Virtual Art Hotel Opens as the Art Hotel Itself Closes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Art Hotel had its final public showing Saturday, February 13, 2016 in downtown Sacramento; Virtual Art Hotel becomes available in facsimile for a limited time

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – During early morning hours, and while the five-story temporary Art Hotel exhibit was not open for public viewing, a team from Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects (D&B) completed the laser scan of the entire building since February 8, 2016. The finished scan combines the three dimensional data into an online virtual art exhibit walk-through available for public viewing starting at 8:00 PM PST on February 19, 2016. Virtual Art Hotel is only available for a limited time, and will be permanently erased the day the building is demolished.

“As the Art Hotel closes, the walk-through will be available only temporarily, so that both the hotel exhibit itself and the virtual exhibit are short-term,” says Jason A. Silva, design principal at Dreyfuss & Blackford and project creator for the Virtual Art Hotel.

Led by Silva and Chad Garcia, director of design technology at D&B, the team will scan, compile and launch the free online “point cloud” model allowing the public to virtually experience the building in a way people have never seen before. After the Jade Apartments are demolished, the Virtual Art Hotel will be removed from the internet and all instances of the data will be destroyed. Should demolition be delayed, the Virtual Art Hotel will be erased on March 12, 2016 at midnight, on 2^nd Saturday Art Walk.

The walk-through will be available to anyone for free on multiple platforms, including smart phones and tablets, and does not require a separate application to run. While viewing the model, users are able move through walls, doors, floors and ceilings to go anywhere inside the Art Hotel and view all the exhibits.

Over 130 artists from all over the world are represented within the Virtual Art Hotel model. “From mixed-media to digital media, there is something that appeals to everyone,” said Seamus R. Coutts Ph.D., co-creator of the Art Hotel.

The laser scanning technology works by millions of points being recorded by LIDAR scanning equipment, which senses light reflected from the laser as it rotates and covers a complete spherical range. “The term LIDAR is a portmanteau of light and radar, and functions the same as radar, with the benefit of light reflection – including color, which is ideal to record the art inside the space,” said Silva. “As architects, we use this tool to accurately document existing conditions when renovating or remodeling an existing building. However, in this case this virtual online experience will, like the Art Hotel itself, be temporary,” he added.

This is an unusual application for this technology because it is not typically available for the public to access. “We are hosting the model in a new cloud environment that allows an unlimited amount of people to view it. It’s sharable, creating a new dynamic in how we exchange information on the built environment,” said Garcia.

For more information and to view the Virtual Art Hotel, visit www.virtualarthotel.com. Images of Virtual Art Hotel are made available for use by media, courtesy of Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture. They can be viewed at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dreyfussblackford/albums/72157664546446026

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Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture

Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture, founded in ­1950 in Sacramento, CA with an office in San Francisco, is a 38-person firm headquartered in the California capital. The firm serves corporate, public and institutional markets with solutions achieved through collaboration and innovation. Committed to a sustainable future, D+B brings expertise in architecture, master planning, interiors, graphic design, and construction services. Recently completed projects include The Shop at VSP Global, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts at Fremont School, and the Yolo County Woodland Superior Courthouse.

M5ARTS & Art Hotel

M5ARTS is an arts initiative in downtown Sacramento committed to envisioning and creating culturally significant multi-faceted and multidimensional art experiences. M5ARTS and the Art Hotel at the Jade Apartments presents over 30 artists from all over the world inside an abandoned apartment building slated for demolition. The Art Hotel exhibit was free to the public. M5ARTS brings series of temporary arts events, which include exhibitions, salons, lectures, film premieres, book debuts, musical performances, and artist receptions.