Augmented reality is only just beginning to have its artistic potential explored, and an intriguing application is the way it can turn smart devices into a viewing lens to other, imagined worlds.
Brian Eno and Karl Hyde's new record will be released with an accompanying AR iPhone app, transforming the rotating ridges of a vinyl into the grounds for a pulsing digital city to rhythmically grow on.
Inspired by cities built on hills and the evolving nature of architecture in response to natural surroundings, Eno & Hyde's 'Strip it Down' provides the soundtrack to the experience. Users hold their iPhone camera over the record and are rewarded with a revolving pattern of bright structures appearing and moving in response to the music, deliberately "irregular and awkward" in Eno's words. Creative Lukasz Karluk and studio Toby and Pete collaborated with Eno, Hyde and Warp Records for the app. If for whatever reason you can't get a copy of the album, a similar experience is available online here.
We've recently taken a look at other innovative approaches to vinyl, including Jack White's remarkable three-speed Lazaretto Ultra LP and the slowly deteriorating Endangered Song, while Radiohead's Polyfauna was another AR companion app that sent users into vibrant, immersive, and new digital spaces.