SBS and Google bring stories of displacement and hope to life in immersive installation for the 21st Biennale of Sydney
15 March 2018
SBS today announced that it has partnered with Google’s Creative Lab and the Biennale of Sydney to create Belongings, an interactive installation for the 21st Biennale of Sydney that explores the issue of displacement through a unique lens.
Created by SBS’s Digital Creative Labs using technology developed by Google’s Creative Lab, Belongings shares stories and experiences of people who left their homeland, and almost everything they own, in search of a new life in Australia.
Belongings brings together diverse personal experiences through a single common thread: treasured possessions, with participants sharing their stories behind objects from the country of their birth that continue to hold meaning. The project marks the first life-scale interactive installation for SBS, which uses technology that allows audiences to use their smart phone devices to control a multi-user, large scale environment.
Marshall Heald, Director of TV & Online, said: “SBS is committed to exploring issues facing all Australians through innovative storytelling. Belongings draws on the theme of treasured possessions and memories to encourage greater understanding of the challenges faced by those who come to Australia to be resettled.”
For the individuals featured in Belongings, such personal items and memories hold huge significance. Damon Amb from Iran shares the story of his grandmother’s purse, while Lizzy Samba from Papua New Guinea recounts the sense of strength she feels from her mother’s necklace. Sabina Krusevljanin from Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to hold close a backpack she used while escaping Sarajevo and Parastoo Bahrami from Afghanistan, tells how revisiting her passion of creating beautiful hand-beaded baskets helps her look forward to her future. Due to her time living in different refugee camps, Amou Job lost everything she owned, and shares memories that help her to hold on to her past.
With the aim of connecting with Australia’s diverse communities, each story will be available in an additional six languages, including Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Hindi and Punjabi.
Using technology developed by Google’s Creative Lab – dubbed ‘XY-Fi’ – visitors to the installation connect to a dedicated Wi-Fi network and can use their smartphone as a remote control for the installation; selecting their preferred language and engaging with the first-account stories of each of the project’s participants through video and audio.
Tea Uglow, Creative Director of Google’s Creative Lab, said: “We’re interested in how we can use the technology that we’ve all become so familiar with – like mobile phones – to do something unexpected. When your own phone becomes not only a remote control, but also the way you can access personal, deeply emotive stories in your preferred language, as part of a public installation, we realise the magic of these devices in a completely new way.”
Jo-Anne Birnie-Danzker, Director and CEO of the Biennale of Sydney, said: “The Biennale of Sydney has, over the past forty-five years, played an indispensable role in Australia’s engagement with the world and provided perspectives from elsewhere on issues that matter. The 21st Biennale of Sydney, SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement, under the artistic leadership of Mami Kataoka, is a compelling exploration of the most urgent issues of our day, among them, the unprecedented displacement and movement of people across the globe.”
The 21st Biennale of Sydney runs from 16 March — 11 June 2018 at seven locations across Sydney. For more information visit www.biennaleofsydney.art
ENDS
SBS
As Australia’s multicultural broadcaster, SBS holds a unique place in the Australian media landscape, inspiring all Australians to explore, appreciate and celebrate our diverse world and in doing so, contributes to a cohesive society. SBS Digital Creative Labs boldly reimagine the way powerful stories are told, immersing audiences within interactive experiences that drive an emotional connection and encourage a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Google’s Creative Lab
Google’s Creative Lab is a group of creators, developers and filmmakers around the world who explore and play with Google’s tools and the emerging digital technology that surrounds us. They communicate the potential of these digital tools to make the world a better and more enjoyable place, and show marketers and creative agencies what’s possible. You could say we’re looking at what happens when you take the web away from computers and give it to artists and performers to play with.
Biennale of Sydney
The Biennale of Sydney provides a platform for art and ideas and is internationally recognised for commissioning and presenting innovative, thought-provoking art from Australia and around the world. A leading international art event, the Biennale of Sydney has showcased the work of nearly 1,800 artists from more than 100 countries. It has attracted over 4 million visitors since its inception in 1973 and holds an important place on both the national and international stage. The Biennale of Sydney is located on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land and pay respect to Elders, both past and present.