While Snapchat’s goofy filters are definitely an art form unto themselves, the photo and video-sharing application is adding some more conventional art (the kind you might find in a museum) to its platform. Today, Snapchat launched a new collaboration with noted contemporary artist Jeff Koons—a guy most famous for his towering, reflective sculptures of balloon animals—that will bring digital representations of his work to locations across the world, including Chicago.
You can experience an augmented reality representation of Koons’s rabbit sculpture by opening Snapchat in Maggie Daley Park, selecting the Jeff Koons Lens and following the onscreen prompts that direct you to the virtual work’s location in the park. Once you find the digital sculpture, you’ll be able to view a three-story-tall representation of it through your smartphone, allowing you to observe it from different angles and snap a selfie with it.
The virtual Koons sculptures are just the first part of Snapchat’s new art campaign, which will set up augmented reality installations in locations all around the world. You can keep track of current virtual installations on Snapchat’s website, where you can also submit your own artwork to the company.
If seeing a virtual version of Koons’s rabbit sculpture through your smartphone screen doesn’t quite capture your imagination, you’ll be able to see the real, physical version of the sculpture at the MCA later this month when the “We Are Everywhere” exhibition opens on October 21.
