Gateway Gallery launches first Philippine history exhibit in augmented reality
Thursday, March 9, 2017 3:52 PM
Gateway Gallery celebrated the second year of its “SiningSaysay:
Philippine History in Art” exhibit by launching a digital interface that
utilizes augmented reality (AR) to recount Philippine history and make it more interesting
to an increasingly digital-savvy generation.
On February 22, the Gallery launched “SiningLakbay: Philippine History in
Augmented Reality,” a project that marries art and technology to give
visitors a more enhanced experience of its long-term collection.
The event was attended by guests of honor like Mrs.
Judy Araneta Roxas, president of the J. Amado Araneta Foundation president and
vice chairman of the Araneta Center, Inc; Manolo Roxas, grandson of Philippine
president Manuel L. Roxas; Binibining
Pilipinas Charities, Inc chairperson Stella Marquez-Araneta; esteemed painter
Betsy Westendorp; Divina Gracia
Pascua, OIC of the Culture and Tourism Affairs Office; Dinky Soliman, former
DSWD secretary; as well as BInibini queens Nicole Codroves, Jennifer Hammond,
and Nichole Manalo; and 2016 Miss International Kylie Verzosa.
During
the event, guests were able to test the AR feature and were encouraged to go
around the Gallery to experience it first-hand. Ten DOT-accredited history
teachers from various Quezon City schools served as Gallery Guides.
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| Screenshot using Layar app |
Art and AR
The “SiningLakbay”
project is a product of careful and creative implementation spearheaded by artists,
filmmakers, historians, curators, editors, and technology providers.
It aims to be a platform for gallery guests to have a
more enriched experience of “SiningSaysay,” a collection of 30 large history
paintings that resulted from the collaboration between the University of the
Philippines and the Araneta Center. “SiningLakbay” also aims to create
awareness of history among the youth by appealing to their interest in digital
technology.
To Gallery visitors a more immersive experience, 10
paintings from the collection will “come to life” on their WIFI-enabled digital
devices like mobile phones and tablets using the Layar app that can be
downloaded for free (on iOS and Android). Users will then be able to scan the
selected paintings on their device to watch the video and hear the narration on
chapters of Philippine history.
The videos are accurate historical accounts of events
depicted in the paintings. Each video lasts roughly three minutes, with the whole
tour lasting about 30 minutes total.
This launch is just the first phase of an even bigger
project of making all 30 paintings in the collection AR-enabled.
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| Gateway Gallery Sining Lakbay |
Gateway
Gallery: Here and now
Gateway Gallery opened on November 21, 2014. Its
long-term exhibit, “SiningSaysay: Philippine History in Art,” opened to the
public on Feb. 18, 2015.
The SiningSaysay artists are: Junyee, Benjie Cabangis,
Randy Solon, Bim Bacaltos, Jonal Salvosa, Ding Hidalgo; brothers Simkin and
Vincent de Pio with their father Gig de Pio; Janice Young, Aileen Lanuza, Romy
Mananquil, Don Artificio, Grace Alfonso, Norman Dreo, Cris Cruz, Romy Carlos,
Norly Meimban, Julius Samson, Michael Velasco, Neil Doloricon, Adi Baen-Santos,
Ben Infante, Angel Cacnio, Grandier Bella, Dennis Dasco, and the late Abdulmari
Asia Imao, National Artist for Visual Arts.
In over two years of operations, the Gallery has grown
its art collection to 50 artworks donated by various artists. Attendance has
also risen to an average of 200 visitors a day in the same period.
Here's some of the pictures I captured there, but it's actually better to see and experience a tour personally.
Last year, it received an accreditation from the
Department of Tourism.
The Gallery will continue to expand its horizons this
year, providing artists a home to hone and showcase their craft, and giving the
Filipino public a haven of learning and creativity. Projects lined up for this
year include: the Reading Nook, a
mini library for all ages, highlighted by story-telling sessions for kids in
partnership with Adarna Publishing; and Bravo
Weekend, which showcases Filipino culture through music and dance.
With its vision to make arts and culture accessible to
ordinary Filipinos, Gateway Gallery will continue programs that introduce arts
to young children, holding art workshops for hobbyists, portrait sketching
sessions for professional artists, and hosting talks by artists and historians.
Located at the 5th level of the Gateway
Tower at the Araneta Center, Gateway Gallery is free to the public and is open
Mondays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm. It is supported and managed by the J.
Amado Araneta Foundation, the CSR arm of the Araneta Group.
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| Tour inside gateway gallery |
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| with blogger buddy and friend Rayrose |
Reminders to enjoy your visit in the gallery:
- No touching or vandalism of atworks
- No flash photography or video recording
- No food, drinks or pets allowed
- No running or horseplaying
- No loud or unnecessary noise
- No smoking, littering or loitering
- No solicitation
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