Running from October 21 until November 6 along the breathtaking Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk in Sydney, Australia, Sculpture by the Sea Bondi is the world's largest annual, free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture display, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
Created with our world-leading AR technology, Melbourne-based artist Mond Qu has imagined a spectacular, gleaming AR artwork that interacts with the environment and extends his on-site sculpture, titled ‘Chasing the Sun’, high into the sky and surrounds. The experience blends the physical realm with the digital, in an unmissable highlight of Sculpture by the Sea Bondi, as the event celebrates its 25th exhibition.
Mond Qu’s large-scale sculpture, installed in the sand at Tamarama beach, features over 1,000 glimmering circular light reflectors in a geometric design which scatters sunlight in diverse directions to create a dazzling display that changes as the sun rises and falls.
Using Snapchat, visitors to Sculpture by the Sea Bondi can unlock an augmented reality lens which transforms ‘Chasing the Sun’ into an interactive artwork. With the integration of ray-tracing technology, which allows for digital objects to interact with accurate lighting and reflections of real world objects in real time, the lens uses the sun to create different experiences depending on the time of the day. With an AR overlay, ‘Chasing the Sun’ becomes a fully immersive experience that tracks the arc of the sun as it moves through the sky, and allows exhibition visitors to build on and expand the sculpture into the landscape around them.
Those who can’t make it to Sydney can also experience the magic of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi and ‘Chasing the Sun’, through a global Snapchat AR lens also developed in collaboration with Mond Qu. Using ground and surface tracking, this lens lets Snapchatters anywhere in the world place the sculpture into their own environment, scaling the work to fit on a table, the floor or in any location in their surroundings, so they can chase the sun wherever they are.
Multi-dimensional artist, Mond Qu: “Working with Snapchat has given me the opportunity to take my "Chasing the Sun" artwork into another dimension to create a unique blend of interactive project and sculpture, which portrays our profound connection with light. The sculpture consists of two complementary facets: the physical and the digital. This allows exhibition visitors to navigate through time effortlessly with their fingertips, witnessing the sculpture's transformation throughout the day.”
David Handley AM, Founding CEO & Artistic Director of Sculpture by the Sea: “We have always championed artists working at the cutting edge of their craft, those testing the possibilities of materials and technology so bringing together Snapchat, the global leader in AR, with Mond Qu, felt like an incredible opportunity to deliver a new and innovative experience to our visitors for the milestone 25th exhibition this year.”