MK: ARS Moriendi

An extraordinary Munich art project as an AR experience: focusing on the life stories of sick and dying people

Facts

For: iOS, Android

Published: 19.02.2025

Type: App

Genre: Art project

Target group: Adults

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Concept

Ars Moriendi is an augmented reality app that was developed specifically for the Munich Kammerspiele theater and is now available free of charge in the App Store and on Google Play. With their smartphone in hand, users can stroll through Munich and discover 3D-scanned people and their unique life situations in the urban space. A total of thirty such virtual encounters can be found, which are displayed on a map. The app calculates the route and shows the distance in meters so that each person can be sought out specifically.

An art project by Gregor Schneider

Ars Moriendi was initiated by artist Gregor Schneider. His project focuses on the sick and dying members of our society. As soon as you approach a figure, you hear a very personal message through the telephone’s loudspeakers: Is it a legacy? Is the person we see here perhaps still alive? Schneider thus opens up a special examination of farewell, finitude, and memory. His project suggests that death should not only be viewed as an experience of powerlessness, but should be consciously and individually shaped—beyond life.

Experience personal stories in AR

Even before you arrive at a person’s location, the app provides brief information such as their name, age, and life story. When you finally arrive at the location, the person appears in AR right before your eyes—three-dimensional and tangibly close. As you view the virtual image, the narrative is accompanied by a voice-over. This creates a powerful connection between image, space, and voice that makes each encounter unique.