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Festival France–Laos 2026

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Exhibition · Digital arts

URAMADO AR, the Awakening of the Tanukis

6 November 2026 → 28 November 2026

  • Institut français du Laos — Luang Prabang
  • All day
  • Free entry
URAMADO AR, the Awakening of the Tanukis

Move your mouse or swipe: the Tanukis wake up

About

Discover Uramado AR, The Awakening of the Tanukis, an immersive and participatory augmented reality experience created by French artist Julie Stephen Chheng. Designed as a scavenger hunt, Uramado AR, The Awakening of the Tanukis invites us to explore our differences in a playful way, through a narrative in which reality and imagination intertwine. The journey tells the story of the Tanukis, nature spirits awakening in the city. Scattered throughout the Institut français and hidden to varying degrees, the Tanukis invite participants to download the free Uramado AR app and embark on their scavenger hunt. As participants discover the Tanukis, the creatures come to life, express their surprise, and ask questions of the viewer. At the end of the experience, participants discover which natural element their Totem Animal is associated with, based on their answers! By bringing her colorful illustrations to life through augmented reality, Julie Stephen Chheng transforms the smartphone into a magical lens through which to view the real world, closely intertwining the physical spaces where the illustrations are placed with the virtual universe they reveal. Inspired by Japanese mythology, the world of Uramado also draws on shamanic culture and various personality tests.

Video

Uramado by Julie Stephen Chheng (Pavillon Playground)

The app

Download the free app to start the treasure hunt.

Project history

Uramado AR began at the Villa Kujoyama, which gave it its name, meaning “window” and “reverse side of the paper” in Japanese, a poetic way of naming augmented reality. A prototype was shown at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, then developed into its full version for Digital Choc (and Media Ambition Tokyo) in Tokyo and the Tilt Festival in New York. Since 2019, Uramado AR has been shown in museums and institutions around the world as well as in France. It is an evolving world in which the characters transform over the years.

Key milestones

  1. 2017

    Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature: 2 May – 31 June 2017

  2. 2019

    Digital Choc / Media Ambition Tokyo: Tokyo, Kyoto, Feb–Dec 2019

  3. 2020

    Gaîté Lyrique: Les Traversées du Marais, 01.08.2020 – 31.09.2020

  4. 2020

    Lev Festival: Spain, Gijón, Matadero Madrid, 31.12.2020 – 31.12.2021

  5. 2021

    Pierre Hermé Japan: shops and packaging (14 locations), Sept–Nov 2021

  6. 2026

    France–Laos Festival: Luang Prabang and Vientiane, November 2026

Team

Author and director
Julie Stephen Chheng
Animation director
Thomas Pons
Animator
Antoine Presles
Developer
Volumique (Julien Hognon et Etienne Mineur)

Links

The exhibition

Curator
Julie Stephen Chheng
Opening hours
Tuesday to Saturday, daytime (outdoors)

With

Map