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Virtual art in an “Unreal City” - 8th January 2021

"Unreal City", an art exhibition with a difference, is being curated along the south bank of London’s River Thames.

Herig: "You open the app, select ‘Unreal City’, go to life buoy number 1, and then view it. This artwork is by Koo Jeong A. It's called ‘Density’."

Featuring 36 sculptures created by world-renowned artists, the artwork is hidden in plain sight. It can only be viewed through an augmented reality phone app.

By scanning the QR codes on red buoys along the riverside walking tour, art fans can uncover the digital artworks.

Isabela Herig manages the marketing for exhibition curator Acute Art.

Herig: "This piece is quite interesting also because some of the elements of the table are interactive."

Coronavirus has seen most of the world's art galleries and museums shuttered. However, "Unreal City" allows the public a "dematerialised" method of appreciating art.

The exhibition has been curated by Daniel Birbaum. He recognises many lack easy access to large exhibitions and sees AR as a way of exposing them to art.

Birbaum: “One of the ideas has been to democratise art, to, in a way, make art visible in places where normally it's not visible. You know, I have nothing against traditional art fairs or museums of course, I spent my life working for such institutions. But then, you know, there are people who don't live in major capitals where there are big collections."