Cute and quirky little monsters are hiding in Nowra venues, ready for families to find them in a cutting-edge digital scavenger hunt this school holidays.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Hidden Creatures Gallery, part of the successful Arty Farty Party children's festival, has arrived in town with Arena Theatre Company.
It is spread across the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, and Nowra Library - where the gallery will remain all through July.
READ MORE:
Arena has worked with local school students to build the Hidden Creatures Gallery, and brought their creations to life through animation and augmented reality technology.
Each stop on the scavenger hunt, when scanned with an AR app, brings a magical creature to life - complete with a voice and back story, dreamed up by the children who designed them.
Digital artist Gemma Notara explained the creative process for Hidden Creatures Gallery, which aims to get kids connecting with the world around them.
"[Hidden Creatures] is really related to location and place; the kids will find things in their environment, take pictures, and as a group will decide which are the most interesting elements. We make some tweaks and build a character out of that," she said.
"Then the kids perform their stories - we use 3D animation software to capture their face and voice, and it is encapsulated in these little codes."
The high-tech interactive gallery is something which must be seen to be believed, and over the past seven years Arena has run them in many towns.
Hidden Creatures Gallery facilitator Tim Sneddon said for most of the kids they work with, actually seeing their work out in the world is an incredible experience.
"It's lovely to work with so many kids, they're sort of coming up and saying g'day to our team, then trying to find their creatures," he said.
"It's sort of magical - the kids don't fully realise until they see their work in the space, and then it all connects."
During the end of term two, Arena Theatre Company worked with 140 students at two local primary schools to create Nowra's Hidden Creatures Gallery.
READ MORE:
The aim was to get the project ready in time for the school holidays; in total there are 35 Hidden Creatures to find while adventuring through Nowra's arts spaces.
Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre manager Karen Patterson said Hidden Creatures Gallery will give families a chance to explore the fun and free community venues.
"We invite families to create, play and discover - have a great day, and then go home to continue their creativity," she said.
"And for families who might now have visited us before, just invite them in to say 'this is what we're all about'."
Hidden Creatures Gallery will run until July 31.