Playing with the Artworks: Engaging with Art through an Augmented Reality Game

Abstract

In the majority of cases our experiences of artworks in galleries and museums is as passive observers. While this is widely accepted practice in terms artwork preservation it limits the engagement potential with younger visitors. In this paper, we present the results of a focus group with nine K-6 children revealing their opinions about (i) art, (ii) museums and galleries, and (iii) standard engagement practices in these venues. Participants stressed the importance of art and museums, showed a high respect for artworks and artists, depicted interactive activities they liked at museums, and described how they would liven up art venues. In addition, we explored a way of using augmented reality (AR) technology to create an engaging and personal art experience for a young audience. To achieve this, we built a prototype for a treasure hunt style game where participants coloured a contour drawing not knowing what exactly they are colouring. However, they were told that if this coloured drawing is placed correctly, it should wrap around a 3D object (statue) or overlay a 2D canvas (picture) somewhere in the gallery.