Project Glass and Three Visions for the Future of Art

Back in 2003, I wrote a story involving a pair of glasses called ASpects, or Augmented Spectacles. It was a silly name, containing the anachronistic duality of a conceptual item. Having to wear glasses myself, the idea of turning my physical hindrance into a technological advantage had been a dream since being introduced to Geordi LaForge. Now, in 2012, Google introduces Project: Glass. For some, it sounds like hi-sci-fi, with the harshest critics claiming vaporware. For hopeful futurists, it is like being told Santa Claus is real and is bringing you cyborg vision.



Google itself has done a fantastic job describing some of the prospective everyday uses for the technology, but what about more specific applications? Certainly it will bring a new level of discourse to business, providing stock traders with up-to-the-second tickers available right within their field of vision. Should a sports model be available, it would surely be outlawed on the professional field of play, as applications could theoretically be developed that would allow batters to determine the speed of a pitch, and providing them signals regarding whether to swing or not. What applications could the art world develop for use of this prospective new technology?

I propose three options. Not the last word in any sense, but examples of possible uses:

1 - Use in Development

Painting a canvas is messy, especially when you lack a steady hand. Even an artist with dedicated focus can pull back and find they have added an arc instead of a line to the portrait. An obvious option involves the use of a straight edge to guide the brush, but then we run back into the dilemma of mess. Projecting a line or shape onto the canvas is another option, but then you still have to factor in shadows.

With AR glasses, an artist could establish some of the more difficult lines and arcs and synch a virtual screen over the breadth of the canvas, giving the artist a guide to follow that doesn’t smudge the paint or place the artist in uncomfortable positions while trying to keep out of the light.

Hanging the piece would also become simpler, as an onscreen level would show how far left or right you need to nudge the piece to be parallel to the ground. 


2 - Use in Media

What will be most interesting is the use of AR glasses as a medium itself. The lines between traditional and digital media will blur to the point of indistinguishable from one another as artists begin coding their canvas to synch with what the viewer sees. A landscape painting will suddenly become a haven for a pre-programmed imaginary friend living in the Cloud.

Portrait without AR Glasses

Portrait with AR Glasses

3 - Use in Collection

You’re seated in a coffee shop, reading a magazine, when you view one of the most gorgeous sculptures you have ever seen. The AR glasses scan the tag that accompanies the image and discovers that the piece is being exhibited at a gallery across the city, is for sale, and has received five-star ranking from countless critics within the city. With the bat of an eye, you have purchased the piece remotely and are given directions to the gallery so you may pick it up in person, as well as browse what else they may have in their collection that is similar to the sculpture.

As I mentioned before, there are countless other possibilities, and I’m sure we won’t even uncover a small sampling of them until the glasses are available and within the hands of the public. What other uses can you envision for AR glasses in the art world?