Thinkwell Studio Montréal designed a one-of-a-kind interactive exhibit, designed to mimic a giant oak tree, that combines both nature and technology for park guests to learn about Oak Point Park and the related natural and scientific content.
The project combines elements of wayfinding with interactive technologies to create engaging content experiences for two dozen scientific themes that will serve a varied demographic of guests. These themes and scientific elements from the park are integrated into an interactive table that serves as the focal point of the experience. An aerial map of the park is projected from above onto the table’s 3D surface, and there are five items atop the table, made up of rocks and other materials from the park, which serve as 3D triggers for the scientific content.
The end-result is an engaging experience that educates visitors while also creating a connection between the visitors and the park’s natural surroundings.
Sun Life Financial, a multinational insurance company, asked Thinkwell Studio Montréal to design and develop a collection of “digital canvases” that would integrate engagement points and interactive technologies throughout its corporate headquarters in Toronto.
The digital canvas project pushes the boundaries of art and design in a corporate space, creating a unique and engaging environment for Sun Life employees. Nine separate interactive digital installations work together to channel the intangible essence of day-to-day connections that make large-scale, positive change possible around the world throughout Sun Life’s operations. The installations made use of furniture design, high-impact visual displays, ambient reactivity, and creative use of audio-visual technologies to present content that educates, surprises, and sparks conversation in their corporate headquarters.
The goal was to create digital installations to answer Sun Life Financial’s needs: to showcase employee and guest interactions in different spaces throughout and allow them to come together through collaborative use technology. Some of the key interactive and digital canvas installations include:
- The Wefi Wall: Take a selfie with a co-worker and have it added to an array of projections on the wall. Visitors need to work in a team – hence the name “WEfi” – and the resulting collage of employee group photos spells out words along the wall of a main hallway in the office. The wall also had the capability to be reskinned for various events.
- Sun Life Interactive Wall: Projectors cast a variety of information on an interactive wall, giving users the ability to select and move information such as social media posts, news or weather reports around as-needed to present to colleagues.
- Executive Table: Two tables and the integration of the interactive system (projection and sensors) were designed by Thinkwell Studio Montréal. Projectors inside each table project on a spherical screen in the center, one of which displays motivational content, quotes, or historical photos, the other displaying news about the Sun Life headquarters around the globe. There is also a camera inside the table for automatic projector alignment and user interactivity (it detects and tracks fingers when touching the screen). The installation also includes an overhead projector and an additional camera that detects people passing and automatically activates the table when someone is nearby.
- Projected Skyline: The projected skyline is a display wall that activates a variety of images from employees and guests as well as images of the Toronto Skyline through the movement of people as they pass by the wall.
- Sun Life Timeline: This is a wide multi-touch screen that allows users to scroll through the history of Sun Life Financial. Highlights and events that defined the company are displayed on a long screen that also provides the opportunity to click and dig deeper into key corporate events and milestones.
The Perlan Museum showcases the natural wonders of Iceland through multimedia installations and new technology-forward exhibit experiences. Working with Lord Cultural Resources, Thinkwell Studio Montréal produced the creative content and led the development and design of the technological installations for three new permanent exhibitions at the museum.
For Perlan’s “Land, Coast, Ocean” exhibit, Thinkwell Studio Montréal produced a short film using original footage shot in Iceland and also developed projection, calibration, and hardware solutions that brought to life a stunning virtual aquarium. The initial mandate was to replicate the effect of a traditional aquarium, using high-resolution video of extraordinary Icelandic marine life. With an original short film, shot mainly underwater, museum-goers are put within arms reach of some of Iceland’s most remarkable plants and animals. The resulting cut was equal part contemplative and breathtaking. while staying true to the rhythm of the Icelandic marine landscape. The original film score complimented the looping cadence of the film with a slow-developed, dream-like composition of instrumental music and nature sounds.
For Perlan’s “Forces of Nature” exhibit, Thinkwell Studio Montréal created an enclave of installations to present four Icelandic natural phenomena: volcanoes, earthquakes, geysers, and tectonic plates. This included the design and programming of a permanent show that features projection on a custom-designed bench and curved walls as well as LED lighting integration throughout. The exhibit’s soundtrack enhanced the space with the natural sounds of these phenomena using ambisonics and specialized equipment to render low frequency audio signals into amplified physical vibrations. This exhibit also incorporates ambient lighting control and thermal detection in the entry area to create atmosphere and immerse guests into the space.
From a technical perspective, the building’s unique architecture demanded a high degree of expertise to develop a method of rear-projection on the wide, curved screen that would not deteriorate the quality of the 6K video. Thinkwell Studio Montréal’s patented auto-calibration technology creates one unified image from the six separate projectors in a matter of seconds for optimized viewing, without compromising quality.
Thinkwell designed and produced the Memorial’s new Visitor Center experience, which highlights the values and stories of the UAE’s fallen heroes through detailed exhibits, artifact curation, interactive technologies, and digital media experiences.
The Wahat Al Karama Memorial is comprised of thirty-one massive aluminum-clad, inscribed tablets that support each other and symbolize the unity, solidarity, and mutual values of the nation, its military and civil servicemen, and its fallen heroes. The new Visitor Center experience offers guests from around the world an opportunity to further explore the monument’s message of service and support. The Visitor Center contains eight interactive exhibits with a goal to enrich the overall visitor experience. Thinkwell Studio Montréal developed the back-end programming and interactivity for all eight interactive media stations, which allow guests to explore the translations and contextual interpretations of the leaning tablets’ many inscriptions.
While visiting the Center, guests can discover the history of the UAE’s Commemoration Day and its impact on the creation of Wahat Al Karama through interactive touch screens and engaging media exhibits that highlight the names, legacies, and values of the region’s fallen heroes. Visitors can also create their own bas relief rubbings of their favorite tablet inscriptions, sign the Memorial’s digital guest book, and share a photo of their experience with a message of pride that can be sent digitally and shared on social media.