‘ABSTRACTED’ is a new work which invites the viewer to explore the development of an abstract expressionist landscape painting through a touring Augmented Reality installation and associated iOS App.
The evolution of the painting is revealed, opening a window into the artist’s development process and allowing the public to become immersed in the physicality and psychology involved in abstract painting.
The audience discovers a blank canvas, which provides the anchor for a fascinating Augmented Reality exploration, in which ten hours of painting have been condensed into a five minute immersive experience. This unique and accessible work aims to demystify the process involved in the artist’s practice, whilst exploring how new technologies and fine arts can complement and amplify one another.
ABSTRACTED is a collaboration between Bristol based painter Sally Coulden, digital artist Scott Fletcher and immersive experience designer and developer Benjamin Walbrook.
The visual effects and QA was provided by the creative team at Zubr .
“ABSTRACTED is very much about providing accessibility to abstract art for all ages and bridging the gap between art and technology. The process of art making is often challenging to articulate verbally and within the work itself, and an abstract painter’s process is often scrutinised or suspected, just as it can also be for digital artworks. I hope this work helps to empower audiences by engaging them with the in-depth thought processes and ongoing decisions an artist has to make whilst painting.” – Sally Coulden
The ABSTRACTED iPad App will be available for free on the App Store in July to allow audiences to enjoy a scaled down version at home. Once social distancing rules allow, the piece will be on public exhibit in venues across Bristol.
ABSTRACTED is kindly supported by Arts Council England with further support from Bristol VR Lab and Collab Studios.
