Papagiannis: 鈥淚 began experimenting with AR in September 2005. When I saw AR for the first time, I was so entranced I think I entered a permanent state of wonder with the technology. And it was all very simple: a bare bones 3D virtual cube seemingly appearing in my physical space. It was completely astonishing! I went into mad scientist mode from there, tinkering, prototyping and dreaming of the creative possibilities for AR. Five-and-a-half years later, and I鈥檓 still riveted.

鈥淚 strongly believe AR is emerging as a new medium and it will come to play a large role in entertainment and information sharing鈥�. I鈥檇 like to see more work move beyond the single-viewer experience in AR and engage larger audiences in a simultaneous viewing and even collaborative interactive experience. I think this is particularly relevant for museums in designing and producing AR experiences.鈥�

is currently completing her PhD at 91亚色 and is a senior research associate at the in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Film in the Faculty of Fine Arts. Helen鈥檚 mixed-reality art installations were recently featured in a solo exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre, and at TEDx91亚色u, where she was also an invited speaker. Prior to her augmented life, Helen was a member of the internationally renowned Bruce Mau Design studio, where she was project lead on Massive Change: The Future of Global Design, a touring exhibition and book published by Phaidon Press.

of the interview, Jan. 18. You can watch on youtube.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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Papagiannis is an artist, designer and researcher specializing in augmented reality (AR). Hailed as being among the top 10 forces currently shaping the AR industry, has been working with AR since 2005, exploring the creative possibilities and theoretical implications for this exciting emerging technology. Recently, her interactive artworks were featured in an exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre. The Amazing Cinemagician: New Media Meets Victorian Magic was also featured at Tedx91亚色u, providing an intriguing entrance through which attendees entered.

Papagiannis is completing her聽doctorate in communication and culture under the supervisor of Professor and Canada Research Chair Caitlin Fischer, and is a senior research associate at the . Prior to her graduate studies,听Papagiannis was a member of the聽Bruce Mau Design studio, where she was project lead on .

You can view all of the Tedx91亚色u talks via the event's .

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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91亚色 community members are invited to apply to be an audience participant for a limited number of available seats. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 22 and can be found online at the website.

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to the concept of "ideas worth spreading". Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago to bring together the worlds of Technology, Entertainment and Design, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at . Past TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Richard Branson,听Isabel Allende and Gordon Brown, among many other luminaries.

In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading", TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At TEDx91亚色U, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including at 91亚色, are self-organized.

TEDx91亚色U will explore the theme of "Ctrl-Alt-Delete", the ubiquitous computer command also called the 鈥渢hree-finger salute鈥�.聽 Speakers and participants will be asked to 鈥漴eboot鈥澛爐heir way of thinking as the event aims to explore how starting over is often the best way to discover something new. Dynamic presentations will be made by academic, business, political and community leaders, all connected to 91亚色, who have each hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete in their own way to create change and make the world a better place. TEDx91亚色U is supported by 91亚色 Alumni, Student Community & Leadership Development, the Division of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and Glendon College.

TEDx91亚色U speakers announced so far include:

(left) is a business success story as former president of HMV Music and, later, BMG Music. In 1999, he became president of Strategic Business Units of MP3.com and helped lead the company through one of the largest initial public offerings聽in Internet history.聽After leaving MP3.com, had a 鈥渓ife-altering experience鈥� while taking care of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2002, and he became a key leader in the Canadian nonprofit sector. He is currently the president and CEO of , and recently served as the Board Chair of Covenant House. As a 91亚色 alumnus, Alofs聽won the 2007 Redefine the Possible Bryden Award.

91亚色 alumnus (right) is a music programmer, pop culture critic, author, broadcaster and journalist. He is also Canada鈥檚 foremost expert on hip hop culture. His latest book is聽, published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi. As a print journalist, Higgins is a Canadian National Magazine Award recipient, and his articles have appeared in print and online mediums in the United States (Vibe, the聽Source,听Urb, amazon.com) and Canada (Saturday Night, Now Magazine,听Toronto Star,听Quill & Quire and many others). Higgins has hosted his own TV show, and has appeared on numerous Canadian television programs. His fourth book聽Fatherhood 4.0: iDad Applications Across Cultures spots trends across a newer generation of media-savvy, hip hoppy, multi-culti, Digital Dads influenced by everything from George Lopez and Bill Cosby to the Osbournes and Barack Obama.

(right) is an artist, designer and researcher specializing in augmented reality (AR). Hailed as being among the top 10 forces currently shaping the AR industry, has been working with AR since 2005, exploring the creative possibilities and theoretical implications for this exciting emerging technology. Recently, Papagiannis鈥� interactive artworks were . She is presently completing her聽doctorate in communication and culture at 91亚色 and is a senior research associate at the in 91亚色's Department of Film in the聽Faculty of Fine Arts. Prior to her graduate studies,听Papagiannis was a member of the聽Bruce Mau Design studio, where she was project lead on Massive Change: The Future of Global Design.

