The subject of young people and encouraging them to vote has always been a much debated subject, with all sides trying to find way to motivate the younger generations to become more engaged. Now, a new way to inspire the next generation of voters has been revealed and it takes advantage of the power of augmented reality (AR) technology.
Passes by may have noticed a new mural that has appeared on a wall in Downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, a painting of two wings. What is special about this mural however is that when viewed using an app, the wings come to life in virtual space. The project is titled “18 in 2018” and has been created to inspire the younger generations to become engaged in voting but catching their attention with the latest technology.
“This age group, they enjoy and they love street art, and so, we wanted to connect the two. Come to their community and show them that by registering to vote, you can really take flight with your voice,” said Voter Education Director Gina Roberts. “We want to connect to every voter across the state. So, we’re looking at creating the mural, the take flight mural, and have it in a recordable format, so all of our county election officials can utilize that in their outreach efforts as well.”
When people stand in front of the mural and open up the app the wings come to life, allowing them to be at the center of a virtual experience which can then be shared across social media. This method of engaging is a creative way to bring the subject of politics and voting into the digital space, alongside art and community culture.
“The amazing thing about Augmented Reality is it allows you to do more storytelling, through the blend of technology and art,” said Benjamin Dveirin, who was one of the people involved with the project working on the technical side, bringing the wings to life via the Shazam app. “It’s developed with a QR code that then unlocks the experience,” said Dveirin. “A lot of different people will develop different types of QR codes, and then, all of that information that’s visual is locked away in a digital experience that can only be seen on your phone.”
In order to get the full virtual effect Phoenix muralist Lauren Lee had to paint the work multiple times to ensure that each stage of the virtual effect could be captured and delivered effectively. You can see the mural in motion in the below video that Lee posted to her Facebook page.
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First augmented reality mural in Arizona
thank you @riesteragency @evrgreen and your whole crew for the creative concept and all the behind the scenes with app @shazam to make this work. This mural was commissioned by @azcleanelections to motivate voters, especially the youth vote to register and be a part of our democratic process. Find everyone’s videos @18_in_2018 or #18in2018 See you tonight at First Fridays for the launch!
Posted by Lauren Lee on Friday, 4 May 2018
