Research: Modern polaxis by SUTU

“Now we are entering a new era, where technology is adding another layer of how we perceive our reality” SUTU 2016- screendiver.com/video-sutu/

An interesting figure that relentlessly explores any new technology that poses a potential for storytelling. I will focus on his first AR project, ‘modern polaxis’, being a physical comic, with the AR implementation alongside it. This will give me something to both work from as a building block, and evaluate the worth of AR inclusions.

This project is especially crucial as it covers two things that I wish to talk about within my essay, the use of AR, but also how the internet, and a link with your fan base, can and has been used to fund projects. More on the second point later I feel, as I’m going to focus on the AR side.

“You can unlock polaxis hidden journal and see what is really going on”- a nice, simple and engaging way to explain the core idea behind the comic. Modern polaxis follows a paranoid conspiracy theorist, talking about and unraveling the world around him. The AR then works alongside this, revealing the secrets and truths only he can see. I don’t have the book just yet, but will absolutely talk about it when it arrives.

“I wanted to develop a story that would compliment the tech, and the purpose of the technology. I didn’t want it to be a gimmick.”

The book can be bought in both physical and digital versions, no doubt to ensure all bases are covered, and as many people as possible can acquire the work.

The book does feature some textual differences when comparing both the book and the screen additions, some text boxes are replaced. This stemmed from a desire to have readers investigate for differences, so they can understand and somewhat play the role of the paranoid protagonist, SUTU explained in the interview with screen diver.

What catches my attention is that SUTU had to make his own app to have the project work, as he called it his “own technology”. What this says is that, to create a work of this kind, you either need a knowledge of coding, or to know someone who has. This is a huuuge revelation for my outcomes as I simply lack that coding knowledge to make a comic like this. Alongside that I wouldn’t have the funds to pay someone to either. This could mean that any AR implementation I have will need to be stripped back using existing basic tools. Seems like it’s a good thing that the interest in comics overcame my interest in ar and vr.

Modern Polaxis Augmented Reality Comic Book Trailer from NAWLZ on Vimeo.

EDIT: Talk about the book

So I managed to get a copy of the book, it's super neat. I sadly haven't encountered anything new from using the product, which I guess is a testament to how well they advertised the product.