El TRENICO, an augmented reality mural to promote culture and tourism.
February 19 saw the official launch of “Flashback: El Trenico”, a project by mural artist Irantzu Lekue, with the collaboration of the TECNALIA research and technological development centre. This work combines muralism and new technologies, specifically augmented reality.
Using a mobile phone application, this mural, which was painted on a tunnel in Arraia-Maeztu (Alava), allows viewers to see, hear and feel beyond the canvas. The aim is to involve and even immerse people in the memory of the region. The idea is to create new user experiences using technology in art and for its viewing audience.
The “Flashback: El Trenico” application designed by TECNALIA, which can be downloaded for Android on Google Play, offers users access to stories, 3D objects, archive images via their mobile phones, and even the chance to see the Trenico itself as it travels along its old tracks, now converted into a bidegorri (cycle lane).
The work includes objects: suitcases, whistles, old tickets and an endless number of other items, narrations, sounds... They take us back to a whole tangible and intangible culture that has been rediscovered thanks to the collaboration and participation of the residents of Arraia-Maeztu.
The project uses computer vision technology, inertial systems, and the latest developments in SLAM (Simultaneous Location And Mapping): the user interacts with six degrees of freedom using a mobile device in a real environment in a robust way with the virtual elements presented by the mural and its virtual environment.
Basque Navarre Railway station in Maeztu
This innovative expanded mural is located near the old Basque Navarre Railway station in Maeztu (Montaña Alavesa). It was opened by institutions in Alava ahead of the spring so that local residents, walkers and cyclists can enjoy it. It is an example of how technology helps the cultural and creative sectors, in this case art, to learn about, understand and disseminate history, witness accounts and heritage.
Further information
The work deals with the memory of “El Trenico”, the Basque Navarre Railway, a railway line that linked Bergara and Lizarra from 1889 to 1967, in the Alava village of Maeztu, through which the section connecting Vitoria-Gasteiz and Lizarra passed.
The project was carried out under the Basque Government's KSI Berritzaile programme, with funding from Alava Provincial Council, Arraia-Maeztu Town Council and the Vital Foundation.
