Students at the Kent School of Architecture and Planning (KSAP) will exhibit their latest projection-mapped installation on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 February (6-9pm) at the Medway Light Nights in Rochester, a free spectacular festival of light which will transform Historic Rochester’s iconic buildings and spaces into works of art.
Exploring techniques in augmented reality, the MA in Architectural Visualisation students have created ‘Illuminarealities’, an installation in two parts: one on the Six Poor Travellers’ House and one at the front of the Cathedral.
Using stories and messages from Charles Dickens, the installation will animate the buildings with the history, culture and art of Rochester.
Part of the MA in Architectural Visualisation programme explores ways that alternative realities can be created from, and applied to, the real world. ‘Illuminarealities’ uses video projection to augment architecture, to give the illusion of light and movement. It’s a method that was first used by Disney in 1969 and has expanded as part of light shows around the world in recent years. The programme’s Virtual Cities module tasks students with creating a fusion between the concrete and the ephemeral, fostering a passive or active relationship between the two.
As well as investigating the simulation of real-life environments using mixed reality tools, students on the course also learn to produce other forms of architectural image, both still and moving, preparing them for careers in fields from architectural visualisation to gaming.
Howard Griffin, Programme Director for the MA Architectural Visualisation programme, said: ‘This two-part installation offers our students a chance to show their skills in augmented reality, and visitors will get to experience two important local architectural landmarks in a whole new light.’