Along with the outbreak of the Coronavirus came a wave of business closures affecting artists and creatives relying on gallery, fair, and museum exhibitions to display and sell their art. With the livelihood of the entire community at risk, artist Sebastian Errazuriz and partner Zander Eckblad quickly began working on a solution that would allow creators to take matters into their own hands and could potentially alter the future of how art is bought and sold.
Their answer, ALLWorld, is an augmented reality (AR) platform that allows artists and designers to upload their works digitally to sell in an online gallery. Free of charge and open to any creative, users can share the virtually rendered artwork with clients and collectors, enabling them to see the life-sized work in context—be it a living room, courtyard, or gallery setting.
Courtesy of Club del Doge Restaurant.
To help fund the project, Errazuriz began his “Starving Artist” series, including a suite of Warhol-inspired soup cans and prints for sale, with proceeds going back into the platform.
To learn more about ALLWorld and how Errazuriz is doing given current events, Whitewall spoke to the artist.
Courtesy of The Hotel Danieli.
WHITEWALL: Tell us about your new platform, ALLWorld.
SEBASTIAN ERRAZURIZ: ALLWorld is a free platform for creatives to self-publish work in augmented reality (AR). After uploading you receive a link to your AR exhibition which you can post on your website or email/text to clients. There are no apps or downloads needed; anyone with the link can see your work life-size in AR within their own spaces.
WW: At what point did you know you needed to take action to help your fellow artists?
And after the initial conception, what steps did you take to develop and launch the platform?
SE: We have been working on the boundaries of art, design and tech for a long time. We have three years of experience in augmented reality and are interested in creating democratic tools for artists to bypass the traditional artworld monopolies.
The moment the world shut down and every gallery and design fair in the world was closed, we knew artists would not be able to exhibit or sell and that the clock was ticking to attempt to provide a few tools that could help.
WW: Since launching ALLWorld, what has been the initial reaction from artists and collectors?
SE: I think everyone has been very grateful for the contribution, and artists and designers are still wrapping their heads around the technology, its potential, and its challenges, and are starting to think differently. I believe the biggest impact we have seen is that they are starting to see the big picture and understand how this technology could actually become a real revolution and help liberate the arts from a financial monopoly that has had a chokehold on creativity for several decades.
WW: What do you think will be the place of AR and other technologies in the art world moving forward, and where do you envision ALLWorld in that equation?
SE: AR will radically change every aspect of our lives within the next five years. Ten years from now phones won’t exist. I know that sounds crazy, but you can check Apple’s briefings and objectives. Navigating the world through a little tablet in the palm of our hands is a very basic form of technology.
We will transition to visual computing and audio commands. Much of the world will continue to be digital and this will be the moment where the arts pass from mostly physical to mostly digital and the main medium will be AR and XR (Cross Reality). If we work hard enough ALLWorld could be the future platform for visual arts.
WW: It’s possible that many people who would like to help the art community don’t have the financial means for things like large donations or purchasing art at this time. Are there other ways they can help?
SR: Help us spread the word. If any coders have free time and want to help build tools, they should please contact us.
WW: What are you doing to stay positive and inspired during this time on a personal level?
SR: I’m working hard attempting to build a democratic platform for all of us to exhibit. That keeps me fully focused and motivated.
WW: How have current events and circumstances affected your practice?
SR: Like everyone else I have been hit quite hard financially and have had to make a strong effort to protect the jobs of my team. We are working hard and being as creative and resourceful as possible.
