I, Animal
Part interactive digital tour, part theatrical experience. We transformed Melbourne Zoo into a performance space where the animals engaged with built environments and human co-performers.
I, Animal was a unique installation performance created for the Melbourne Zoo. It transformed the zoo into an extraordinary stage where the animals engaged with built objects, environments, and human co-performers.
The work examined the conflicted way we see ourselves in relation to other animals and to our own animal instincts.
This project holds a special place in my trajectory. It was my final work as Artistic Director of The Border Project, but in many ways, it laid the blueprint for the work I would go on to do with Sandpit. It was here that we began to truly experiment with the friction between live performance, digital layers, and the physical world.
The Experience
Experienced via an intricate guided audio tour, I, Animal created a unique, immersive performance for each audience member. The tour was carefully constructed to allow the audience to observe both the animals and the humans in the space, exploring how we represent animals in popular culture and mythology.
The Technology
We collaborated with Art Processors (creators of the ‘O’ device at MONA) to develop the location-aware technology that drove the experience. This partnership allowed us to push the boundaries of what a interactive audio tour could be, turning it into a reactive, theatrical device.