Hyperrealia – State Library Victoria
Outline
Hyperrealia is an Augmented Reality experience that
brings to life unique realia items from theState
Library of Victoria’s (SLV) heritage collection.
The artwork was presented at the SLV for
Melbourne Design Week 19-20 May 2023.
The 18 guided sessions were sold out and the
artwork enthusiastically received. The work was
developed in conjunction with the Centre for
Transformative Media Technologies with funding
lead artist Kendrigan received from The SLV
Alchemy fund.The SLV exhibition comprised three
AR interventions: Elephant Lift (with Cork Horse),
Matchbox and Fern Fever.
Partners
Investigators
Project Origin
In 2019, artist Donna Kendrigan discovered boxes of intriguing, forgotten and uncatalogued objects in the State Library Victoria’s “realia” archives in the vaults, during a Creative Fellowship.
Through a desire to bring these objects back to life, and presenting their stories and mysteries through a new and contemporary light, Donna Kendrigan developed the Hyperrealia concept.
Hyperrealia is a custom developed app, combining leading-edge augmented reality technologies with traditional forms of animation.
Hyperrealia allows the SLV audience to discover these forgotten and hidden objects for themselves
The Artworks
Realia: Cork Horse
- Cork horse belonging to Marcus Clarke (noted on realia box)
- Marcus Clarke was famous for writing the international bestseller, ‘For the Term of His Natural Life’
- Clarke was a dandy, prolific writer, poet, editor, librarian, journalist, playwright, bohemian, gambler, and hedonist.
- Interestingly, Clarke obtained a position as a sub-librarian at the Public Library of Victoria (State Library Victoria).
AR Experience: Elephant Lift & Cork Horse
This artwork reveals two hidden Library treasures at once: the Elephant Lift and the Cork Horse.
The Library’s beloved Elephant Lift was once used to carry taxidermied animals when the building housed the Melbourne Museum. This lift has been seamlessly recreated using 3D modelling and provides a portal-like entrance for the Cork Horse to be seen for a few moments…
The Cork Horse also captures the wild spirit of Marcus Clarke… running around the viewer and rearing up on its hind legs before disappearing back into the lift.
Realia: Matchbox
From the Bryant & May matchbox collection.
These cardboard capsules with sandpaper bottoms for wax-vestas were made between 1865-1910, exclusively for the Australian and New Zealand markets. They were popular with the gold miners as the boxes were the perfect size for storing their gold dust or sovereigns.
In 1906, Bryant & May Ltd and R. Bell & Co Ltd formed a company, Australasia Ltd and established their headquarters in Richmond, which is still standing although repurposed.
Matches have provided inspiration to past artists including commissions by Bryant & May – an historical inspiration and alignment.
Whilst researching, Kendrigan made an animation discovery – Arthur MelbourneCooper made the world’s first object stopmotion animation, Matches: An Appeal in 1899 (date disputed) for Bryant & May, using real matchsticks to raise money to allow the supply of matches to British soldiers fighting in the Boer War.
AR Experience: Matchbox Miners
Revealed in the Swanston St Foyer – underneath marble staircases is a hidden series of caves.
A swarm of matchstick miners with flaming heads chip away seeking their fortune in gold as so many people did in the 1800s.
Realia: Ferns of Australia
Title: Ferns of Australasia (album)
Author/Creator: Mary Ann Armstrong, 1838-1910, compiler
Date: [ca. 1900]
Accession no: H94.11
Mary Armstrong collected natural objects such as ferns, seaweeds, shells and seeds and arranged them artfully in albums as artworks. She developed a thriving business from her fern interests.
Fern albums offered an intimate experience and functioned as a combined herbarium, nursery, and virtual tour of specimens and scenic views. Collecting ferns became a trend and people grew their own specimens from the dried spores in such
albums.
AR Experience: Fern Fever
The pressed fern specimens will be used to reflect on fern fever, or pteridomania, mid-to late nineteenth century through a fernery that magically grows in the Queens Hall.
This artwork explores the romantic view of the antipodean fern forests combined with the revival of Gothic architecture and design.
This piece also highlights destruction of the environment as many fern habitats were destroyed from over-collecting and vandalism by ardent fern lovers, e.g. Ferntree Gully.
State Library Victoria / Melbourne Design Week
We ran a two day event with 18 bookable sessions that included artist talks, AR interventions, user testing and participant feedback.
Our AR work was well received by a diverse audience, and we gained valuable insight about how to improve the user experience.
