In summary

  • In partnership with ACMI, Swinburne presents a week-long program of interactive digital media experiences – next gen_now – from Saturday 7 August to Friday 13 August 
  • Seven exhibits will be shown in the Swinburne Studio and Gandel Digital Future Lab 1
  • The program showcases work from Swinburne students, alumni, lecturers and researchers in screen, media, film and television and design

From Saturday 7 August to Friday 13 August, you can experience next gen_now – a program of interactive, thought-provoking digital media experiences by Swinburne students, alumni, lecturers and researchers in screen, media, film and television and design.

It’s all part of our partnership with ACMI, for which Swinburne is the Major Academic Partner. The week-long program will showcase how both organisations are leaders in the creation of next generation digital experiences.

Pay a visit to the Swinburne Studio and Gandel Digital Future Lab 1 at ACMI in Melbourne’s Federation Square to see what our students and staff have used advanced technology to create.

Superheroes: Realities Collide

Watch the trailer for Superheroes: Realities Collide.

Create your own superhero

Create your own superhero character, answer the call for help and don your VR headset, gloves and superpowers to destroy an alternative Melbourne before it swallows our city in a cloud of anti-matter. The origin story of this exhibit lies in the superhero research project between Swinburne and ACMI, which is headed up by superhero expert Associate Professor Liam Burke and supported by the co-director of Swinburne’s Centre for Transformative Media Technologies, Professor Angela Ndalianis. They’ve collaborated to create this VR experience with celebrated technology artist Stuart ‘Sutu’ Campbell, who has worked with Marvel, Google and Disney.

A Walk in the Park

This entrancing video is an evocative response to A Walk in the Park exhibit which took place at the Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy North.

Art from a walk in the park

School of Design lecturer Joanna Gardener’s research looks at the intersection of cartography, art and design and its role in understanding and shaping place. What does a walk in the park feel like to you? The Perceptions of Place exhibit features two pieces – A Walk in the Park and Liminal Emotions – that evoke the senses, emotion and imagination of Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy North.

A land far away and close to home

What is it like to be an Indigenous person living and studying in Melbourne, away from your family and, often, remote community? Two students of the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School tell their stories through short films they conceived, animated and narrated with the help of Swinburne’s Dr Samantha Edwards-Vandenhoek – a multi-award-winning, community-based design researcher, digital media artist and educator in Swinburne’s Centre for Transformative Media Technologies. This program is a collaboration between Swinburne, the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School and Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Unbond trailer

Watch the trailer for Unbond, which was created by the Hot Potato student team and was a finalist for Best Student Game in the 2017 Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Awards.

Swinburne’s games arcade

Swinburne is a leader in innovative digital experiences. Walking through the Swinburne Games Arcade, you’ll see a collection of work produced by screen, media, film and television and design students over the past five years. It includes games (that you can actually play), animation, characters, 2D and 3D creations, visual effects and much more.

Swinburne students helped map out hundreds of thematic, stylistic and biographical links for ACMI’s constellations in The Story of the Moving Image exhibit. Hear ACMI and Swinburne share how it came together in an ‘In Conversation’ session.

A riveting conversation – or two

Want to peek behind-the-scenes? In the first ‘In Conversation’ event, ‘Collaboration on the Lens and Constellations’, ACMI’s Chief Experience Officer Seb Chan and Swinburne researchers, Associate Professor Liam Burke and Professor Blair Kuys, will reveal the collaboration that resulted in the creation of ACMI’s brainchild, ‘The Lens’ and ‘Constellation’.

Chan and Professor Kuys will explain The Lens’ design – which allows every ACMI visitor to collect information digitally to explore later – and how it was created with sustainability in mind. Then Chan and Associate Professor Burke will tell how Swinburne students helped map hundreds of thematic, stylistic and biographical links for ACMI’s The Story of the Moving Image exhibit.

The second ‘In Conversation’ event, ‘Perception of Place: Story Making’ Swinburne School of Design’s Joanna Gardener will speak about the crossover between scientific cartography and artistic expression. She will reveal the mapping process behind the ‘Perceptions of Place’ exhibit.

Following the latest advice from the Victorian Government, ACMI will be temporarily closed from Friday 6 August. Unfortunately, next gen_now is postponed. 

Swinburne and ACMI look forward to rescheduling this event showcasing exciting digital experiences, films, games and art. Check the ACMI website for updates.

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