SOUTH-VERSED is a self-curated group exhibition with work by eight artists brought together by the Ōtara Scorpions For Life Mural 2022. The title combines three concepts:

SOUTH ref. South Auckland, South Pacific, South-centric, South Sovereign

VERSED def. Experienced, skilled in; knowledge about a subject

VERSE adj. adoption ref. Metaverse; a topical issue of interest to the artists

The AR-tist behind the AR-t

The AR-tist behind the AR-t – Fully powered by AR using the social App Snapchats snapcodes. It was inspired by the current circumstances at the time of being in the uncertainty of a pandemic. With the negative connotations attached to our beloved South Auckland community, you don’t have to look far to see the racism on social media that continued to fuel the negativity.

Here is an interview with http://Whakaata Maori (Maori Television) Rerehua series season one, I was invited to share insight into my creative practice as an augmented reality designer and developer and the work that is part of the exhibition.

I wanted to create an experience fully powered by AR ( augmented reality) a space that can be activated by giving back to the community through creativity by using the large-scale QR code as a backdrop to activate the space as an interactive area to take photos and videos for a shared experience. There are 9 x Snapcodes available. Taking control of the narrative turns a negative into a positive through creativity. AR in Aotearoa (New Zealand) is still in its infancy stages, the more we embrace creative technology the more the ecosystem and a community of AR can develop and grow.

The artist behind the art gives deeper meaning to the context of my involvement in the exhibition by being part of the Otara Scorpions Mural Project for life. It pays tribute to my dad playing for the Otara Scorpions league club back in the mid-1970s. Each Snapcode plays a pivotal point in my career as a multidisciplinary artist and AR designer and developer.