A portrait of King Charles III featuring thousands of children’s drawings can now be accessed remotely through an interactive augmented-reality experience.
The portrait has been created from thousands of drawings of King Charles III made by children across the UK.
The final portrait has been unveiled at Outernet London – BBC Children in Need Home of the Coronation – and will be open to visitors until 8 May 2023. The project is known as ‘Royally Big Portrait’ and is led by artist Sam Barnett as part of a collaboration with BBC’s Children in Need.
In order to make the project accessible to people who can’t visit the exhibit, the project leaders have collaborated with DEPT and 8th Wall to create an accompanying augmented-reality (AG) experience accessible through smartphones.
Augmented reality image of King Charles portrait/ DEPT
Image credit: DEPT
Through a web experience hosted on 8th Wall, children can enter a playful world with bouncing balls and the portrait of the King, where they can then search for their own portrait of the King and see it in the AR experience.
“I am proud to be a part of The Royally Big Portrait – celebrating King Charles’ coronation as well as each child’s creativity, whilst giving them the self-belief to achieve and be a part of history,” Barnett said.
“DEPT’s ability to bring stories to life through emerging technologies has enabled people up and down the country to experience this statement portrait of King Charles. What DEPT has created through augmented reality using the children’s portraits is awe-inspiring when you experience it.”
Lauren Chester, director of Tech Projects at DEPT, added: “We are thrilled to be involved in this exciting project, which marks a historic moment for the country. Using AR we were able to provide utility and democratise this moment by enabling everyone at home to experience this through their smartphone and have the joy of finding and seeing their own portrait.”
To access the simulation, the AR lens is activated by scanning a QR code on your smartphone or using a direct link, available here.
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