HEATHER DUNAWAY SMITH - 2022
Heather Dunaway Smith is an XR interactive artist, illustrator, animator, and musician, who blends storytelling, animation, sound design, interaction design, and the physical world into immersive art experiences.
Heather is interested in blurring the line between art and audience by creating experiences where the participant is the protagonist. She was an Adobe’s AR artist-in-resident in 2020 and has created numerous innovative award-winning apps, mobile games, immersive museum exhibits, and interfaces for AI art experiments.
Her VMF Winter Arts 2022 installation, “The Kal-I-doscope”, echoes the surrounding world but also turns the mirror toward the audience and hands them the controls.
As she states in her Artist Statement: “the digital and physical worlds are merging, forming a new mixed reality where anything is possible. People's surroundings and personal expression will be completely customizable, instantly adapting to different styles, situations, and audiences. This fluidity and potentiality will likely change the very nature of identity. Built for selfies, The Kal-I-doscope is both inward and outward-looking. Part 1 of The Kal-I-doscope is focused on the face, while part 2 is a world-based experience that projects pieces of the audience onto the world around them.”
Experience her AR installation at the Winter Arts Hub (February 11-27).
VMF: How did you get into digital art?
HDS: I started out as a playwright and songwriter, but ended up working in computers. While working at Apple, I discovered there was a new type of storytelling - one where the audience could contribute to the work, rather than just being a passive observer. So I went back to school and got a degree in Interactive Multimedia and I’ve been designing websites, apps, and games for the last 16 years.
Three years ago I discovered that the AR software landscape had radically changed and that I could create by myself experiences that would have required an entire team of developers. I knew it was the evolution of storytelling, so I left my job as the lead artist at a game studio and I’ve been pursuing XR art full time ever since. Soon after, Adobe found me and I became an AR art resident. More recently, Snap gave me the opportunity to be one of the first people to design for their AR glasses. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be exploring this new medium!
VMF: Tell us more about your AR piece. What inspires you when creating an experience like this?
HDS: What is a "real" identity? Is it what we people are born with, what they reflect from the world around them, or what they choose? Will the ability to change the presentation of the surrounding world become yet another layer of identity? My AR piece, The Kal-I-doscope, reflects all of these possibilities in a full-body, AR sculpture.
VMF: What is the best way for people to enjoy your AR piece?
HDS: You begin by walking through a series of archways that lead you to the base of the Kal-I-doscope. From there, you scan the QR code with your phone and launch the experience.
The first half is focused on the participant’s face. Shards of their own reflection as well as pieces of the surrounding world swirl around them. They are then offered the chance to customize the presentation to better reflect their preferences. The second half of the experience is focused on the world. There are two separate AR entry points on the back wall of the Kal-I-doscope. When you switch your camera to point at them, they launch another AR sculpture that contains a series of self-reflective questions.
The AR sculpture both reflects the surrounding physical world and also adds pieces of the participant’s face to it. The result is a mesmerizing kinetic mandala, where it’s difficult to discern what is “real” and what is augmented.
“The VMF Winter Arts festival has composed an excellent team of artists and creators to foster and support the new generation of XR artists.
It was really exciting to be part of a group that is actively trying to push the boundaries of this emerging medium.”
— Heather Dunaway Smith
From February 11-27, you can experience Heather Dunaway Smith’s AR installation at the Winter Arts Hub, a free, all-ages, licensed open-air venue located at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
AR artwork supported by Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association
Follow @winterartfest on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) for updates on VMF Winter Arts 2022.
Presenting Sponsor: Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association
