When art, tech and construction collide

Elise Archer,Minister for Arts

In a world first, Tasmania is now seeing the results of when the creative arts, technology and construction come together with an AR (augmented reality) project at Moonah.

The Tasmanian Government’s public art program has facilitated an innovative collaboration between our creative and construction industries to build the world’s first-ever commercial AR brick wall.

Tasmanian artist Jackson Wells collaborated with local company All Brick Tasmania for the project at the Moonah Primary School Kindergarten, which uses special AR glasses and the ‘Fologram’ software to guide this new artistic installation.

The technology enables bricklayers to position every brick precisely, allowing for new wall shapes and brick patterns to be achieved which had not previously been possible due to cost.

In response to a callout for proposals, Mr Wells suggested a ‘woven’ brick feature wall at the entrance to the kindergarten to celebrate how the school helps to ‘weave’ together the diverse communities which make up the vibrant multicultural suburb of Moonah.

This is a great example of the kind of innovative outcomes that can be achieved when creatives and industry work together with the support of the Tasmanian Government.

Mr Wells and All Brick Tasmania have both previously collaborated on a pilot AR project with the University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture.

The project will also use Tasmanian-made bricks sponsored by Brickworks from the Austral Brick factory in Longford, and has been strongly supported by Tasmanian project architects X Squared.

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