Layar certified partner Benet from Taipei, Taiwan has collaborated with Taipei’s Deptartment of Information and Tourism (TPEDOIT) to bring a unique interactive art experience to passengers on the city’s subway system.

To help promote the launch of a brand new line of service, Benet and TPEDOIT have invited several artists to create interactive artworks which are displayed on the walls, windows and floors of a special train on the new line. Lucky passengers that board this train can use the Layar App to scan the artworks to see them come to life with videos, animations and more.

“When I first scanned some of the images it felt like I was on a holiday, almost like going into the water, having it around me. It reminded me of my holiday,” said one passenger after experiencing the interactive art.

The augmented subway cars have earned the attention of the local press. The video below is a news report from a Taipei news station (in Taiwanese of course) that takes a look at some of the art and interviews passengers for their reactions. Have a look at the art-covered trains and to see what happens when riders scan with the Layar App.

To give it a try yourself, click here and scan some the artworks with Layar.

Innovative Spanish multimedia artist Jose Carlos Casado is using Layar’s Augmented Reality and Interactive Print technology to connect his art with the digital world.

Casado’s paintings are currently on display as part of the “Inverted Normals” exhibit, a group exhibition of works that provide access points to different ways of understanding the relationship between digital and physical spaces. The exhibit is located at the Rowan University Art Gallery in Glassboro, New Jersey – a contemporary gallery showcasing all forms of visual expression and new media.

Casado has printed labels with instructions for scanning which have been placed by the title labels for each piece. Scanning the paintings with the Layar App reveals interactive digital 3D elements that Casado says make the painting “more personal.”

“Casado’s work investigates the blurred line between real and unreal, and the role technology plays in influencing the images we see every day,” the gallery says. “He uses 3D technologies to invent a new reality, creating scenarios that could not be possible.”

“I don’t like being limited by the bi-dimensionality of the paper,” says Casado. “I use 3D technologies to add a new dimension to my work. Thanks to Augmented Reality, the viewer can experience time and form on a different level. I believe it adds an important layer of content to my paintings.”

To experience Jose Carlos Casado’s unique 3D AR art, you can either visit the exhibit in New Jersey (open until December 20th), or scan these examples with the Layar App.

Rogers, Canada’s largest provider of TV, Internet and wireless services, has teamed up with Canadian marketing agency Newad and Parisian street artist KASHINK to create a truly unique interactive experience to promote the Rogers Cup tennis tournament – all with scannable Layar content.

KASHINK is a unique French street artist who paints large, four-eyed creatures with bright colors and thick lines. As her website describes her work, “she only paints men, preferably fat and hairy, looking like badass yet sensitive gangsters, alien-looking ogres, or shamans from ancient tribes. Some of them are gay, some of them are killers, some others are both.”

For the campaign, named “A Creative Exchange” KASHINK was commissioned to paint one of her signature creations on the side of a building on the streets of Montreal, but with a tennis and mobile phone twist.

“Our goal is to have a new interpretation of tennis, and make it more accessible by bringing it closer to Montrealers,” said Lizianne Fortier, Sponsorships and Events Manager at Rogers. “It was important for us to let the artist express herself and interpret the sport of tennis in her own way, without limitations.”

The creature wears a headband and holds a mobile phone to its ear in one hand and a tennis ball between its giant fingers in the other, all while saying “FOUND IT!” over the phone.

Near the ground of the four story artwork is a call-to-action urging those walking by on the sidewalk to download the Layar App and scan the painting to see more. Scanning the artwork reveals a timelapse video of KASHINK working on the giant artwork from start to finish over the course of a few days.

“As the character I created has a very retro feel, applying technology to the mural and merging the two worlds is quite interesting artistically,” said KASHINK.

Click on the image at the top and scan it with the Layar App to watch the time-lapse video of KASHINK at work!

The Vlaams Radio Koor (Flemish Radio Choir) from Belgium has created a series of 3D postage stamp videos for a new line of stamps, and the results are incredible!

As you can see in the video above, scanning one of the stamps with the Layar App displays a video playing inside a 3D model of a concert stage. The experience is incredibly immersive, as you can move in and out and look around inside the stage as a video message plays as the backdrop.

The video and Interactive Print campaign were produced and created by Havas Worldwide, one of the world’s largest marketing agencies. To promote a concert series of music based on letters sent by Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann, Havas created the idea for a “singing stamp” that comes to life.

How did they achieve this effect? It’s built from two basic components of the Layar Creator: a 3D model (using the HOTSPOT button in the Creator) placed on top of a video button. The resulting effect of being inside the concert hall is terrific!

Read Havas’ press release about the “singing stamp” for more information, including how to order your own set of the stamps!

This weekend marks the launch of a new and unique festival.

This Saturday, Amsterdam will see the first ever virtual reality festival. Named “Zo Niet, Dan Toch” (Dutch for “If not, then anyway”), the festival promises to put “augmented reality and location-based virtual projects on the map.”

“The festival allows visitors a new way of experiencing visual arts, entertainment, film, architecture, theatre, dance and music,” the event says. “The festival explores the virtual stage where nothing is impossible and everyone has access. The ticket is already in your pocket: your mobile phone.”

Visitors can wander around the festival area in the north of Amsterdam and view various VR and AR works with their mobile phone. There are even guided iPad tours for those without a smartphone.

The festival was started by former Layar employee Klasien van de Zandschulp in collaboration with artist Sander Veenhof, whose Layar artwork you may have seen here on the blog before. Many of the festival’s projects have been built using the Layar Creator or Geo Layers.

One of the featured projects is “Pont,” a fun boat docking game developed by Layar developer Blaise Kal. Layar’s R&D lead Ronald van der Lingen will also be at the festival giving tours and demos of Google Glass.

The program for the event has been enhanced with Layar as well, including a special final page which allows for additional content, so the reader can keep reading. In one case, an exhibitor changed the location of her project, so the program was updated with the Layar Creator to show the correct information.

Looking to attend? Here’s everything you need to know…

DATE: September 7th, 2013
TIME: 13:00 to 21:00
SPECIAL EVENING PROGRAM: 18:00 to 21:00
LOCATION: Various locations in Amsterdam Noord - Info desk : Tolhuisweg 5

Make sure your bring your phone, charger and headphones!