InterANTARCTICA

InterANTARTICA is a permanent museum display that has been designed by onacloV and created by a team of artists, researchers and students from The University of Sydney. It will be on display at ANU Gallery from Friday, 18-25 September, and at the University of Sydney Design Lab from Friday, 20-26 November.

The installation InterANTARCTICA is part of an interdisciplinary research project that provides a technological platform for the public to interact, experience and gain vital knowledge about climate change. The concept is focused on the largest ice mass on Planet Earth, Antarctica. Our motivation stems from an urgency to understand, what has been labelled humanity's greatest challenge and our greatest threat: climate change.

Entering the exhibition space, the viewer is surrounded by a three-screen video installation of the Antarctica landscape. The viewer hears Antarctic compositions, created by other viewers in real-time audio interaction. InterANTARCTICA relies on viewer-interaction, where the viewer controls and creates sound. By creating sound the viewer engages in an additional interaction by modifying a visualization. From the use of Tangible User Interface (TUI) technologies, InterANTARCTICA helps viewers understand critical scientific data through a multi-sensory experience (sound, sight, touch).

EXHIBITIONS

InterANTARCTICA, Design Lab, The University of Sydney, Australia, 2009

InterANTARCTICA, Beginning Middle End Exhibition, Canberra School of Art Gallery, Australian National University, 2009

PUBLICATIONS

Wall C., & Tomitsch M., InterANTARCTICA: Making Climate Change Tangible, 8th International Conference on Arts and Humanities, published peer-reviewed conference proceedings, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2009

Wall, C., & Wang, X., InterANTARCTICA: Tangible User Interface for Museum Based Interaction, The International Journal of Virtual Reality, 2009, 8(1): 17-26, 2009

Wall, C & Wang X., InterANTARCTICA: Tangible User Interface for Museum Based Interaction, 4th International Conference of Digital Media and its Application in Museum and Heritage, Shandong University of Science and Technology, peer-reviewed published conference proceedings, Qingdao, China, 2009

Wall, C., InterANTARCTICA: Augmented Reality Installation Art, VRIC09 11e Recontres Internationales de la Réalité Virtuelle, Ècole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers Laboratoire Presence & Innovation, peer-reviewed published conference proceedings, Laval, France, 2009

Wall, C. Interactive Antarctica, 7th Annual International Conference on Arts and Humanities, published peer-reviewed published conference proceedings, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2009

Wall, C., & Wang X., Interactive Antarctica: A Museum Installation based on an Augmented Reality System, Third International Conference on Digital Interactive Media in Entertainment, published peer-reviewed conference proceedings, Athens Information Technology (AIT) Centre for Excellence for Research, Athens, Greece, 2008

Antarctic Gallery

The Science

The SCIENCE

The environment in Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world. Ice cores taken from Antarctica provide a history into climate change because the ice contains records of past climate and atmospheric changes. Ice cores 'show large fluctuations in temperature and atmospheric gases stretching back over 650,000 years' [2]. Presently, scientists are endeavouring to sample ice core dating back over 1,000,000 years. Understanding the environment in Antarctica is of global significance since the earth's environment is changing as a result of human activity [1].

There is scientific data indicating that sea-ice around East Antarctica has been diminishing since the 1950s by a consistently greater extent than the previous 150 years [2]. Climatologist Jonathan T. Overpeck et al. claims that: 'Sea-level rise from melting of polar ice sheets is one of the largest potential threats of future climate change' [3].

In collaborating with environmental scientists, we have designed an interactive museum environment, which acts as a vehicle to display significant climate change data to a wide public audience. The installation seeks to expand knowledge through the synthesis and presentation of climate change research in an interactive museum context.

REFERENCES

1. Australian Antarctic Division, "Human Impacts in Antarctica": (assessed April 10, 2009) http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=3436
2. Mapstone, B., "Climate Change and the Importance of Multidisciplinary Science in Antarctica", Melbourne, Commonwealth of Australia, 2007, pp. 6-7.
3. Overpeck, J.T., et al, "Paleoclimatic Evidence for Future Ice-Sheet Instability and Rapid Sea-Level Rise", Science, 24 March: Vol. 311. No. 5768, 2006, pp. 1747 - 1750, p.1747.