(left) is one of Canada鈥檚 most respected scholars and commentators on issues of corporate law, securities law, corporate governance, and corporate and white-collar crime. Appointed to 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997 at the age of 25, and a 2005 recipient of Canada鈥檚 Top 40 under 40 award, Puri is a prolific scholar who was appointed as one of two research directors of the Canadian Ministry of Finance鈥檚 Expert Panel on Securities Regulation, which is seeking input on the best way to develop and implement a model Common Securities Act for Canada. Most recently, .

With more speakers to be announced, buzz about the Nov. 6 event is growing on campus. Student volunteer groups are also promoting the event through 鈥渟alon鈥� events that discuss innovative ideas and view TEDTalks videos. Applications to be an audience participant and more information can be found online at . Follow TEDx91亚色U聽at and on Facebook at .

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The exhibition features two interactive installations by new media artist and 91亚色 PhD student Helen Papagiannis that use augmented reality (AR) technology, fog screen, and radio frequency identification (RFID).

AR 鈥� a layering of virtual information atop the physical environment 鈥� originated in the world of computer engineering but has recently emerged as a new trend in design, advertising and entertainment. Papagiannis is one of a handful of contemporary artists who have tapped into the creative potential of AR for interactive art. She was cited in the top 10 forces currently shaping the AR industry by leading AR news blog Games Alfresco, which named her 鈥渢he new ARtist in charge鈥� for her presentation last year at the International Symposium for Mixed and Augmented Reality in Florida.

"AR provides enormous opportunities for new modes of storytelling and visual experiences that can change the way we see and interact with the real world, but who is defining this new form?鈥� asks Papagiannis, who is presently completing her doctorate in Communication and Culture at 91亚色, specializing in AR.鈥淣ow is a critical time for artists and designers to be involved as pioneers in driving this new technology and contributing to its creative future."

is a mixed reality work (merging real and virtual worlds) that projects film clips by Georges M茅li猫s, the father of special effects, onto a fog screen. The audience can interact with the clips through RFID technology - the next evolution of retail bar codes, where small radio transponders emit a unique ID code. Each of the ethereal film clips is linked to a RFID chip embedded in a series of playing cards, which the viewer uses to activate the installation and display the images onto a translucent projection screen consisting of a thin curtain of dry fog.

Visitors to the exhibit can also interact with Papagiannis鈥� Wonder Turner, an AR experience where viewers physically rotate large cubes to reveal and create a new video composition. The cubes are equipped with black and white AR symbols which the software interprets and emits as video clips. Using the classic 鈥榚xquisite corpse鈥� format with three interchangeable heads, torsos and feet, rotating the cubes allows the user to create a wild variety of creatures from a surgeon鈥檚 head, belly-dancing torso and penguin feet to a llama head, guitar-playing torso and trampoline feet, and other wondrous creations. An augmented video of the visitor with the transformed turner is simultaneously displayed on the screen.

鈥淎n important aspect of my work is the notion of play,鈥� Papagiannis said. 鈥淧layfulness in the types of imagery you will see, and also in practice, in the physical involvement of play and exploring the work. I also love melding new digital technologies with older, analogue modes.鈥�

Papagiannis has been exploring AR as a new creative visual force since 2005. She created The Amazing Cinemagician and Wonder Turner as part of her doctoral studies and her work as a senior research associate in the AR Lab, part of the interdisciplinary Future Cinema Lab research collective in the Faculty of Fine Arts at 91亚色.聽 She has exhibited her work at Interactive Arts festivals and conferences around the world, including the 2008 International Symposium for Electronic Arts (ISEA) in Singapore and the 2009 International Symposium for Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) in Florida. She is an invited presenter at the upcoming Augmented Reality Event (ARE) 2010 in Silicon Valley, the first global event dedicated to advancing AR. Prior to her work in AR, Papagiannis was a member of the Bruce Mau Design studio, where she was project lead on 鈥淢assive Change: The Future of Global Design鈥�, an international touring exhibition and book published by Phaidon Press.

and Wonder Turner will be on view at the Ontario Science Centre to August 31.

The Augmented Reality Lab and Future Cinema Lab at 91亚色

Directed by Film Professor Caitlin Fisher, , 91亚色鈥檚 Augmented Reality Lab is at the forefront in working with both established and emerging technologies to produce innovative research methods, interfaces and content that challenge cinematic and literary conventions and aim to enhance the ways in which people interact with their physical environment and with each other. This work grows increasingly important for Canada's culture and entertainment industries as AR and associated technologies become more prevalent.

The AR Lab is part of the : New Stories for New Screens, a collaborative research initiative at 91亚色. The first dedicated facility of its type in Canada, the Future Cinema Lab (FCL) fosters interdisciplinary research on the ways in which new digital storytelling techniques can critically transform a diverse array of state-of-the-art screens. The FCL is enabling researchers to design new forms of storytelling, develop prototypes for urban research, and create innovative projects within networked and hybrid media environments.

