The Impact of Technological Visual Techniques upon Developing Contemporary Murals

Abstract

Mural painting is considered one of the most ancient arts in history, and despite its various methods, techniques and eras, it has been always a way of expressing opinions and presented dedication to the working classes, thus inhabiting and adorning the streets. Fine Arts have long been associated with science, and the 20th century had witnessed a huge scientific boom that affected the entity, shape and concept of artistic production. Also huge technological developments took place in the 21st century, thus affecting all aspects of modern life, including Fine arts that welcome all social alternations. Few years ago a new expression titled “Augmented reality” was coined. It is a type of developing technological application that combines the real physical world with computer generated images and information, Thus creating a new reality which represents a collaboration between physical reality and virtual reality. The year 1990 marked the beginning of this kind of new and integrating technology that was first developed by “US” air forces, which then worked as a platform that lead to more advanced applications including “virtual reality” and “Augmented reality”. Recently, the last is used in educational, entertaining and artistic fields, especially in the field of “visual” arts. Mural painting is largely affected now by this technological rise, and one can now experience and taste any work of art through his bare eyes or through “AR “ technology, that is made in collaboration between the artist and a specialized tech company. A viewer is allowed to point his cell phone and start an “Active view” where visual effects resurface upon the mural, adding a whole new perspective, and altering the silent work firmly attached to the wall, into an animated piece that is interactively alive and termed an “Augmented Mural”. All this attempts aspire achieving a profound connection between art and technology, thus enriching artistic experiments, and engaging pedestrians who are firmly attached to their cell phones and are blocked away from the real world.

Keywords

• augmented reality- new applications- augmented murals; computers-active mode-digital life- virtual artist- digital festivals