First Word War collection for Birmingham gallery

Augmented reality exhibition to be showcased.

A collection of poignant paintings commemorating the First World War will be on display at a Birmingham gallery this month.

The Danger Tree by augmented reality artists, Scarlett Raven and Marc Marot, will be available to view at Castle Fine Art in the ICC from Wednesday 8th November until Thursday 30th November.

The collection tells an immersive story of the soldiers who fought and fell in the Great War between 1914 and 1918. It was created as a tribute to the Newfoundland Regiment which, under orders from British Command, used a tree halfway into No Man’s Land to assemble. The German artillery caught on, leading to many casualties, and the tree later became known as The Danger Tree.

Scarlett Raven’s collaboration with Marc Marot and use of the app, Blippar, has led her to be the first oil painter in the UK to delve into the world of augmented reality. Whilst her paintings appear conventional at a first glance, Blippar allows the viewer to unlock the creative journey of each painting with their smartphone, stripping away the countless layers of paint and revealing the deeply personal process beneath every piece through poetry, animation and music.

Scarlett Raven said: “Through this collection I’m inviting people to view painting in a completely different way. With the Blippar app, viewers can stand in front of the artwork and not only watch the paint strokes in motion, but they can also see my thought processes that brought that painting into being.

“I want people to engage with the work beyond the canvas, beyond the wall and beyond the gallery. I want each piece to become an event in itself – a very personal and intimate event.”

Beth McCarthy, gallery director at Castle Fine Art added: “The Danger Tree collection is without doubt iconic, and the methods that go into these creations are astounding. Scarlett and Marc’s collaboration has resulted in works that leave the viewer speechless, and we can’t wait to see our visitors’ reactions during the exhibition.”