ARTour - Art walk through Basel with Augmented Reality

Peacefully grazing sheep on Münsterplatz. Come onn approach them, they look at you, start bleating and jump happily into the air. Six giant, colourful mushrooms are currently hovering above Münzgasse, dancing to a kind of polka. What sounds like dream imaginings is the new and interactive ARTour through the city of Basel.

A new experience enriches the city's art offering: with the free "ARTour" app, digital works of art at various locations in Basel come to life on your mobile phone screen. The tour leads past ten works of art, takes around 90 minutes in total and can be completed at any time.

The project was developed by Roche in close cooperation with the Haus der Elektronischen Künste (HEK), Basel Tourismus and the JEFF agency. Together with the curator of the project, the director of the HEK Sabine Himmelsbach, national and international artists were selected to create digital artworks on the theme of "Celebrate Life" especially for the ARTour.

"New standards"

Roche took the opportunity of its 125th anniversary to present the city of Basel with a modern and innovative commitment to art. "We are very happy to accept this great gift. It enriches the cultural city of Basel in an original way and sets new standards with its innovative strength," says Beat Jans, President of the Basel-Stadt government and head of the Presidential Department.

The locations of the ten artworks can be seen on an interactive map in the app. Christoph Bosshardt, deputy. Director of Basel Tourism: "Interactive art formats like the ARTour bring modern art closer to a broad public. The new art walk adds another experience to Basel's tourist offer." Some works even invite visitors to interact.

The ARTour app is available free of charge for iOS and Android. Further information can be found on the website of the municipality of Basel.