Friday inspiration...

A few things of interest...

I've recently subscribed to the New York Times technology blog and already I feel better informed! A Parent's Struggle With A Child's iPad Addiction got me thinking about different ways kids learn and express their creativity and the comment trail led me to MIT's Lifelong Kindergarten where I found this fantastic program called, 'Singing Fingers'. Have you heard about this? Check out the clip above - amazing.

Powerhouse have just completed a very interesting project called China Heart, a mobile app they describe as a 'locative mobile story/ game that is part love story, part mystery...meshing video, real-world art installation and performance with a rich GPS gaming experience' which also 'takes players on a walking tour of significant locations in Sydney's Chinatown'. I think we're going to see a lot more of this type of project. If you're intersted in how they made it all happen there's a detailed post here.

...and finally, I loved this Gen X ode to the passing of an era, The Fading Sounds of Analogue Technology (although I really don't miss that modem connection screech!).

The Odditoreum

Image: Powerhouse 'Photo of the Day' blog

Yesterday Robin mentioned the Powerhouse exhibition, The Odditoreum so I thought you might be interested in finding out a little more about it. The Odditoreum began life as an idea for a small school holiday program but became a popular exhibition, book and limited edition print. The project had many constraints including a budget of only $7000 (excluding staff time) and was conceived as a 'low-tech' way of engaging visitors with the permanent collection.

The show was 'curated' by children's book author Shaun Tan. Tan chose 10 objects from a long list he was sent by the Public Programs Producer who had compiled and refined the list in consultation with curators, registrars and conservators. He then wrote fictitious labels of approx. 100 words for each object. Visitors were also invited to write their own labels. The 'real' label information was also included but only at the end of the exhibition.

The show was a big hit with audiences of all ages and is a good reminder that you don't always need a million bucks to pull off a good idea. It is also a good 'real-life' example of a the type of engagement people are also seeking online.