An exhibition will be unveiled in December at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport that will showcase the work of New Hampshire artists and craftspersons using a virtual augmented reality app.
The exhibition — the first of its kind in the region — will use the Aery augmented reality app, which has been developed by Membit, a firm with offices in New Hampshire and New York City. Put together by the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts, the exhibition will feature 14 art pieces created by members of the League of NH Craftsmen, as well as show the history and cultural significance of the league, which has long been recognized as one of the nation’s foremost fine crafts organizations since its founding nearly 90 years ago.
Augmented reality is a digital tool that allows the work on view in the display cases to be “digitally placed” at public locations around the airport, including beyond security, where passengers wait for their flights to depart. With augmented reality, there are no physical constraints or restrictions of space, security or installation logistics. The tangible objects from the League of NH Craftsmen will be displayed in the area of the airport where people check in for flights, wait for passengers to arrive and retrieve their baggage.
Even more significantly, the virtual exhibition will extend beyond the airport through the Aery app, which allows users to interact with New Hampshire art and crafts in any location where there is access to Wi-Fi.
The Business Committee for the Arts said it hopes to showcase the state’s creative economy by bringing together art, commerce, technology and cultural tourism through the exhibition.
“Augmented reality is still in early days, but it’s clear that overlaying the world with digital content using this emerging technology is going to grow,” said Karina Mitchell, the Concord-based vice president of the Aery project and an artist herself. “It excites me to be able to collaborate in New Hampshire with forward-thinking partners to introduce the magic of creative applications of AR to our local businesses and communities.”
— JEFF FEINGOLD
