NEWPORT – The Preservation Society of Newport County has partnered with the Rhode Island School of Design to put on an augmented reality exhibit at the The Elms, built in 1901.
“This is a wonderful partnership and a grand experiment for the preservation society in how the latest technology could be used to help interpret our historic houses,” said Preservation Society of Newport County CEO and Executive Director Trudy Coxe in a statement.
Starting June 22, inside The Elms, visitors will be able to use their audio tour player’s screen to display images within the room that aren’t there. Currently, images that can be superimposed in the house include a candlestick, a cat tree for humans, packages of Chinese food and a puzzle cube – all of which were designed by RISD students.
A statement by the respective student-artist is available at each opportunity in the home to superimpose an image.
Eventually, Coxe hopes, some of the images will be of objects that no longer exist or are too fragile to display to the public.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
