Be-Longing is a site-specific, augmented reality (AR) experiential artwork on UTown Green that invites you to slow down and enjoy life as a community. This interactive experience lets participants “light” AR sparklers using their mobile phones. As more AR sparklers are lighted, more AR balloons are floated in the sky – personifying the beauty of humanity, lifting and supporting each other in times of uncertainty.
The Site
UTown Green was conceptually designed by architects as the heart of UTown. The site shapes residential students’ experiences and memories living in the surrounding colleges, where students come together to play, relax and connect.
The Inspiration
During COVID-19, safety management measures were in place, making it hard for students to build meaningful friendships. As a resident at UTown, the artist, like his fellow student residents, felt a sense of hopelessness from the stresses and commitments of university life. Despite all these, the shared experience forged friendships amongst those staying on campus. This camaraderie made the experience of staying on campus more special, creating a sense of belonging. Regardless of one’s course of study, being a UTown resident or not, or simply just passing through UTown; Be-Longing invites you to slow down and enjoy life as a community.
The Collaborators
Be-Longing is created by Ian Hong, a Year 3 Computer Science student and an NUS Performing and Visual Arts Scholar, together with Teaching Assistants Emran Poh and Zhang Jiayi as Technical Developers. The work is curated by Karen Lim, Curator, NUS Museum and Secretariat for NUS’ Public Art Initiative, in collaboration with Dr Bhojan Anand, NUS School of Computing. This work was produced in partnership with students from School of Computing 4240 module – Interaction Design for Virtual and Augmented Reality.
Viewing the AR Sculpture
Android users:
- Download the app to your Android phone from the “Assets” drop down on our Releases page (https://github.com/ianfromdover/utown-green-ar/releases)
- If your browser asks for the permission to install apps, give it the permission to do so.
- If the app does not ✨ automagically ✨ prompt you to install, open your Files app and tap the .apk file for it to install.
- On opening the app for the first time, do grant it the required permissions to enable your AR experience.
iOS users:
Still in development – come back again for updates!
Using the app
Note: The AR sculpture is geo-tagged to UTown Green, and can only be viewed at that location.
This artwork will still be available after 26 Mar 2023.
