During the global pandemic, we created a sound-centric augmented reality experience. The team wanted to revitalise visitation to the Rippon Lea Estate after several long hard lockdown periods. Hidden Rippon Lea, as the title suggests, hints at a potential discovery of something lost, buried, or tucked away. Visitors to the estate would encounter an immersive sound composition and augmented reality to explore. By paying attention to the water, the land, and the animals, stories begin to unfold as told by N’arweet Professor Carolyn Briggs.
Our concept originated as the phrase “as above, so below”, designed to give presence to the water system under the grounds of Rippon Lea Estate. During the initial prototyping phase, we wanted to incorporate natural activities that would happen at Rippon Lea—walking, sitting, listening, seeing, relaxing—into the augmented reality experience. Specifically, we aimed to encourage active listening by overlaying soundscapes and visuals. To that end, we chose three “hotspots” that had architectural traces and underground workings of water, which were the windmill, the fernery, and the lake. While standing near these hotspots, and by tilting their phones up and down, visitors will traverse a reactive, immersive soundscape.
I worked on the creative direction of web design and visual development of both websites and the augmented reality app user interface.
Led by N’arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM and Dr Laura Harper. Client: National Trust of Australia. Project team: Ana Lara Heyns, Oscar Raby, Dr David Chesworth, Dr Xavier Ho, Sonia Leber, Dr Marilu Melo Zurita, Taylor Coyne, and Professor Jon McCormack.
