Sediments

Abstract

Sediments was a site-specific augmented reality (AR) artwork located at Bundanon Trust, NSW, Australia. It develops on previous research by using natural image markers as AR targets, advancing this technique by using components situated in the natural environment rather than in an indoor venue or gallery. Sediments uses the surfaces of nine rocks in the landscape as image targets and is accessed through a mobile phone app. The Sediments app superimposes three layers of animation over each individual rocks, specific to the rock's shape and texture. The layers consist of a painted map of the local Shoalhaven River that flows from one rock to another, a layer of animation evocative of microscopic images of sandstone, and a moving drawing that traces the growth of lichen on the rock surface. These subjects relate to natural elements that may have shaped the rocks over time, on different scales. The animations appear as horizontal layers, spaced out to create gaps between the rock and animation to highlight multiple time scales operating in the natural environment. This research shows that using AR to alter specific objects in the natural landscape can be a powerful way to re-imagine aspects of climate change that are difficult to comprehend, for example, an extended time scale.