Nick Manolis
\nSmile Breaks the Somber:
\nAn Augmented Reality Book
\nThis project was created for Emergent Media Production
\nFall, 2015 with Prof. Laura Zaylea<\/p>\n
https:\/\/youtu.be\/s-RS4tfXotU<\/a><\/p>\n Curatorial statement by Laura Zaylea: <\/strong> Artist Statement by Nick Manolis:<\/strong><\/p>\n First and foremost, I wanted to create a project that evoked emotion\u2014I think everyone wants that, though, so I\u2019m nothing special.\u00a0 The idea didn\u2019t have to resonate with every reader, either, but a good portion at least.\u00a0 I had confidence that it would find its audience, because we all go through struggles, times of loneliness, sorrow, and we need someone, something to pull us out from those depths.\u00a0 In came\u00a0A Smile Breaks the Somber<\/em>.\u00a0 Initially, I wanted to create a journey across Pennsylvania, literally an augmented tour guide from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.\u00a0 But, soon enough, it evolved into something beyond a simple tour guide\u2014a story.\u00a0 And from there, it became something I wanted to do and I felt I had to.\u00a0 With that, I pitched a character\u2019s journey, originating from a combination of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu and a dream involving Heaven\u2019s whereabouts\u2014a spiritual journey.<\/p>\n Plus, the idea of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu works well with augmented reality (AR), considering it allows you to create a multi-dimensional story that enables video\u2014in this case, virtual content\u2014to overlay physical space\u2014that being, the text itself.\u00a0 Readers nowadays have shorter attention spans, too, so AR, essentially, cures some of that by giving them a sense of being within the pages themselves alongside the character(s)\u2014almost feel a part of it, a connection evoking a level of empathy and\/or sympathy.\u00a0 But, I\u2019ll tell you what, I had no clue, no plan of what I was doing until one class period where we were asked to construct a storyboard\u2014something I\u2019d never done before\u2014and I literally drew just a picture of some odd character throwing stones into a stream.\u00a0 In that moment, I knew what I had to do, so I wrote the entire story in one sitting\u2014with obvious revisions later on\u2014and filmed each scene, going off of that simple storyboard, that I knew didn\u2019t require a budget and the help of another, as far as filming.\u00a0 As I filmed, those experiences, while driving to different locations, brought forth more ideas, and I began tying the writing portion into the videos, filling in the gaps to make one coherent piece.\u00a0 And, as a result\u2014without sounding pretentious\u2014I experienced the journey itself.\u00a0 Maybe that made it more authentic, organic, maybe not\u2014I don\u2019t know for sure\u2014but I\u2019d like to think that. – Nick Manolis, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Return to A is for Augmented Reality (2015-2017)<\/a><\/p>\n OR:<\/p>\n
\nNick Manolis\u2019 project Smile Breaks the Somber<\/em> is a book about a man driving through the woods, experiencing d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu and trying to remember who he is. Is life real? Is this heaven? Why is this jingle stuck in his head, and who is Chloe? The story unravels mysteriously through multiple media forms including still images, text and videos triggered through an augmented reality app. The book itself is complete and successful, but it\u2019s the augmented reality that brings the story to life. In video vignettes, the protagonist walks along the beach, seeking answers, quietly reflecting and searching for heaven. He drives through the woods and finds a red balloon and a note, presumably written by himself before his death. These cinematic fragments burst from the page when the book is viewed through an iPad or mobile device. The story\u2019s themes seem to cherish the transcendent nature of AR technology, which allows video images to hover over the printed page, tenuous and ghost-like, disorienting and angelic. The videos are there but not there, like the protagonist himself. Smile Breaks the Somber<\/em> uses integrated media strategies to immerse the reader in a disorienting yet hopeful search for home within the self; readers journey with the protagonist right up until he finds peace and crosses into heaven.<\/p>\n