Augmented Reality (AR)

To reveal the concept behind the new murals, the Kazan documentary center Gorizont Films together with immersive designer Ruslan Yevseyev, created an augmented reality layer for them. On the murals "The Beginning" and "Garden City", viewers can see animation showing how the city and industry dissolve into nature and reassemble from its elements. A documentary layer is also available for all parts of the polyptych, built from the digital archive of Nizhnekamsk.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Animation layer

The augmented reality animation focuses on the connection between the natural and the industrial. On the first mural, animated cubes — a collective image of urban architecture and industry — scatter and come together again, symbolizing the city’s breathing. They are contrasted with the floral compositions of the "Garden City" mural — a still life of plants referring to the Red Book flora of Tatarstan.

Animation layer

The augmented reality animation focuses on the connection between the natural and the industrial. On the first mural, animated cubes — a collective image of urban architecture and industry — scatter and come together again, symbolizing the city’s breathing. They are contrasted with the floral compositions of the "Garden City" mural — a still life of plants referring to the Red Book flora of Tatarstan.

For the AR development team, the scale of the facades — 30 × 12 meters — became a particular challenge. Setting up image tracking on such large surfaces proved complex, yet the size of the murals amplified the immersive effect. As a result, the AR compositions became an independent experience: they introduce movement, invite viewers to pause, observe the details, and feel how the urban space becomes alive and multi-layered.

Immersive designer of the project

Ruslan Yevseyev

The transitions between scenes were created using ASCII references. This creates the effect of reality disintegrating into pixels and binary compositions, and then coming together again. Paper planes became the connecting motif: an image from childhood, a symbol of imagination that knows no boundaries.

Animation layer

The augmented reality animation focuses on the connection between the natural and the industrial. On the first mural, animated cubes — a collective image of urban architecture and industry — scatter and come together again, symbolizing the city’s breathing. They are contrasted with the floral compositions of the "Garden City" mural — a still life of plants referring to the Red Book flora of Tatarstan.

For the AR development team, the scale of the facades — 30 × 12 meters — became a particular challenge. Setting up image tracking on such large surfaces proved complex, yet the size of the murals amplified the immersive effect. As a result, the AR compositions became an independent experience: they introduce movement, invite viewers to pause, observe the details, and feel how the urban space becomes alive and multi-layered.

Immersive designer of the project

Ruslan Yevseyev

The transitions between scenes were created using ASCII references. This creates the effect of reality disintegrating into pixels and binary compositions, and then coming together again. Paper planes became the connecting motif: an image from childhood, a symbol of imagination that knows no boundaries.

Ruslan Yevseyev

Immersive designer of the project

The transitions between scenes were created using ASCII references. This creates the effect of reality disintegrating into pixels and binary compositions, and then coming together again. Paper planes became the connecting motif: an image from childhood, a symbol of imagination that knows no boundaries.

For the AR development team, the scale of the facades — 30 × 12 meters — became a particular challenge. Setting up image tracking on such large surfaces proved complex, yet the size of the murals amplified the immersive effect. As a result, the AR compositions became an independent experience: they introduce movement, invite viewers to pause, observe the details, and feel how the urban space becomes alive and multi-layered.

Grid — a system that organizes objects in a structured, "grid-like" layout.

ASCII — an early computer standard where letters, numbers, and symbols were encoded as numerical values. Artists on the internet often used these characters to "draw" pictures — a style known as ASCII art or ASCII graphics.

Image Tracking — a technology that recognizes a real image and overlays a digital layer onto it.

Documentary layer

The Gorizont Films team selected 350 photographs of Nizhnekamsk from the 1960s-1970s, the period of the city’s active construction. The images were digitized in the city archive, and the most valuable ones were transformed into a digital card index in augmented reality, where each photograph became a separate cell of memory.

Ruslan Yevseyev

Immersive designer of the project

"I created the documentary layer in the format of a digital card index — a grid where each photo becomes an individual cell of memory. It’s not a dry archive, but rather a visual and tactile layer with UI elements that can be "touched" and opened. This format offers an unconventional entry point into the city’s history, allowing viewers to experience an immersive journey through its formation."

Each mural is connected to a thematic section of the archive:

The documentary layer is available not only near the murals but also online — anyone can explore the photo library and assemble their own impressions from fragments of visual memory.

This approach extends the boundaries of the work: the mural remains in the physical space of the city, while the documentary part lives in the digital realm. Together, they form a complete narrative and become a step toward a broader dialogue with the city and its residents.

Documentary layer

The Gorizont Films team selected 350 photographs of Nizhnekamsk from the 1960s-1970s, the period of the city’s active construction. The images were digitized in the city archive, and the most valuable ones were transformed into a digital card index in augmented reality, where each photograph became a separate cell of memory.

Immersive designer of the project

Ruslan Yevseyev

I created the documentary layer in the format of a digital card index — a grid where each photo becomes an individual cell of memory. It’s not a dry archive, but rather a visual and tactile layer with UI elements that can be "touched" and opened. This format offers an unconventional entry point into the city’s history, allowing viewers to experience an immersive journey through its formation.

The documentary layer is available not only near the murals but also online — anyone can explore the photo library and assemble their own impressions from fragments of visual memory.

This approach extends the boundaries of the work: the mural remains in the physical space of the city, while the documentary part lives in the digital realm. Together, they form a complete narrative and become a step toward a broader dialogue with the city and its residents.

To the Digital Archive

Each mural is connected to a thematic section of the archive:

Mural №1
(The Beginning)

Mural №2 (Point of Convergence)

Industry (factory and urban photographs with transport).

City (Nizhnekamsk master plan and housing development photographs).

Mural №3 (Growth)

Mural №4 (Garden City)

Urban greening (footage of city improvement and planting).

The triumph of nature in the city.

Point your phone camera at the QR code and tap "View" on the pop-up link. Wait a few seconds for the page to load.

Then point your camera at the floor, ground, or pavement and tap the gray circular icon on the screen. Digital objects will appear in the space around you above.

If the objects don’t appear right away, simply try again.

To open the full digital archive with photographs of Nizhnekamsk from the 1960s-1970s, tap the cube icon below the images.

View the archive of historical photographs

Point your phone camera at the QR code and tap "View" on the pop-up link. Wait a few seconds for the page to load.

Then point your camera at the floor, ground, or pavement and tap the gray circular icon on the screen. Digital objects will appear in the space around you above.