Videos

Project Collaborators

The PROJECT COLLABORATORS

		Dr Caitilin de Bérigny Wall (onacloV) Project Director and Installation Artist onacloV designed and is leading the research project InterANTARCTICA. onacloV is an artist, researcher and Lecturer at the University of Sydney, Australia. onacloV's research explores technology within the context of installation in museum, gallery and architectural space. onacloV undertook a PhD from the University of Canberra. Her other degrees include a Bachelor of Arts (Visual) with Honours from the Australian National University and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France. She has also obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Video Art & Contemporary Theory and Philosophy from the École des Beaux-Arts, Marseille, France. Her artworks have been exhibited extensively, nationally in Australia and internationally in France and the USA. onacloV has directed and produced a number of documentaries which have been aired on television and displayed in multiple-channel video installations environments in art galleries and museums. W: www.onaclov.com.au E: onaclov@interantarctica.com T: + 61 2 93514031
		Emma Chee 3D Model Designer Emma Chee is currently in her 2nd year of the Bachelor of Design Computing degree at University of Sydney. She enjoys website design, 3D modelling, graphic design and visual design and is presently specialising in 2D and 3D animation. E: Emma@interantarctica.com
		Kuan-Yu Kevin Chen Sound Designer and Interaction Artist Kevin is currently a 3rd year student of Bachelor of Design Computing at University of Sydney. He is expert in 3D modelling, animation, visual design, audio, and object design. E: Kevin@interantarctica.com
		Drew Cosgrove Web Developer Drew is studying at the University of Sydney, completing his third year of Bachelor of Design Computing. He has excelled in programming and website development. E: Drew@interantarctica.com
		Nathaniel Fay Video and Multimedia Artist Nathaniel is currently studying a Bachelor's degree in Design Computing in his third year at the University of Sydney. Nathaniel's interests include digital video editing and skiing, and aspires to working in the film and television industry. E: Nathaniel@interantarctica.com
		Andrew Kurniawan Interaction Artist Andrew is currently a 3rd year student of Bachelor of Design Computing student. Andrew's expertise includes: graphic design- vector design and raster graphics art, animation- tween Animation and traditional, film, editing and post-production effects. E: Andrew@interantarctica.com
		Eric Neo Interaction Programmer Eric Neo is undertaking a Bachelor of Design Computing at the University of Sydney, and is currently in the third year of his degree. His work on the interAntarctica project encompasses the development of a tangible user interface in order to further develop human-computer interaction and data communication. He possesses experience in the fields of illustration, graphic design, object-oriented programming and visualization. E: Eric@interantarctica.com
		Suna Rizalar 3D Texture Designer Suna is studying at the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Design Computing program. Her expertise include modelling, animation, visual design and web design. E: Suna@interantarctica.com
		Lucy Ro Interaction Artist Lucy is a 3rd year student in Bachelor of Design Computing, at University of Sydney. Lucy's expertise includes, animation, graphic design,3d modelling, animation, graphics and web design. E: Lucy@interantarctica.com
		Florence Sze-To 3D Texture Designer Florence is currently studying third year Design Computing at University of Sydney. Her expertise includes 3D modelling and textures, Flash animation, graphic and web design. E: Florence@interantarctica.com
		Julia Tang Web Designer and Content Manager Julia is studying Bachelor Design Computing at the University of Sydney. She enjoys designing and envisions herself touring the world as a photographer after she graduates. Her work at InterAntartica involves content management of the website as well as being the marketing and advertising liaison. E: Julia@interantarctica.com M: +61 0405 781 182
		Patrick Wong 3D Model Designer and Animator Patrick is a third year Design Computing student and is currently working on the interAntarctica project as 3D Animator and 3D modeler using Maya, Cinema 4d and Poser. Experienced with web design, pre and post video production, traditional and digital photography. E: Patrick@interantarctica.com
		Rob Hutchinson Photographer E: Rob@interantarctica.com
		Michael Bates Sound Designer and Composer Michael Bates is a lecturer in the Graduate Audio & Acoustics Program at the University of Sydney and has been teaching the creative use of audio at university level since 1989. He has had extensive experience in sound design, music composition and performance & audio production in a wide range of media including: radio, music, video, short film, television, interactive media, gallery installation & theatre, as well as forensic audio, and recording and broadcast studio design. Recent work includes soundtracks for Portraits - three films on refugees by Sydney director Geoff Weary- and composing and producing surround sound format music for installation in collaboration with sound artist Jodi Rose. Current projects in production include music recordings, as singer/songwriter with the Visiting Aliens, and Chasing Lightning, a music documentary in ‘search of the American songbook’ currently in preproduction. E: michael.bates@arch.usyd.edu.au
		Martin Tomitsch Interaction Design Martin Tomitsch works as researcher and Lecturer at the Design Lab at the University of Sydney. Before joining the Design Lab, he has worked and studied at research groups in Vienna, Paris, and Stockholm. His interests include human-computer interaction, tangible computing, and user experience design. In the InterAntarctica project he is involved as interaction design and technology consultant. E: martin.tomitsch@arch.usyd.edu.au