MetroNeXt+                                                                                                                                    

A virtual trip from the center of New York City to the heart of Zurich

MetroNeXt+ took the public on a virtual journey from Grand Central Terminal to downtown Zurich using the latest in Augmented Reality technology. The project was based around the exhibition of a replica of a vintage New York City subway entrance that transports visitors virtually to Zurich where they can experience a selection of the architecture, arts, sciences, as well as the lifestyle of Switzerland largest city.

The Augmented Reality experience for Metro-NeXt + is created with 2D and 3D graphics to create floating Platonic and Archimedean Solids and by using photogrammetry technologies from the ETH Zurich to generate 3D models of a Zurich street scenery from a series of photographs taken in old town around the typically Swiss street “Augustinergasse”.

The MetroNeXt+ is a joint project between Digital Art Weeks, Virtuale Switzerland, and ETH Zurich. Participating artists are John Craig Freeman, Laile Pasquale and Caroline Bernhard, and the arts group Curious Minds along with HR Giger and Lorenz Meier. The project was headed by Arthur Clay and to quote a quote: “Hurry, get on board, it’s comin’! Listen to those rails a-thrumming. Get on the NeXt train and find yourself where Zurich Meets New York!”

Project Team:
Arthur Clay: Concept, Management, and Curation.
John Craig Freeman: Technical Direction
Christopher Clay, Metro Station Design and Plan Drafting

Researchers:
Professor Marc Pollefeys & researchers from Computer Vision and Geometry Lab ETH Zurich
Professor John Craig Freeman, Department of Visual and Media Arts, Emerson College
Professor Arthur Clay, Art & Technology Department, Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea

Artists and Artworks:
Arthur Clay: “Metro-NeXt+ Station”
Arthur Clay: “Archimedes in Switzerland”
Lalie Pasquale, Caroline Bernard, John Craig Freeman: “Platonic Solids”
Will Pappenheimer, “Dose for Central Station”
HR Giger, “Diverse Renderings”
Lorenz Meier, Illustrations to a Pictorial History of ETH

Sponsors:
ETH Zurich
University of Zurich
Swiss Tourism
City of Zurich
Virtuale Switzerland
ToneText of Switzerland