Shaun Gladwell’s ‘Passing Electrical Storms’

Client: National Gallery of Victoria
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Co-ordinates: 37°49’1.38″S 144°58’11.928”E
Status: Built
Year: 2023
Project Team: Shaun Gladwell, Matthew Jigalin (Lead Developer and Creative Animation), Stefan Greuter (Collaborator, Haptic Systems), Leigh Russell (Hardware + Software Engineer, Collaborator, Haptic Systems), Greg Ferris (Animation Supervisor), Kazumichi Grime (Sound Designer, Composer), Gerard Mulvany (Programmer, Animation and Camera System), Scott Jackson (Animator), Renee McMillian (Programmer, Camera System), Leo Faber (Producer), BoardGrove Architects (Installation design), Greg Ferris (Actor), Alex Davis (Actor) and Amita Kirpalani, Ewan McEoin, Jessica Brent, Ingrid Rhule, Emma North, Tyson Brown, Goldy Dzienciol (NGV)
Photography: Eugene Hyland
Words: BoardGrove Architects

artwork  exhibition  gallery  installation  

BoardGrove were commissioned by the NGV to work alongside NGV and Shaun Gladwell in creating the exhibition design for this work. Gladwell’s illustrations for the space focussed on angular objects arranged around a hexagonal centre point.

We expanded upon this geometry designing a translucent hexagonal interior formed out of sharply folded layered fabric. Around the periphery the visitor can observe other people participating in the XR experience as they pass by or wait in line for a turn. One enters through a gap in the curtain, similar in nature to a medical or scientific test lab environment, and is surrounded by medical equipment and beds arranged within the hexagon. The beds are placed perpendicular to each side of the hexagon creating a communal experience for the participants. The beds were designed with integrated haptics to create sensory experiences as part of the artwork. A camera above each bed films the participant and places them into the XR experience. A space was left with adjustments to camera setting and lighting for a wheelchair user.

artwork  exhibition  gallery  installation