The stunning new interactive exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands – REWILD Our Planet – is a world-first collaboration between global design and engineering consultancy Arup, Australian immersive technology studioPHORIA and some of the biggest names in global media and environmental leadership.
The augmented reality (AR) exhibition takes visitors into digitally created environments, using video from the new documentary series ‘Our Planet’, narrated by Sir David Attenborough and produced by Netflix.
The evocative exhibition about the world’s most fragile ecosystems is a collaboration between the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Netflix, Google and PHORIA in partnership with Arup.
Arup is best known for engineering some of the world’s greatest buildings. As PHORIA’s CEO Trent Clews-de Castella puts it, “Together, we are creating intelligent environments, combining Arup’s digital expertise augmented into the physical by PHORIA’s AR expertise.”
Arup’s Regional Chair Peter Chamley said producing the exhibition had been a masterclass in collaboration between world-leading creatives.
“This ambitious undertaking has had expert teams around the world working in sync to design, engineer and install a unique multimedia and sensory exhibition.
“Our people formed a great partnership with PHORIA in Melbourne on the structural design of the physical elements of the exhibition as well as the soundscape to help create a compelling visitor experience.
“Our Singapore crew then took over to support the installation alongside PHORIA at the ArtScience Museum – a building we know well as the original engineers. It has been seamless.”
As visitors interact with the IMAX-style projections and the AR landscapes, an emotive soundscape will intensify their experience.
The Arup acoustics team adapted the documentary series’ master audio score (comprising original music by Steven Price – best known for his Academy Award-winning score for ‘Gravity’) to create a soundscape with added sound effects from nature to enhance key moments in the video.
Mr Chamley said Arup felt deeply connected to the purpose of the exhibition – to use creative technology to heighten environmental awareness and encourage responsible action.
“It mirrors our own ethos of shaping a better world and our alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
PHORIA specialises in immersive technology. Mr Trent Clews-de Castella said, “This exhibition complements the Netflix series and aims to augment the emotional connection users feel with each other and the planet.
“Building it with Netflix, Google, WWF and Arup demonstrates how emerging, extended reality technologies can transform the social impact sector for good.”
The exhibition at the ArtScience Museum is open until 2 June 2019. Arup has also been involved in presenting ‘REWILD Our Planet’ in New York’s Dolby Studio (6/4 – 21/4) and at We The Curious in Bristol, UK (12/4 – 2/6).
You must be logged in to post a comment.