Today at Apple launches new [AR]T augmented reality sessions for all

Apple is launching three new Today at Apple sessions focused on augmented reality (AR) and they're calling them — wait for it — [AR]T. Clever Apple. They'll be available at Apple Store retail locations around the world and include interactive walks, in-store educational sessions using Swift Playgrounds, and a [AR]T installation in each and ever store.

From Apple:

To create the sessions Apple invited the New Museum, a leading destination for contemporary art in New York, to select seven artists — Nick Cave, Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, Cao Fei, John Giorno, Carsten Höller and Pipilotti Rist — to participate in an experiential project that is free to the public.

Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail and People said:

Today at Apple offers a window into the creative arts made possible by our products and customers. We hope attendees are inspired by the incredible AR creations in the [AR]T Walk and in-store installation, and we can't wait to see what our visitors learn to create in the [AR]T Lab.

Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis director for the New Museum said:

The New Museum has always led at the intersection of art and tech and we could not have asked for a better partner in Apple to support the fantastic visions of these pioneering artists. Augmented reality is a medium ripe for dynamic and visual storytelling that can extend an artist's practice beyond the studio or the gallery and into the urban fabric.

And here are the sessions:

[AR]T Walk: Augmented Realities Co-Curated with New MuseumThese experiential walks take participants through San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo as they encounter works by world-renowned artists, most of whom are working in AR for the first time. Works by Cave, Djurberg and Berg, Cao, Giorno, Höller and Rist connect participants to public spaces such as London's Trafalgar Square, San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens or New York's Grand Army Plaza in Central Park.

[AR]T Lab: AR ExperiencesCreated in partnership with New York artist, NEW INC member (New Museum's cultural incubator) and educator Sarah Rothberg, this free Today at Apple session at all Apple Stores gets attendees hands-on with whimsical objects and immersive sounds created by Rothberg. Using Swift Playgrounds, anyone can learn how to create their own AR experiences in this free 90-minute [AR]T Lab.

[AR]T in the Apple Store: Nick Cave's "Amass"Visitors can come into any Apple Store worldwide and experience artist Nick Cave's AR piece "Amass." Using the [AR]T Viewer in the Apple Store app, users can initiate Cave's interactive installation, which takes the viewer on a journey to view and collect "Ikon Elements" and experience a universe of positive energy right in the middle of an Apple Store.

The new AR-centric sessions kick off on August 10th, 2019 and you can learn more and sign up at Today at Apple

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.