Arcade & Meta launch filter for gold-winning garden at Chelsea Flower Show

The Arcade social media AR team has been hard at work on an experience for a very good cause and is delighted to introduce the Rare Space Garden, an Instagram filter designed to give people all around the world a chance to understand some of the principles behind designing a garden for sufferers of rare forms of visual dementia.

The filter was launched to coincide with the famous Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show where the real Rare Space Garden, designed by Charlie Hawkes, was unveiled this week. Charlie’s dementia-friendly design wowed judges and was awarded a coveted Gold medal, as well as Best Sanctuary Garden and Best Construction. The accompanying Instagram filter was designed to give audiences everywhere a small flavour of the process Charlie went through, before inviting them to step into the finished garden via a series of 360 images captured onsite before the show opened to the public.

Meta en The National Brain Appeal approached Arcade earlier in the year and asked if we would partner with them to bring the garden to life in AR for Instagram users everywhere, and we were only too happy to oblige.

“Arcade is all about connecting people to place through play, so when Meta asked us to create a fun and educational world effect filter for this phenomenal cause – and equally fabulous garden – we couldn’t possibly refuse,” said Arcade Co-Founder Alex Book.

“Filters are so often focused on the front camera, augmenting users’ faces in brilliant and hilarious ways, but for us the rear camera and the way it fosters engagement with the world around us is such a fascinating and still under-explored approach. We’re so grateful to the brilliant teams at Meta and The National Brain Appeal for trusting us to bring the Rare Space Garden to Instagram audiences all around the world, and hope we have done justice to their vision.”

Instagram users can try the Rare Space Garden experience on your mobile device by tapping hier. Share your photos from the garden and don’t forget to tag #rarespacegarden!

Lipton Ice Tea Goes Festive

Following the hugely successful ‘Share Some Sunshine‘ campaign over the summer, Lipton Ice Tea wanted to extend the experience and adapt it for the winter months ahead.

During the summer, consumers could bring out a joyful bright Lipton sun with a nod of their head, and play with a series of fun smiles and sunglasses that were linked to limited edition pack designs.

For the winter, the brand wanted to keep the successful formula but with a bucketload of festive spirit thrown in! Flashing holly tree glasses, Santa beards, presents and more were all designed and built in to the new effect on Instagram, and launched in the month running up to Christmas.

We are again working with our friends at global design agency Design Bridge, and are so excited to give consumers a new way to enjoy some festive cheer, Lipton Ice Tea-style!

Check out the full story hier, or try it out yourself on Instagram by scanning the code below!

Hope Sculpture Unveiled In Glasgow and on Social Media AR

The Hope Sculpture started as a conversation with Ramboll and became a gift from 50 companies to Glasgow. It is a testament to the power of collaboration and dedication to deliver a better future

Steuart Padwick

The Hope Sculpture is a 23-metre high monument designed by Steuart Padwick, newly unveiled in Glasgow’s stunning Cuningar Loop. It features an anonymous child embracing the surrounding nature and reaching out to a greener, hopeful future, and comes at a critical time for the future of the planet and all that live on it.

The child stands atop 20m high elegant columns that take their form from the brick chimney stalks that once littered the East End of Glasgow, with the entire sculpture constructed using low carbon, reclaimed, recycled or sustainable materials, of which almost all have been locally sourced.

The team behind The Hope Sculpture have developed an impressive and diverse partnership of over 50 organisations whose generosity has made the project possible. Arcade was approached to add an immersive element to the experience, offering a way for those unable to visit the sculpture in person to participate and show their support.

The result is an augmented reality effect that lets Facebook and Instagram users place their very own Hope Sculpture wherever they are in the world, and pose with it for selfies that can be shared with the hashtag #myhopesculpture.

We are proud to be a part of The Hope Sculpture team, and pleased to be able to play a role in raising the awareness and engagement with this wonderful and important project.

Facebook users can access the effect hier, and Instagram users hier. The effects work on mobile and tablet.

For more on The Hope Sculpture, follow the project on TwitterInstagramFacebook or LinkedIn.

Get in touch to find out more

Share Some Sunshine with Lipton Ice Tea

AR Snap Lens

How does an iconic drinks brand that’s all about fun, social connection make a splash during a summer where social interaction isn’t allowed?

We were thrilled to be able to work with our friends at global design agency Design Bridge, on a social media experience linked to the limited edition packs they designed for launch across Europe.

‘Share Some Sunshine’ launched on Instagram and Snapchat and generated hundreds of thousands of interactions in markets including France, Belgium, Poland, Turkey, and was even adapted for launch throughout Middle East.

Check out the full story hier, or try it out yourself on Instagram or Snapchat by scanning the codes below!