How to Create Interactive Artwork with AI + AR

In this live session, artist and creative technologist Dan Marcolina joins Zappar to break down how AI-generated imagery and augmented reality are reshaping visual storytelling. Drawing from his Diffused Reality work, Dan will show how still images evolve into layered, living experiences, where motion, narrative, and interaction exist beyond the printed surface.

Dan will show how features in Zapworks Designer such as 360 environments, world tracking, face tracking, particles, avatars, and interactive triggers can be amplified by AI to create experiences that feel magical, personal, and alive. Rather than treating AI and AR as separate technologies, Dan will demonstrate how their synergy can extend reality, transform storytelling, and turn physical artwork into immersive encounters that continue unfolding beyond the printed page.

What you’ll learn

• How artists are using AI as part of a controlled, intentional creative process, not a shortcut
• A step-by-step workflow: AI image generation → Image Animation → Novel implementations of the Zapworks Designer tool kit → immersive experience
• How image tracking turns prints, books, and exhibitions into interactive entry points
• What makes an AR-enhanced artwork actually engaging (and what just feels gimmicky)
• How to design experiences that work in real-world environments like galleries and publications

Who this is for

• Artists, photographers, and creative technologists exploring new mediums
• Galleries, publishers, and curators looking to create more engaging exhibitions
• Brands experimenting with print, packaging, or storytelling beyond the screen
• Anyone curious about combining AI + AR without deep technical overhead

Can’t attend live?

Sign up anyway and we’ll send you the full recording afterwards.