The UK’s first Augmented Reality (AR) and street art gallery is soon to open in Birmingham. Thomas Crown Gallery will join over 40 galleries and museums in the city, which is leading the way in art, tech and entrepreneurship. It’s the perfect home for this new type of art-tech gallery.
Launching in Stirchley – a new epicentre of the independent arts scene in the UK’s second city – the gallery will officially open its doors on 3 February.
Birmingham-born international art dealer, Stephen Howes of Thomas Crown Art, comments:
“When truly cutting-edge technologies – including augmented reality – and art collide, ground-breaking possibilities emerge. For the first time in the UK, this truly avant-garde creative phenomenon is showcased in a specialist space.”
The art-tech gallery is an important and innovative addition to Birmingham’s art scene for 3 main reasons.
“It houses some of the country’s most original and lauded graffiti and street artists who have been inspired by revolutions and by ideas that disrupt convention, such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies and activist groups,” says Stephen Howes.
Thomas Crown Art’s Tech expert and business analyst Ian Mcleod adds each piece of artwork is embedded with superior blockchain technology.
“All our works of art are logged on the Ethereum’s blockchain with a unique ‘smART’ contract. This means that all the artwork is authenticated, and all providence issues are solved. This is a major step forward in the art world where forgery is a growing and expensive problem,” he notes.
Augmented reality is the third plinth.
Howes comments: “Mobile technology is now part of our everyday, with more and more of our smartphones offering augmented reality experiences. Art is set to become one of the biggest beneficiaries of this digital revolution.
In the AR world, you can explore and interact with art like never before in history. This brand new type of art-tech gallery will democratise art, and celebrate creativity at the cutting edge of AR and alternative realities for both artist and viewer.
And Birmingham is where it belongs.
Ruth x
