Look Up is a free augmented reality art trail that occupies the rooftops of buildings around Sheffield City Centre. The project was envisioned and brought into fruition by the Marketing Sheffield team, the Sheffield City Council team responsible for the city’s brand management and promotion. Supported by Niantic Labs, a San Francisco-based AR royalty who developed the ingenious Pokémon Go mobile game, and built by interactive studio Megaverse, the venture is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to bring the ever-expanding Sheffield City Centre to life with the help of local companies, artists, studios and producers.
How does it work?
Once inside the ‘activation zone’ (the City Centre) the map within Look Up’s app guides you to several key locations: Sheffield Hallam University’s Owen Building; the University of Sheffield’s Diamond building; the Central Library and Graves Gallery in Tudor Square, and; the old John Lewis building in Barkers Pool. There you’ll find QR codes on the floor that you can scan with your phone. The app then transforms the buildings and spaces you encounter with fun and engaging artwork.
For example, the artwork you find at the Owen Building is a part of The Neon Pack designed by Human Studio. It's a modification of some of their earlier artwork for legendary Sheffield nightclub Hope Works, and features music from Sheffield born artist and producer 96Back (who is a rising star in the electronic scene). Alternately, if you scan the QR code outside where the iconic Cole Brothers department store (the old John Lewis building, if you don't know) once was, you’ll discover a colourful and playful bunch of characters created by Universal Everything. The unique AR artwork then appears on your screen superimposed over the real world, allowing you to enjoy fun animated and audio displays which you can take photos and videos of to save and share!
Where can I find the app?
Look Up is now available to download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. You can also visit the Look Up landing page for more information about where each artwork is located, who has produced it, and get a few tips on what else you can do in the area (where to eat, drink and shop nearby). If you do interact with the project and want to share your content, use #LookUpSheff and tag @VisitSheffield to show off your AR discoveries!
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