Today the whole world is connected through technology creating stronger connections between people across the world. And changing the way we interact with others. As humans, we always relate to the true stories of individuals or the stories of animals. Within this connected world, we now have opportunities to make the same connections between people and individual animals.

Other than wildlife enthusiasts, most people simply read about climate change, whaling, epidemics or loss of habitat thousands of miles away from where it is actually happening. They react with sadness, but rarely stay actively engaged or understand what is in their power to impact.

We have also grown weary of hearing about what is wrong and the seeming hopelessness of the situation. The prevailing pitch to get support tends to be the most negative, generate the most pity, and prick your conscience into opening pockets to donate. With this project we look at changing this negative perspective through the use of interactive choice based gameplay and education that bring forth already existing data/stories on real animals, specifically whales.

The conscious intention of focusing on whales was due to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where it stated that protecting whales could be one of the most effective ways of combating climate change. Whales help to mitigate climate change by capturing and storing carbon which is the most significant climate change-causing greenhouse gas.

Through our project we intend to spark the imagination and energy of people in the same way that the movie ‘Free Willy’ did for Keiko (star whale of the movie). We want our artefacts to make a lasting impression and celebrate the lives of these magnificent animals.

The basic essence of our project is telling stories about whales highlighting their role in carbon sequestration and creating a positive impact on the climate as a result of whale conservation. Using a format similar to children’s stories, which are laden with moral lessons presented in a non- didactic way, we intent to present these complex concepts to children and adults. Children make sense of the world through these narratives and their perception towards non-human actors in the world is often formed through the stories and experiences they have as young children. We wish to use this affordance to create a new kind of storybook and online narrative that uses the latest in machine learning and Augmented Reality technologies and brings them to life. Through stories told by real-life whale characters, we change the way children learn about animals or perhaps even other topics such as geography

These story narratives are presented in 2 primary formats: an online interactive choice based gameplay stories and an AR book. Interactive gameplay is a powerful and effective channel to enable a massive audience to engage with whales and positively impact their conservation. We want to harness the power of gameplay and social media to attract a broader audience to this cause.

The physical form of the project is a gallery exhibit displaying:

1. High resolution art pieces that are project-mapped on large screens, curated from the narratives
2. A large scale AR installation of the book along with physical copies for sale
3. Large interactive screen version of the online gameplay narratives
4. 3D surround soundscapes designed using whale songs to evoke a deeper connection with the audience

Software

Ableton, Unity, and other specific programs for sensory mechanics.

Hardware

2/3 computer systems (depending on the size of the gallery) to control the sound, lights and other sensory mechanics.

Installation

• Hanging mechanism for large scale 3D art prints (6’x6’)
• Large interactive touch screen surface/ table for AR Book pdf. (maybe a Microsoft Surface?)
• 5 tablets to view the AR book on the interactive surface.
• 5 AR Glasses (optional/ on our wish list for the project)
• Multiple surround sound devices and system to program the music
• Large scale interactive touch screen for online playable game (2/4 depending on the gallery size)
• Sensory elements to stimulate the underwater world environment: automatic perfume dispenser, programmable humidifiers, Gobos and kinetic lighting systems along with hardware to control them.