Developed from the research of world-renown scientists and philosophers, including best-selling author Merlin Sheldrake (Entangled Life) and cultural ecologist and geo-philosopher Dr David Abram (The Spell of the Sensuous), WoN presented a calming and meditative alternative to a contentious political, social and environmental landscape. By highlighting the increasingly popular ‘more-than-human’ world perspective, celebrating nature and drawing on meditation practices and contemporary wellness culture, visitors were given practical insights and tools to understand the climate crisis and their place in a larger eco-system, applicable to their everyday experience.
The project also demonstrated how technology could be used to create an embodied experience in the gallery, demystifying the process of using MRI, CT and Lidar scans, as well as videogame software like Houdini, to create immersive artworks. This served the needs of ACMI’s technologically minded visitors.
In response to the cost-of-living crisis, we developed a strategic pricing structure that made the exhibition more accessible to more people, including dedicated Under 35 and Under 16s tickets, and free tickets for First Peoples.
The above elements resulted in 68% of attendees being new to ACMI and 95% of visitors reporting that they felt increased awareness of their connection to nature and 80% increase of how technology can be used in creative processes.
The project has made a significant impact on audiences, the community, or museum and gallery practice. This could include social, cultural, environmental, or economic factors.
Works of Nature made a profound impact on our audiences across key metrics, illustrating how an exhibition can create connection and provoke new ways of thinking.
95% of visitors reported the exhibition increased their awareness of the connections between themselves and the natural world.
“It was incredible to feel a part of the world and its connectivity and function”
The low admission fees ensured the exhibition was accessible to a broad audience.
Technology can deepen our understanding of, and connection to the world. This is important as we navigate to a more sustainable future. ACMI can communicate this through culture, leading to a genuine impact. In Works of Nature, this was achieved through an interpretive strategy that outlined key scientific concepts, including embodiment, the overview effect and the process of photosynthesis and its relation to respiration.
“It uses technology to connect us to nature which seems a bit bizarre, but it does somehow deepen and accelerate the embodied experience. It’s both fascinating mentally and felt viscerally”
We created an experience that allowed the message of the work to have maximum impact. Leveraging our strength in developing screen literacies to assist audiences comprehend the works, and delivering an interpretation approach that revealed the process behind the artworks without interfering with enjoyment or engagement. This was aided by a guided meditation featuring Cate Blanchett situating visitors in the mindset for the journey ahead.
“The images/ exhibits made us think but also slow down and enjoy the experience”
Furthermore, the impact on the artists was significant.
“…working with ACMI presented us with a unique opportunity; to exhibit our work in an exemplar way, bringing it to new & diverse audiences while raising our profile internationally…. ACMI …provided invaluable resources and a collaborative spirit that truly enhanced our creative ambition.”
partners
Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) is an experiential artist collective. We believe in the power of stories to tickle senses and shift perceptions. Our work takes people on a multisensory journey to where imagination and information collide.
From coders to poets, chemists to ventriloquists, brands to institutions, we collaborate with specialists in all disciplines. To explore new forms of culture, interrogate our relationship with the world around us and leave a glittery slug trail as we journey through the cosmos.
We tell stories that untangle, entangle and flavour our reality, blurring the lines between art, immersive experiences, XR and film.
Alive in galleries, museums, public spaces, parks, nature reserves and the metaverse, our work is grounded in research. Designed to carve out space to expose, explore and expand our relationship with the living world.
We’ve exhibited internationally at institutions including; ACMI, Barbican Centre, YCAM, DDB Seoul, Sundance Film Festival, Factory International, Quartier des Spectacles, Montreal, SXSW, Phi Centre and Lisbon Architectural Triennale.