Last night, was an acid trip. Figuratively speaking of course. Why? Because we were privileged enough to witness the future of art. Imagine a gallery, were the pieces come to life? Sounds terrifying sure, but once you calm yourself down and really take it all in, you’ll realize that this might be one of the coolest experiences ever. Still not convinced?

Check this out:

And that out:

If you're wondering what kind of witchcraft this is, allow me to explain. Hosted by House of VR, this is an exhibit put on by Prosthetic Reality; an art book comprised of over 30 artists who incorporate augmented reality into their works as a way for the audience to interact with the pieces.

For this to happen, you first need to download a free app called EyeJack. Depending on the gallery, you will also need to download an additional package but trust me when I say ‘Do it! It’s worth it!’ This is a game changer. Once you ever over the image of your choice, the page comes to life with an array of animated colours and characters, which is all amplified through sound. Yup, this is the kind of exhibit that requires headphones. Prior to this soirée, my only quasi-real interaction with augmented reality was with the dancing hot dog on Snapchat. I mean it’s cool but hardly impressive. What we witnessed last night is eons beyond the dancing hot dog. The art speaks to you in unconventional ways.

As a viewer, you go through various degrees of interpretation; three different elements are incorporated into each piece and it’s up to you to make sense of it. There’s the initial artwork, the AR story that accompanies the artwork and the audio tracking that sets the mood. You can spend hours looking at one piece if you really want to pay attention to detail.

Another amazing thing about this exhibit was its ability to redefine your phone. The instant you’re in the gallery, you’re encouraged to use your phone but you tend to ignore the incoming notifications when you’re jumping for image to image. In a strange, hippy, avant-guarde way, your phone becomes part of the installation.

Salvador Dali would have loved it. Saying this because he managed to create a virtual world on a 2D surface. Imagine what he could have created provided this existed back then.

House of VR is hosting Prosthetic Reality’s interactive showcase on until August 15 so please I implore you to go check it out. If you’re worried about traveling with your children, fret no more, The Crayola Kids Zone is sure to keep them busy. They have an interactive colouring book that works the same way the rest of the exhibit does so you’ve got no excuse.

The Future Of Art is Here