Raubkunst is proof of concept for a transmedia city exploration in Expanded Realities. It illustrates a new way of approaching immersing, holistic and gamified storytelling experiences in Frankfurt. Raubkunst is the result of a master thesis at h_da.

'Experience a treasure hunt for precious lost art, left behind by a persecuted gallerist in 1940s Frankfurt.'

This project was showcased at the Buchmesse, Frankfurt in Oktober 2018. This was an ideal test scenario to get insights and feedback. To make Raubkunst accessible for everyone, it was realised for a mobile device, which in close future is supposed to be replaced by for instance a head-mounted-display. Unity 3D and Vuforia was used to create and merge the digital environment with the real environment.

To position 3D elements in the real world, image triggers where used. In advance, the real world had to be measured so that the objetcs look realistic. The storytelling experience is guided by Emilia, the granddaughter of the gallerist Mr. Holzmann, who is actively talking to the user and helping him what to do. Herefore, we used Object-Oriented-Storytelling, where we recorded short story elements so users can create and fill the story by themselves. Sounds from different directins are showing the users where to go and look at.

Apart from visual and auditive interactions, the haptic metal plate can be used to collect objects and artworks. It will be used to end the experience and highlight interesting spots and the route the user has walked. While navigating, the focus lies simply in the real environment, where users have to recognize visual story segments in the real world. To not distract users, the visual interface is unobtrusive and only appearing if the user needs it. The focus is in the end on the real world and the expanded reality scenario.