exhibition, and given its eccentric past uses, and unique susceptibility to Climate Change). Participants were asked to "virtually terraform" the grounds surrounding the gallery "into the likeness of their choosing or as altogether new realities", free from the constraints and practicalities of an endeavor of this magnitude in the physical realm.

These digitally rendered works were then geolocated as virtual augmentations onto the landscape, where visitors viewed and interacted with them via their personal electronic devices (i.e. smartphones, tablets, etc.). Using the in-app features of Layar's free augmented reality app, viewers could take screenshots of the works and post them to social media accounts. Hashtags included: #danceprotocol #flarmingos #dancewith flarmingos

Thomas Storey was commissioned to develop the open source webserver software tool, Nayar. The project is built using Layar and Nayar.

Dance with flARmingos, 2016 Queens International, Queens Museum, NYC, April 1 - July 31, 2016

Dance with flARmingos is hybrid art and curatorial project organized by Kristin Lucas, featuring works by 21 artists.

View Dance with flARmingos AR Tour and Raffle album, July 2016.

As a part of the Queens International 2016, Lucas expanded the project, collaborating with 21 national and international artists to create 3D augmented reality works that were geolocated to different locations in and around the Queens Museum and Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Lucas prompted each artist to create a virtual work envisioning the future of Land Art and land use. By using digital tools to envision physically improbable scenarios, the artists have produced haunting new realities that provoke broader conversations about culture, social issues, climate change and environment.

Participating artists: Morehshin Allahyari, Peter Baldes, Shamus Clisset, Ben Coonley, Eteam, Lily & Honglei Art Studio, Kristin Lucas, Rosa Menkman, Brenna Murphy, Eva Papamargariti, Will Pappenheimer, Tabita Rezaire, Alfredo Salazar-Caro, Rick Silva, Mark Skwarek, Jack Stenner, Thomas Storey, V5MT, Miyo Van Stenis, and Giselle Zatonyl

List of Works

Note: The day the documentation was recorded there was poor phone reception in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. I need to return to document two works in the show.

In "Dance with flARmingos" the flamingo acts as embassador and concierge to the project. Both the consummate showman and the embattled victim of environmental neglect, it is the act of scanning an image of this paradoxical bird that launches the augmented reality exhibition.

Additional information:

The American flamingo has had a phantom presence in Florida for the past one hundred years after being hunted to near extinction for its eggs, plumes, and meat, yet perversely images of this charismatic colorful wading bird flourish in tourism and fashion industries. Over the past few years a small flock has returned to the protected wetlands of the Everglades, and flamingo populations worldwide are on the rise; a positive outcome of global conservationist efforts. However, human activity has made all flamingo species more vulnerable than ever before, as anthropogenic disturbance, habitat destruction, and climate change threaten to diminish their natural habitats.

Visitors can access the virtual sculptures via Layar, a free Augmented Reality camera app that can be downloaded onto any smartphone. Once the app is downloaded use the instructions on the map to locate each work!