Tag / MOD.

by brandsa2018

Sandpit creating animation solution for SA Museum

Sandpit is using its creative expertise to tackle a huge problem for museums and galleries around the world – limited space forcing large chunks of precious collections into storage.

The vibrant creative and technical business based in Kent Town is specifically working with the South Australian Museum to find an interactive animation solution for its indigenous collection.

“The indigenous collection of objects and artworks only has physical room for about 5% of the collection and most museums and galleries have this problem, we call it the iceberg problem,” Sandpit director Sam Haren says.

“We’re developing a product idea, something we are doing research on now is creating a visitor experience platform that helps address this problem.”

The innovative business was founded by Sam and Melbourne-based Dan Koerner in 2012, and also has fellow director Robin Moyer on board to lead the technical team, with offices in Adelaide and Melbourne.

It has tackled creative projects ranging from interactive solutions for the Melbourne Zoo and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) for its Wonderland exhibition.

Sandpit’s work stretches interstate, including creating the Lost Map for visitors to the Wonderland exhibition in Melbourne.

Wonderland explores the history of the famed Alice in Wonderland tale and Sandpit’s role was to create the Lost Map for visitors that, in turn, triggers interactions with the Melbourne exhibition.

Sam says four different types of maps use near field communication technology to trigger “the magic”, different video, audio and interactive contents adding new layers to the exhibition.

The company’s expertise will soon attract a wider audience, as the exhibition is about to begin an international tour.

Work on the exhibition has also led to another major project working with the ACMI based in Federation Square in Melbourne to create the design concept to renew its permanent exhibition space.

The centre will close while Sandpit works in partnership with Second Story, an international company with three offices in the United States, on a nine-month concept around its layout and design.

It has been a creative journey for Sam to now be jointly running Sandpit; he was previously a board member of the Adelaide Fringe Festival for five years and also ran The Border Project theatre company.

He says it was during one of those fringe festivals that he was working with fellow Sandpit director Dan on an interactive, installation performance based at the Adelaide Zoo – and the idea for the business took hold.

Sandpit director Sam Haren.

Management at the Melbourne Zoo saw the show and asked if the two to create a more permanent experience for its own everyday visitors.

They formed a company named Sandpit – the name reflecting developing and playing with creativity but in a frame – and the ensuing project was in place at Melbourne Zoo for three years.

“We are actually working with Melbourne Zoo on some new prototypes for visitor experiences at the moment,” Sam says.

The client list for the business based in the architecture award-winning Base64 building in Kent Town is impressive.

It is working with the Google Creative Lab in Sydney to explore new ways to use technology and is also beginning another job with the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, but this is “very early days”.

Back in Adelaide, one of the company’s better known projects involved a realistic robot head called Josh, created for the Museum of Discovery (MOD.) on North Terrace until November last year.

The collaboration with animatronics props maker Marshall Tearle led to the creation of a highly realistic teenage head based on Australian actor Yazeed Daher of Safe Harbour on SBS and The Heights on ABC TV, and using his voice.

“It was created around what’s dubbed in Hollywood as Uncanny Valley, something that feels uncomfortable because it’s so real,” Sam says.

Onlookers interact with Josh, the robot at MOD. The installation was at the museum until November last year.

Josh’s eyes followed visitors, he whispered thoughts or phrases, sometimes amusing, pedestrian or surreal, and was designed to question empathy and compassion for robots and what the future of robot rights might look like.

Sam says there has been strong support for the company in SA with a permanent staff of four and more working on contract or on a casual basis, with the core production team based in Adelaide.

“We are looking to expand over the next 12 to 18 months, we’re increasingly doing more work in Sydney and Canberra,” he says.

At this stage, Sam says the creative business needed to remain nimble in a constantly changing technological world and Adelaide was a great base for its growth.

“In my experience and my career, Adelaide has always been a great place for realising and developing new and creative ideas, and having space and various ways to build on those ideas,” he adds.

Feature image: Sandpit’s Robin Moyer, Dan Koerner and Sam Haren.

