Allied Reit - Mirmir’s Well

 

Every year Toronto hosts "Scotiabank Nuit Blanche" an overnight art event that takes place across the entire city.
In 2015 SapientNitro (now SapientRazorfish) had just moved into their new offices and worked with their landlord, Allied Reit, to come up with something interesting for the lobby of the building.

The idea they came up with was 'Mimir's Well', a very old story about the Norse God Oldin, who sacrificed his eye to drink from Mirmir's Well and gain the wisdom and memory of the nine worlds.

Using Kinect technology, Unity 3D animation and parametric speakers guests stepping up to one of the nine sides of the exhibition were met with screens showing their own reflections, which soon morphed them into an animal of Norse lore.
As visitors experimented with their newly adopted forms, sound enveloped them while their surroundings transformed into one of the nine Norse worlds.

I spoke with Graham Ameron, who is Associate Creative Director at SapientRazorfish, about the technology and thinking behind this 12 hour installation.

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