Whakairo - Kereama Taepa

Tauranga Art Gallery Opening

108 Willow Street, Tauranga
November 2025

AR+ Installation

For the reopening of Tauranga Art Gallery, iSPARX™ developed a location-aware AR+ installation designed to connect digital artwork and interpretation directly to the physical gallery environment.

The experience used geospatial positioning, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to establish accurate spatial relationships between visitors, artworks and digital content. Anchor locks and AR+ targets provided additional control over content placement and activation within the gallery.

Visitors accessed the experience through the AR+artist™ App, available on iOS and Android. Digital content could be positioned in relation to specific works, locations and architectural features, allowing the gallery space itself to become part of the interface.

The installation was built in Unity using the iSPARX™ SDK and CMS, providing the technical framework for spatial anchoring, content management and cross-platform deployment. The underlying AR+IQ architecture supports modular, location-aware experiences across mobile devices and other spatial computing environments.

Technology

AR+ geospatial
Location-aware digital content anchored to the physical environment.

UWB + BLE beacons
Proximity and positioning systems used to improve spatial accuracy and trigger location-specific interactions.

Anchor locks
Persistent spatial controls used to maintain digital content in defined physical positions.

AR+ target
Visual target recognition for precise activation and alignment of augmented content.

AR+artist™ App
iOS and Android application designed for artists, galleries and cultural institutions. AR+artist™ forms part of the wider iSPARX™ immersive product suite.

Unity + iSPARX™ SDK
The experience was developed in Unity using the modular iSPARX™ SDK for AR, spatial computing and geospatial deployment.

iSPARX™ CMS
Content management tools support the deployment and ongoing management of digital assets and location-based experiences.

Outcome

The installation extended the gallery experience beyond conventional screen-based interpretation. Digital content became spatial, contextual and connected to place, allowing visitors to encounter augmented material as part of their movement through the gallery.

AR+artist™ · *powered by iSPARX™