AUGMENTED REALITY
The following artworks have two dimensions to them.
During the exhibition in the gallery space, the image when scanned using the zappar app on a mobile device, launched an augmented reality experience. Zappar can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play.
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If you are using a mobile device to view this website, the AR experiences Scratch the Surface and Dresser can be launched if you click on the poster image. The other three posters use image tracking to launch videos, which means you need to point your mobile device at the poster for the video to launch. You can watch these videos here
Changing Faces
This experience launches a video that brings together photographs and words from the blog to raise awareness of the extreme physical changes which took place throughout the treatment, and to give an understanding of some of the thoughts felt during this time.
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Scratch the Surface
This panoramic experience allows you to dive into Jo’s mind during the period where she was starting to lose her hair. Using a combination of imagery, sounds and text, the viewer is taken into a journey around Jo’s mind to understand how she was feeling about hair loss.
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New Perspectives
This AR experience launches a reflective video which focuses on Jo’s thoughts and feelings post treatment. The AR poster features a photograph taken in new year 2023. The new year fireworks represent new beginnings. The new post treatment identity is a blessing to have.
Healing
The AR experience shows a short stop motion animation showing the healing process of the surgery scar from day 1 to day 46 post-surgery.
WARNING: The AR video launched includes graphic imagery of surgery scars.
Dresser
This AR experience reveals a 3D computer-generated representation of Jo’s actual dressing table during her chemotherapy time, which can be placed within the gallery space and interacted with. Once the AR is launched, the app will give visual guidance of how to place the 3D model within the room.
Faces: AR experience using MIrrors
This series of five experiences work together to represent five stages of Jo’s experience: Pre-treatment; Diagnosis; Chemotherapy; Surgery; Post treatment. Clicking on the QR codes below will launch the AR experiences, or you can launch them by scanning the QR code with your phone.
All the experiences use the front facing camera of the mobile device to activate experiences tracked onto the viewers face. The use of mirrors to hold the trigger codes of the experiences allows the viewers to compare their own reflection to their faces on the mobile device. The main reason behind the use of the mirrors however, is that during chemotherapy treatment, it is often jarring to look into a mirror. A common theme from the interviews and from Jo’s own experience is that it is difficult to recognise yourself when you look so
different in the mirror. The mirror is either something to completely avoid, or it is something that is often looked at in the hope that hair is growing back.
The moon cycle shape of the mirrors represents the chemotherapy cycles, of which Jo had eight. The cycles Jo experienced lasted three weeks. For the first four cycles with the drug known as EC, Jo had chemotherapy in week one, and then 21 days recovery before the next dose. For the last four cycles she had a combination of Carboplatin and Paclitaxel. Weekly she had one drug, and every
three weeks she had a much longer session with both drugs administered. The sessions could take from four to six hours depending on how busy the ward was.
Pre – treatment
The AR experience works in a similar way to a snap chat filter. The AR adds a flower garland and has a gentle happy vibe to it to portray life before diagnosis. In the summer prior to Jo’s diagnosis, she took her young daughter to Geronimo, a weekend family festival. A wonderful carefree memory, where the first image of the Changing Faces poster was taken.
The experience adds a festival feel to the participant.
Diagnosis
Open your mouth!
The AR experience works when your mouth is open. A lot of things go through your mind when you are diagnosed with cancer. For Jo, she had an overwhelming feeling of panic and terror. This experience represents every feeling as an emoji to demonstrate the range of emotions which Jo felt when she was first given her cancer diagnosis.
​Chemotherapy
Choose your look!
The running theme throughout the exhibition is that the main part of chemotherapy associated with identity is hair loss. As a result of hair loss, Jo bought and wore many hats and scarfs where she had power to change her identity on a daily basis. This AR experience gives the viewer a similar experience in the form of a photobooth, where different hats and glasses can be chosen to change the look of the participant. Once a look is chosen, a selfie photograph can be taken on the app
Surgery
Open your mouth!
Another experience where you have to open your mouth. A lot of people can relate to the feelings associated with surgery. What surprised Jo was the enormous feeling of relief once the surgery had been scheduled and when the surgery had actually been performed. Once the lump had been removed, this felt like a huge step in Jo’s recovery.
This AR experience reveals three words which appear to come out of the open mouth which describe how she was feeling about her first surgery. Pain, Relief and Fear. The pain is obvious after surgery, the relief was that the cancer had been taken out, and fear for the surgery and for the rest of the treatment still to come
Post Treatment
This experience gives a visual representation of the black cloud which follows a person around once they have completed cancer treatment. The fear of recurrence can be quite crippling and can appear at any time. Whenever you don’t feel right, your mind immediately jumps to the worst-case scenario. This is completely understandable as about 40% of people with stage 1 – 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer will experience a recurrence after treatment. The overall 5 – year relative survival rate across all stages of the disease is 77%. September 2023 marks four years since Jo completed treatment, but the fear of recurrence is always near.