About the Idea Gallery at the Ontario Science Centre

Part of the Weston Family Innovation Centre, the Idea Gallery provides the opportunity for talented young and emerging artists and researchers to display innovative projects that blur traditional boundaries between art, science, design and technology.

By Amy Stewart, publicist, Faculty of Fine Arts.

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The Augmented Reality Lab in the Faculty of Fine Arts opens its doors to the 91亚色 community March 10 for interactive demonstrations of augmented reality (AR) and GPS locative media research projects in development. From 11am to 3pm, visitors will have the opportunity to experience projections on FogScreen, immersive virtual environments and other innovative applications for AR technology.

Directed by film Professor Caitlin Fisher, Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture, 91亚色's is at the forefront in working with both established and emerging technologies. As part of the , it is dedicated to producing innovative research methods, interfaces and content that challenge cinematic and literary conventions and aim to enhance how people interact with their physical environment and with each other.

Left: Caitlin Fisher

The lab offers artists and designers the opportunity to explore new screen technologies, approaches and techniques through production and theoretical study of this emerging medium. Lab participants work interactively and across disciplinary boundaries, particularly film and computer science.

A wide variety of projects will be on display at the open house.

Handheld City is an online streaming experience developed by the AR Lab for the city of Toronto鈥檚 virtual museum project, which launched March 6 (Toronto鈥檚 176th birthday). Using AR as a storytelling device, the researchers organized and animated the digital objects in the museum collection and created an interesting way to interact with the objects and access the accompanying text.

Right: Handheld City was developed for Toronto's virtual museum project

The Amazing Cinemagician is an interactive "rfid" (radio frequency identification聽鈥� like a barcode) video project for the FogScreen by Helen Papagiannis, a PhD student in communication & culture. Digitized film clips by cinematic special effects pioneer Georges M茅li猫s are tied to a series of rfid objects that the viewer can scan to access the video.

Papagiannis made major waves in AR circles last fall with her presentation at the International聽Symposium for Mixed and Augmented Reality聽in Florida. A leading AR news blog, , dubbed her 鈥渢he new ARtist in charge,鈥� awarded her its Most Beautiful Demo award and put her on its top聽10 list of forces currently shaping the industry.

CommCult master's student Justin Stephenson showcases a new "procedural animation" (a form of computer animation generated in real-time) using Quartz Composer.

Master of Fine Arts聽film student Simone Rapisarda presents the ladybike test project: the first film to come out of the lab using the Ladybug camera. This spherical digital video unit comprises multiple cameras and records more than 80 per cent聽of the full sphere. Rapisarda鈥檚 video, filmed with the camera set in a bicycle basket, shows the scenery approaching, speeding by and receding simultaneously.

Above: An image from Simone Rapisarda's ladybike test project

Also experimenting with the Ladybug camera is graduate film student Cameron聽Woykin, who has created a time-based video installation using footage of himself shot inside the lab. Edited into a spherical image, the video shows multiple views of the researcher as he moves around the space.

Right: The Ladybug camera in action

Wormholes is another experiment in spherical storytelling, created by Fisher and Andrew Roth, the lab鈥檚 technology manager.聽Using the lab鈥檚 Intersense IS900 Inertial/Sonic Tracking "virtual reality" grid, participants wearing a聽virtual reality headset can literally get inside and explore simultaneous realities through spherical video clips shot by Fisher and Roth on various locations on campus.

Several projects use SnapdragonAR software, an innovative "drag and drop" AR interface developed in the lab in collaboration with computer vision researchers Andrei Rotenstein and Mikhail Sizintsev,听PhD candidates in computer science,听and Dr. Mark Fiala.聽Snapdragon allows people without computer programming skills to easily build AR experiences. This software is now available for sale through Future Stories, a spin-off company 91亚色鈥檚 AR Lab established to provide participants with the option of commercializing their lab developments.

The Snapdragon projects created in the lab by graduate students include Papagiannis' sound toy wonder turner; Boaz Berri鈥檚 Neighbours, which fills an image of an apartment complex with videos of life inside the building; Carter Bruce, Anne Koizumi and Claudia Sicondolfo鈥檚 The Underground Cave, which animates a model of an underground space; and a work-in-progress by Evelyn Tchakarov.聽Fisher will also be showing an AR tabletop theatre piece called Circle which was presented for the first time last December as part of the Digital Arts聽& Culture conference at the .聽Wallace Edwards, a Governor General's Literary Award-winning children鈥檚 book illustrator, will show some recent experiments with AR illustrations that come to life in your hands.

Above: A collection of images from the Snapdragon projects created in the lab by graduate students

Another computer program developed in-house is an iPhone GPS聽video-caching application created by Roth and Rotenstein. Akin to a technological Easter egg hunt, when the application is running, the iPhone will display a digital surprise 鈥� in this case a film clip聽鈥� when it is physically located at a predetermined GPS coordinate. CommCult聽master's student Magda Olszanowski's Suivez Moi was built using the GPS software. An outdoor demo of her project is available now by appointment (call 416-736-2100 ext. 21077), but the lab hopes these locative film experiences will be available for download through the Apple app store in the near future.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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