Augmenting the Stone: Rock Art and Augmented Reality in a Nordic Climate

Abstract

Sweden has some of the best-preserved Bronze Age rock art in the world, with more than 20,000 rock art sites. While there is no clear evidence indicating the origin of this tradition, in the World Heritage area of Tanum some of the rock art is enhanced with red colour. However, the practice flattens the more complex time-depth of the engravings and cements faulty interpretations, thus alternative ways for visualising the rock art are being considered. Globally, several Augmented Reality applications have been made for the visualisation of rock art; however, none have yet been developed for the Nordic context, where conditions are affected by seasonal elements. With Tanum, Sweden, as a case study, this paper discusses the challenges in applying Augmented Reality to Nordic Rock Art.