The Danger Tree

In Manchester this pm for meetings, interspersed with sorting out work stuff via e-mail on my i-pad. Modern technology means I can work from anywhere these days.

After all that  I decided to walk up to St Peters Square to take a few shots whilst it was vaguely light (vaguely being the operative term when I got there), using my camera on manual mode. I am having another go at the on-line AYWMC course, and determined to stick to it this time. But this technical stuff is challenging, for me at least.

Having done that very quickly (not the best light) I popped into the Central Library to have a look at The Danger Tree exhibition. I was told I had to wear headphones and was given an i-pad to use, as I would be entering the world of augmented reality. To quote, "collaborating under the banner Maven Art, Scarlett Raven and Marc Marot are acknowledged to be amongst the world's first augmented reality fine artist, deconstructing the process of painting via the mediated realities of modern technology".


As my head was full of work stuff, and how to operate a camera in manual mode, suddenly plunging into augmented reality and the Battle of the Somme via headphones and ever changing digital images (not to mention lots of startlingly patterned oil paintings) was a bit of a system shock.  I shall have to come back and give it a more considered look. 

The title of the exhibition is taken from a petrified tree, the only one to survive the  Great War in a mid point location in "No Man's Land". The Newfoundland Regiment assembled there and were cut to pieces on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

The blip: the idea is you point the i-pad at each painting, click  and then look at the painting, look at the ever changing images on the i-pad, and listen to the soundtrack. All very immersive. And patterns everywhere, so thanks to Ingeborg for Abstract Thursday.