Rutherford's Den

Overview
Lightwell produced two pieces of multimedia for the redevelopment of Rutherford's Den at the Arts Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand - the Rutherford Wall, a four-screen multitouch interface, and a 'Future Energy' Kinect interactive.

Ernest Rutherford was a New Zealand-born physicist whose work in the early 20th century shaped our understanding of nuclear physics and contributed to the development of several innovations we rely on today. Rutherford studied at the University of Canterbury, where the Arts Centre is now located.

The Rutherford Wall focuses on the life, work and legacy of the notable physicist. Containing animated lab equipment, images of Rutherford's colleagues and family, an interactive 'gold foil' experiment and flip-through notebook, the Wall acts as an engaging introduction to the entire Den.

In the Future Energy room, a Kinect interactive allows visitors to control an animal avatar to discover and interact with different types of energy - climb a wall and soak up solar rays as a tuatara, or flap your wings as a kea to explore wind energy.

Partners
The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora and Esem Projects

Services
Concept development, media design, 2D animation, video production, sound design, software production, content management system (CMS) development, user acceptance testing, installation and commissioning