Science Gallery Melbourne’s Digital Birthing Tree Wins Animated Architecture Award

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Melbourne University Collections materials were incorporated into the inaugural content piece ‘The Digital Birthing Tree’

The Digital Birthing Tree, displayed on Science Gallery Melbourne’s Digital Bricks media facade, has won the Animated Architecture category at the 2021 Media Architecture Biennial.

Inspired by the tactility and expressivity of clay bricks, The Digital Bricks at Science Gallery Melbourne fuse technology and architecture with Australia’s Indigenous culture using the world’s highest resolution interactive display.

As polished translucent glass bricks and high-definition screen technology interlace with clay brickwork, the building façade now becomes an ever-changing canvas for digital data and interactive media. The rich history of the former hospital that occupied the site and the many stories of people that have had interactions with this urban area have enabled the notion of “if these walls could talk”.

The debut content program consists of The Digital Birthing Tree, a First Peoples-led content program that displays gradual transitions from pre-colonial knowledge to Western colonisation and occupation of Traditional Lands. The story provides an opportunity to honour Aboriginal women’s contributions to the health system, including at The Royal Women’s Hospital which formerly occupied the site. These stories embed Aboriginal and female perspectives into the fabric of the building. But they also reflect upon lost and threatened ecosystems and the impact of colonisation and innovation and unpack the site’s recent history as a hospital site.

The content brings to life photographs of several thousand artefacts from Melbourne University's cultural collections of Indigenous significance and reflecting scientific innovation in the fields of engineering, medicine and biological sciences. Photographs are algorithmically manipulated, such as by way of neural style transfer to create visual connections between disparate image collections and instil a sense of intrigue and ambiguity among onlookers. Reflective of traditional smoking ceremonies, vapour animations overlay the visualisation and create a warming and healing environment. Future content programs will align with Science Gallery seasons and activities.

Visit our webpage to find out more about the digital bricks and the collaboration that led to their creation.