Week 10/12 - Fitzwilliam Live Brief

For the last few weeks of trimester 1, we were tasked to create a project proposal for a co-designed digital experience in response to the Fitzwilliam Museum exhibition, Tau O Mai, including reference to the painting Portrait of Mai and the surrounding installation from SaVĀge Kʻlub. For this project, we were separated into different teams consisting of year one, two, and three students. I was placed into team 3, including Conan, Leela, Gyo, Quinn, and Josh.

Miro Board Documentation (Click Me!)

Our Proposal

An interactive AR experience, bringing Mai's story and the Polynesian culture to life. Through scanning a QR code, visitors are invited to explore a digital world that complements the existing work by the SaVĀge Kʻlub within the exhibition. The experience consists of an immersive 3D soundscape, opening and closing with the Karakia that encapsulates the concept of VĀ: a space that fosters focus, creativity and connectivity. Visually, the experience consists of animated captions and symbols that further enhance the experience. With an element of digital tokens, audiences are invited to collect memorabilia from the experience as well as share their experiences with others.

Final Thoughts

From the get-go, we had a strong connection between our group members. Conan and I took the lead on project management, as we ensured that all our values aligned from the very first day. While Conan looked overlooked scheduling and team meetings, I took charge of the Miro board and ensured all of our documentations were up to standard. We all had set roles for this project; however, it was flexible. Despite not being in charge of animation at the beginning, I was happy to step up and change my list of tasks when others were struggling. I have provided a complex procedural animation system within After Effects, using visual inspiration from games such as God Of War and title sequences to Star Wars shows, which helped me visualise the sand like spiritual tone for the animation. I had a lot of fun playing with how I could incorporate the themes of the exhibition into the visual AR experience. The prototype is very rough, but with enough care I believe there is enough potential for taking this project further. In the end, I have provided my team with roughly 15ish animations, setting up the effect in a way that it can be altered and adjusted easily. Personally, I am not quite satisfied with how repetitive the animations turned out, ideally going forward I plan on adding more variations and overall complexity. But enough of my perfectionisms. Looking back over the project, everyone on my team poured their absolute all into their tasks, and I am looking forward to working for Fitzwilliam alongside such amazing team members!