CAUSE & EFFECT

a digital trompe l’œil permanent public artwork
3D animation, dual synchronised digital projection

Inspired by the Trompe l’œil  chalk pavement art, this public artwork  transforms this traditional genre into a kinetic interpretation with multiple viewing points. The use of high end digital animation and projection mapping enables the illusion to open up a world below the pavement surface.

This work consists of a series of animated projections (visible after dark) which interact with the existing pavers to expose and explore a virtual environment below the surface. This underground environment undergoes a series of transitions responsive to the dramatic seasonal change so present in North Queensland. The artwork is inspired by seasonal change but also local Aboriginal interpretations of these environmental shifts, both subtle and extreme. Defining seasons for Aboriginal people is not only linked to climatic change but flora and fauna ‘indicators’ in the form of migration, breeding,  flowering , fruiting, etc. Given the specific conditions enabling these ‘indicators’ to emerge, there are highly complex interpretations of seasons for local Aboriginal communities than exist in the common astronomical seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The work acts to identify some of these changes and offer a more random and unexpected emergence of the seasonal indicators than the astronomical system.

This installation continues a series of projects which explore the influence environment has on our ‘sense of place’ and to celebrate ‘local knowledge’ intrinsically linked to an acute awareness of an immediate environment. This artwork embeds a virtual space permanently in Shield Street, Cairns with the objective to enrich ‘local knowledge’ whilst also providing some insight into the diverse ecosystem of this region for visitors.