On September 1st Breadboard will host a public discussion and demonstration with Christopher Manzione, founder of the Virtual Public Art Project.

This talk is an introduction to the Virtual Public Art Project (VPAP) in preparation for a VPAP exhibit and suite of supporting workshops and events in affiliation with Design Philadelphia 2010. Breadboard and VPAP will generate opportunities for Philadelphia artists and designers to attend scheduled VPAP workshops and submit digital art work for consideration to be included in the upcoming VPAP exhibit. The VPAP will place eight virtual artworks (created by Philadelphia artists) at various locations around Philadelphia's City Hall and the Science Center campus.          

The Virtual Public Art Project is an Augmented Reality (AR) platform for the public display of digital works of art. VPAP is the first mobile AR outdoor art experience ever, and maximizes public reception of AR art through compatibility with both iPhone and Android platforms. VPAP allows artists and designers to create site-specific geo-located virtual  sculptures that can be observed from all sides and from multiple perspectives.

Augmented Reality is a view of the physical real-world environment merged with virtual computer-generated imagery in real-time. VPAP merges the real-world physical environment of public spaces around the world with site-specific virtual sculptures that can only be viewed in-the-round using the iPhone and Android phones when one is at the sculpture's real-world location.

This project is a partnership between Breadboard, the Virtual Public Art Project and City of Philadelphia's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. All scheduled events are being coordinated as part of DesignPhiladelphia 2010.