Nexus and Chris O'Shea transport children to an interactive woodland world with their new activity space at the Royal London hospital.
We love it when artists, designers and agencies harness their creative talents to improve the lives of others - and here's a great example.
Artist and interactive designer Chris O’Shea has collaborated with digital production company Nexus Interactive Arts to create an interactive installation at The Royal London Hospital that helps children benefit from the healing powers of art and play.
The children get to grips with their new toy!
‘Woodland Wiggle’ is a pioneering interactive game displayed on a TV the size of a room. It allows children to enter into a storybook-illustrated world enabling them to paint, play music, and trigger sun, rain, snow and rainbows with animated animal characters across a number of woodland scenes.
To bring the room to life, O’Shea used custom software written in C++ using Open Frameworks and an Xbox Kinect camera.
The massively oversized interactive world in all its glory
Says O'Shea: "It’s been great working with the talented team involved; Felix Massie, on the illustration and animation, has been a wonder to work with. He has lovingly re-imagined the animals' characters thought up by textile designer Betty Fraser Myerscough, animating them in a way that has given the creatures a real sense of personality.
"The additional animation of the background elements breathes further life into the scenes, creating a magical destination. Brains and Hunch have created some beautiful soundscapes that are calming and subtly appealing in their delicacy. The sound effects and music greatly help to transport the children into the characters’ world.”
