Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has unveiled an augmented-reality (AR) experience for members of the public and visitors to enjoy.
Stunning augmented reality graphics have been installed outside the RAD’s HQ in Wandsworth, London, to bring the traditional art form of ballet outside and into the wider community.
The augmented reality graphics see professional ballet dancers Dan Harrison and Genevieve Heron dance fleetingly on the building’s forecourt, transforming the outside space into an immersive stage.
Augmented reality graphics (ARG) are graphics that appear in a live view of a physical, real-world environment in which computer-generated input augments reality.
The public can bring the dancers to life using their smartphones. By scanning the QR codes that feature on the designs, visitors enter the augmented digital world and watch each dancer turn and jump before their very eyes.
This augmented reality experience is part of the RAD’s flagship event The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition which comes to London 1-8 September. The competition brings together the finest young dancers from around the globe for a week of dance at RAD’s HQ and culminates in an exciting final at His Majesty’s Theatre in the West End of London on September 8.
This augmented reality experience creates a new opportunity for the public and passers-by to experience the joy and wonder of this prestigious dance event.
Commenting on the installation, Alexander Campbell, Artistic Director of the RAD, said, “As part of The Fonteyn celebrations, we wanted visitors and passers-by to have the opportunity to engage with the art form of ballet in a new and exciting way. For viewers, the augmented reality graphics create the illusion that dancers are moving in front them – it feels as though they are dancing in the same space that you’re standing. I have enjoyed watching this come to life, and I hope that as many people as possible will come and visit us at our beautiful HQ, to enjoy this experience!”
This experience is not only an example of inventive design use of the RAD HQ’s exterior. It also shows the juxtaposition of combining a traditional art form with modern digital technology and how together, the two can attract new audiences to the world of dance.
The installation is available to view from now until 15 September.
