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News  RSPB 3D Mobile Cinema Press Release PRESS RELEASE: 11/6/04

Room with a VR view for Kew

This June Kew’s aquarium breaks its banks to spill virtually onto the walls, with the very latest in 3D computer animation. ‘Swimming with Phytoplankton’ is an ethereal underwater projection that lets viewers walk the oceanic bed and swim among the microscopic world of plankton in the manner of A Bug’s Life or Antz. The project, which is part of the New Views of Kew season, was conceived by artist and animator Iona Scott with support from virtual reality experts Inition (www.inition.co.uk).

‘I wanted to immerse viewers in the microscopic, underwater landscape of the sea’ says Scott. ‘These are things that are invisible to the naked eye but with CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) I was able to enlarge and animate; allowing the viewer to see the wildlife in all its sensual, extraordinary glory.’ The three-minute reel – projected through Inition’s 3-D Duality projection system and viewed through special glasses – leads the visitor through a tumble of sequences in which plankton hover and float in suspended, stereoscopic stasis. ‘The animation gives us a window onto the world of plankton, making their invisible world explicit and amazing. They are incredible, beautiful organisms which form the beginning of our food chain and generate over half the oxygen in our universe’, she says, ‘and yet we know next to nothing about them’.

3-D experts at Inition sponsored and supported Iona through her animation, helping her realize true stereoscopic depth with 3D rendering. The result is a hyper-real, hypnotic swim that will be projected in the Marine Display under the Palm House as a permanent exhibition. Kew's Marine Biologist Pete Morris had long had the desire to display this very important group of plants to the public. And cutting-edge multimedia proved just the tool to redress this. ‘Through Iona and Inition a long-standing dream has become a reality’ he says, ‘I feel it adds a complete new dimension to Kew’s Marine display. As a World Heritage Site and one of the most visited attractions in the UK we put a high premium on educating the public and this allows us to do it in a manner that is vibrant and exciting.’ It is hoped that the project, which marks an adventurous departure for Kew in terms of technology and topic, will bring the gardens that lie on the ocean’s bed – as well as the ones we walk in - to vivid, virtual life.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Kew’s ‘Swimming with Phytoplankton’ installation opens in the Marine Display from May 28th. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey. Mon to Fri 9.30am to 5.30pm, Sat and Sun 9.30am to 6.30pm, £8.50, £6 concs. Tel: 020 8332 5655 www.rbgkew.org.uk

For high res jpegs and interviews with Iona Scott or Inition’s animators call 020 7613 5004 or contact press@inition.co.uk. To see more of Iona’s work or for a full artist’s bio visit www.planktonworld.com

Inition are providers of breakthrough technologies and innovative graphic solutions with over ten years experience in Virtual Reality and Stereoscopic 3D. Our programmers and artists can offer expertise in Stereoscopic video production (both live and computer generated), interactive real-time 3D and a wide range of cutting-edge display technologies. Our clients include the RSPB, P&G, Barclays and The London Metropolitan Police among others. For further information email inition@inition.co.uk, visit www.inition.co.uk or contact us direct on +44 (0)20 7613 5004.