VU Hive Lab brings artwork to life in augmented reality

The Victoria University Hive Lab has collaborated with local artist Steven Tran on a new exhibition at Footscray Community Arts, creating an app that turns his artwork into an augmented reality (AR) experience.

The exhibition, BOLDER, celebrates visibility and individuality through Tran’s abstract and colourful drawings and paintings.

The VU Hive Lab – a multi award-winning software development and design studio located at VU’s Footscray Nicholson Campus – worked with Tran to take the sensory experience of his work into new realms.

“We collaborated directly with Steven to create the Bolder AR app. We met every week for the last few months so that Steven could work directly with our team and advise us on how to bring his creative vision to life," says Kati Elizabeth, Product Manager at VU Hive Lab.

“Our VU Hive Lab mixed reality developer Ben Monoghan says it is his favourite mixed reality project he has ever worked on due to how fun and experimental Steven is as a collaborator.”

A bold, dream-like vision

The exhibition builds on Tran’s first solo exhibition, BOLD in 2021, using delightful patterns and altered perspectives to take viewers into a dream-like world.

“My life is creating all of this artwork from my imagination. I was dreaming all the colours in my head, and the dream came true. So it’s kind of fun, fantastic!” Tran says.

“My spooky staircases are portals into another place without any colour. I invite you to peer into the middle of the staircases, take it slow and let it flow.”

Creating an immersive AR experience

Augmented reality (AR) is the use of technology to overlay digital objects, sounds and other sensory elements onto the real world.

Unlike virtual reality, which seeks to create a whole new virtual environment, AR adds to the environment in front of you, blurring the lines between realities.

"The Bolder AR app features several different kinds of augmented reality and interactive experiences which are totally unique," Elizabeth says.

Using iPads supplied by the gallery, visitors can use the app to ‘build’ towers of 3D cubes made from Tran’s artworks. Shaking the iPad ‘shatters’ the tower into smaller cube pieces all over the gallery. 3D cube holograms can then be ‘swept’ down into Tran's animated ‘Spooky Staircase’ on the floor of the gallery.

Tran also worked with the VU Hive Lab team to create a custom game in the BOLDER app called Cube Crush, where players collect and clear levels of cubes.

“It’s almost impossible to describe – it really needs to be experienced,” Elizabeth says.

“We had the best time on this project. Collaborating with Steven allowed us to be truly creative and innovative, he brought so many fun ideas to the table.”

About the VU Hive Lab

The VU Hive Lab is made up of developers, user interface (UI) designers and game designers, who create apps and mixed reality projects for a variety of clients both within the University and across the community.

The BOLDER app is one of the latest in a series of innovative projects that include VU Explore, an AR tour of VU’s Footscray Park Campus that allows you to experience and learn about native flora, and Footscray Foodie, an app that helps you explore the best local cuisine in the City of Maribyrnong.

BOLDER by Steven Tran runs until 30 October 2022 at Footscray Community Arts.