LEAF++: Transformative Landscapes + Interview, Statement, Artwork

Abstract

Landscapes mark a certain terrain, delineating here from there and beyond: places and spaces of reference for our memories, our actions, helping us to place our being in specific moments. From private gardens to rolling hillsides in the country, landscapes represent overlapping visions of what is universal and at the same time personal. A multi-sensory experience we build and engage in anywhere, at any time. LEAF++ is a presentation and research project, an attempt at combining what we experience as individuals and, through the use of open source augmented reality (AR), adding on to the layers of what can be experienced by the wider community of users of a given site. The AR system combines computer vision techniques and allows for interactive experiences, educational contents and other information to be attached to leaves and other parts of plants: users contribute their own images, video, audio or other multi-media information to existing data available such as information about the plant’s habitat and biophysical characteristics. The LEAF++ project has been applied to not only identify Gilles Clément’s Third Landscape but also create a transformative view on urban space and foster experiential, analytical and aesthetic links between a diverse audience’s visions, perceptions and behaviors.