New Project Combines Augmented Reality and Pavement Art

Detail: Pavement Portals, artwork by Chalk RiotIn partnership with Chalk Riot, Heavy Projects and PNC Arts Alive, Art Saint Louis announces the launch of Pavement Portals, a new public art project combining anamorphic pavement art and mobile-driven augmented reality software. Three large-scale, fortune teller-themed anamorphic (3D) pavement murals will be exhibited at select venues in St. Louis beginning May 24, 2018, and continuing through June 15, 2018.

Colorful and whimsical, Chalk Riot’s Pavement Portals artwork depicts otherworldly fortune telling machines as they emerge from imagined universes to share their knowledge of the future. St. Louis audiences will be invited to interact with the artwork in person and through smartphones and tablets via the Chalk Riot mobile app. Users of the mobile app will see the art come to life with 3D graphic animations created by California-based Heavy Projects.

Pavement Portals will debut on Thursday, May 24, 2018, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Venture Café St. Louis' Nxt@4240 with PNC & Maryville University event at 4240 Duncan Avenue in the Cortex District. On Friday, June 1, 2018, the project will continue with exhibition at the Saint Louis Science Center, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., as part of the Science Center’s First Friday: Jurassic World event.

Chalk Riot artists Chelsea Ritter-Soronen and Liza Fishbone will give presentations at both events, on May 24 from 4:00 pm. to 5:00 p.m., and on June 1, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., discussing pavement art as one of the country’s fastest growing public art forms, exploring the potential of public art and technology, and sharing production insights from the Pavement Portals project. The artwork will remain on view at the Saint Louis Science Center through June 15, 2018.

Pavement Portals is made possible by PNC Arts Alive, a multi-year grant initiative of the PNC Foundation that challenges visual and performing arts organizations to put forth their best, most original thinking in expanding audience participation and engagement. To date, this award-winning program has provided $2.5 million in grants to cultural organizations across the Greater St. Louis area. 

About Chalk Riot

Chalk Riot (http://chalkriot.com) creates chalkboard murals and captivating pavement art for special events, marketing campaigns and interiors. Their team of artists believes that concrete and asphalt are the world's most underutilized canvases, and are rooted in the belief that accessible public art fuels communities. Chalk Riot was established in St. Louis in 2013 and has since expanded to the Bay Area and Austin. In addition to pushing the boundaries of temporary public art with their recent augmented reality pursuits, Chalk Riot's recent clients include Bleacher Report, Greenpeace International, Uber, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Vevo.

About Heavy Projects

Heavy Projects (http://heavy.io) exists to infuse meaningful experiences, thought-provoking content and cutting-edge technology into artistic and commercial digital projects. Originally founded in 2011 at the crossroads of emerging technologies and academia, the Heavy Projects team has gained an international reputation by pioneering artistic mixed reality projects. Since then, Heavy has been pushing the boundaries of what augmented reality can deliver, developing unique insights into crafting experiences that are creative, thoughtful and scalable.

About the PNC Foundation

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. To learn more about PNC Grow Up Great, please go to www.pncgrowupgreat.com.

About Art Saint Louis

Nonprofit organization Art Saint Louis (http://artstlouis.org) has promoted the work of contemporary visual artists at work in the St. Louis region for over 30 years. Core services include a year-round series of competition-based exhibitions in the organization’s gallery and café in downtown St. Louis as well a variety of public spaces elsewhere in the region. Other ventures include the ArtLoupe mobile app and Catalyst Coffee Bar.

PAVEMENT PORTALS
Augmented Reality Pavement Art by Chalk Riot and Heavy Projects
Presented by PNC Arts Alive and Art Saint Louis