Screen Harmonics

Sir Paul Reeves Building, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Auckland, New Zealand, 2013

Installed across three large displays in a university foyer, Screen Harmonics, is an interactive augmented reality installation that explores the dynamic relationship between physical and digital viewing spaces. On the physical screens, abstract, hard-edged geometric forms float in a black void, rhythmically “breathing” in and out from the centre like a heartbeat before seamlessly morphing into new configurations. When visitors view these displays through a custom mobile app, the artwork expands: additional geometric layers dynamically generate and animate around the core forms on their personal devices. Created at a time when consumer AR was largely confined to tracking static, printed materials, Screen Harmonics pushed the medium's boundaries. It successfully locked onto and generated AR content from continuously moving video instead of static imagery. By effectively layering “screens on screens”, the installation marked an experimental leap in tracking dynamic digital matter.