Industry in focus: Creative Industries

Throughout the month of March, the state’s creative industries will be explored as part of I Choose SA.

South Australia is home to a thriving ecosystem of creative businesses and specialists who are delivering world-class works VFX, TV and film production, app development and the VR space. Read more creative industries stories here.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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by brandsa2018

MOD. shocks with pain chairs, futuristic babies and Josh the robot

A lifelike robot head modelled on a real-life teenager, modified silicone babies, and a room dedicated to testing the perception of pain – welcome to the Museum of Discovery (MOD.).

The interactive public science and creativity space’s director, Dr Kristin Alford, says the museum has already attracted up to 6000 people since opening in May this year.

The futuristic museum of discovery, housed in the University of South Australia’s $247m health and research facility, aims to inspire young adults about the world of science and technology.

MOD. sets out to help shape people’s understanding of the world and explore possibilities of the future.

“We’re here to inspire young adults aged 15–25 about the potential of science and technology for their futures, whether that’s to keep them engaged in science and tech for their careers or just keep them engaged in, enjoying and appreciating science,” Dr Alford says.

“We will need science for most careers of the future.”

Josh the robot ‘wakes up’ when approached.

Spread over seven galleries across two floors, the rotating exhibitions at MOD. change every six months.

Among the exhibitions is a lifelike robot head placed in the corner.

Approach ‘Josh’ – modelled on a real life 18-year-old Adelaide man – and he will speak, 14 small motors under his skin controlling his expressions to match his words.

But to reach Josh, visitors must stroll past Transfigurations, a conversation starter by Agi Haines that explores surgical enhancement of babies to adapt to future conditions.

One of the baby’s heads features extra folds of skin allowing for greater ventilation to adapt to global warming, while a feature on another baby allows for faster absorption of caffeine.

Visitors wander through each of the silicone babies that have surgically enhanced features to help them cope with future conditions.

Another of MOD.’s highlights is the ‘pain room’ – a dark space dedicated to exploring the human perception of pain.

Two armchairs in the middle of the room invite daring visitors to sit, before they’re distracted by pictures and given a minor electric shock.

MOD.’s permanent exhibition is the Universal Gallery’s first Science on a Sphere – an Australian first featuring a large sphere hanging from the ceiling.

At the touch of a button the sphere can be transformed into planet Earth, the sun, moons, and other planets, and is currently set up to explore astronomy with Aboriginal stories.

Data can also be projected onto the sphere, showing weather movements and other data.

MOD.’s Universal Gallery is a permanent exhibition.

Dr Alford spent two years collaborating with researchers, artists, the public, students and government to build the futuristic museum, which she says is attracting about 1500 visitors a week.

Among the visitors who have so far stuck in her memory is a teenager who spent more than two hours exploring MOD. with her family.

“I went into the Universal Gallery on opening weekend and there was a 14 year-old-girl, she was wearing a t-shirt that said, ‘don’t talk to me’,” Dr Alford says.

“She just laid back and cried, ‘I love this place!’.

“She and her dad and sisters were still there two hours later exploring everything.”

Dr Alford has lived in SA for over a decade and is originally from Brisbane.

When she arrived in Adelaide she admits that things “felt a bit flat”.

MOD. director Dr Kristin Alford.

“I could see that there were lots of exciting things under the surface because as a futurist that’s what you’re looking for,” she says.

“I think there was a lot of discussion around that time around advanced manufacturing and there was a desire for things to move on but yet to see the traction.

“In the last 10 years I think we’ve seen that traction … with the work that’s being done at Tonsley (Innovation District) and there’s a whole lot of work that’s going on in creative industries and technology, co-working spaces, and software development.”

Dr Alford says Adelaide’s small size makes it the perfect place for entrepreneurs, artists and scientists to make connections fast.

“You can quickly find interesting people doing really interesting things,” she says.

“If you want to connect with an artist or a scientist to explore something it’s not hard, it’s probably two phone calls away.”

MOD.’s current exhibitions will remain until November when new installations will move in.

Entry to MOD. is free and it’s open every day except Mondays.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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