VMF Winter Arts

VMF Winter Arts is a free, augmented reality experience transforming public space across Vancouver’s downtown core into a free, interactive, open-air gallery. Winter Arts showcases the talented work of 26 artists and animates over 20 downtown public spaces in a completely new way. Blurring the line between the virtual and physical worlds, VMF Winter Arts highlights the convergence of art and technology to safely engage and connect art and people in public spaces over three weeks. Each location showcases one or more augmented reality creations that anyone with a smart phone can scan a QR code and interact with 24/7. People are encouraged to check out the 26 different creations and locations through the app and share their interactions on social media. A set of prizes were also part of a social media contest that supported local businesses. In addition to the public space AR installations, VMF also organized a series of informative online webinars that provided content around the artists behind VMF Winter Arts, how to become an AR creator, and how indigenous storytelling transforms immersive technology. All in an effort to highlight the work of digital artists and expose Vancouverites to a whole new type of artwork. The ongoing pandemic and physical distancing restrictions were always a challenge as no one knew if restrictions would tighten or if the City permits would be pulled for certain city owned locations. In the end, the activation overcame the many challenges of planning public activations during a pandemic and it added visual interest and intrigue to many parts of downtown.