60th Anniversary of Korea–Switzerland Diplomatic Relations
Augmented and Virtual Reality Experiences
<Travel Across Boundaries>, a collaborative exhibition by the Seoul Design Foundation and the Embassy of Switzerland in Korea, is currently underway at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). The exhibition focuses on how digital technology, which has advanced rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, is extending its influence beyond our daily lives to our social systems, culture, and natural environment.
Upon entering the exhibition hall, visitors are greeted by flower characters walking side by side to symbolize the friendship between the two nations (Switzerland: edelweiss, Korea: rose of Sharon). The exhibition space is divided into ‘Meta-Tourism’ and ‘Triggered by Movement.’ Each space lets visitors experience a ‘dimension journey’ that transcends time and space using digital technology.
The first exhibition space, ‘Meta-Tourism,’ was designed by ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) and presents a Hybrid Reality exhibition combining augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Here, visitors can meet Einstein, the greatest scientist produced by ETH Zurich, in augmented reality (AR). When you scan the QR code installed on the floor, a statue of Einstein appears in the exhibition hall as seen through your mobile phone screen. Dragging on the screen moves the statue freely, and a camera function allows you to take commemorative photos.
Moving to the side, a virtual reality (VR) exhibition awaits. The moment you place the handheld VR device provided here over your eyes, you are transported to the rooms of ETH Zurich professors and students on the other side of the world. Visitors can move around with the VR device and explore the spaces within virtual reality.
The finale is a virtual reality (VR) experience that takes you to Zermatt, Switzerland. Wearing a VR device and riding the installed swing, you can take in the panoramic views of the Matterhorn and the village nestled in the Alps. This work lets you experience a not-so-distant future daily life in which people move organically between the virtual and the real and interact with both.
