The Amazing Cinemagician

Ends September 6, 2010

Exhibits Wonder Turner and The Amazing Cinemagician integrate early cinematic special effects with emerging technologies including augmented reality (AR), radio frequency identification (RFID) and the fog screen.

What is Augmented Reality?
AR is a technology that adds various kinds of digital content – sound, video, images, words – to enrich your real-time experience. To explore AR, you hold a special printed marker in front of the webcam of a computer that has the appropriate software.

Try it in the Gallery with the cubes in Wonder Turner and pick up an AR postcard to try Magic Tunnel Popup Book at home.

(You can also take part in daily augmented reality demonstrations with our hosts next to the exhibition.)

What is Radio Frequency Identification?
RFID technology is used to track everything from products to people to pets. Also called smart tags, RFID tags contain a microchip with data, an antenna and sometimes a battery. When activated by the RFID reader's electromagnetic field, the RFID tag sends radio waves which the reader interprets as meaningful data.

Experience it in the Gallery with the card trick in The Amazing Cinemagician.

What is a Fog Screen?
It's simply a screen made of water and air! Ordinary tap water and ultrasonic waves form a dry fog which is controlled by downward air jets. No chemicals are involved, so you can wave your arms through it. The fog screen works much like an ordinary screen when images are projected onto it.

See for yourself with The Amazing Cinemagician.

!dea Gallery, Level 6

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Concept & Design: Helen Papagiannis
Software Development & Technical Support: Andrew Roth Special Thanks: Caitlin Fisher, Director, Augmented Reality Lab
Illustration: Wallace Edwards

The !dea Gallery is dedicated to blurring the boundaries between science and art, and exploring the roles and relevance of new technologies like these. For further information please contact Ana Klasnja, Curator:
  idea.gallery@osc.on.ca