Melbourne Museum — Our Wondrous Planet
Photo Credits: mammaknowsmelbourne.com.au
Overview
For Melbourne Museum’s Our Wondrous Planet exhibition, Grumpy Sailor created an immersive journey through Earth’s biomes—oceans, forests, soils, coral reefs—inviting visitors to explore how life on the planet is interconnected and how climate change reshapes those systems. My task: build the interactive layer that makes that exploration feel alive.
Challenge
Turn a high-level narrative—“kids should feel the impact of climate change by moving through different biomes”—into a smooth, intuitive, real-time experience. And do it using LIDAR, environmental animations, and museum-grade reliability. Nothing breaks immersion faster than tech that stutters in front of a school group.
My Contribution
I developed the full TouchDesigner application that powers the installation’s interactivity:Integrated LIDAR tracking to allow visitors to “swipe” through biomes using natural body gestures. Built real-time animations triggered by movement, from shifting ecosystems to climate-impact transitions.
Developed a modular TouchDesigner architecture so the Grumpy Sailor team could tweak, expand, and iterate rapidly. Collaborated with designers, producers, and technical directors to ensure visual fidelity and exhibit-floor reliability.
Optimized performance for large-scale projection and high foot traffic.
Result
A playful, responsive, educational experience that lets kids explore complex environmental concepts through movement—not lectures. The installation became a key interactive moment inside Our Wondrous Planet: accessible for young visitors, robust for museum ops, and flexible enough for future updates.
What This Project Shows
Expertise in TouchDesigner for large-scale public installations
Ability to translate storytelling into interactive technical systemsSolid collaboration with a top-tier creative tech studio (Grumpy Sailor)
Experience delivering work for high-profile cultural institutions
Strength in combining hardware inputs (LIDAR) with real-time visuals
For Melbourne Museum’s Our Wondrous Planet exhibition, Grumpy Sailor created an immersive journey through Earth’s biomes—oceans, forests, soils, coral reefs—inviting visitors to explore how life on the planet is interconnected and how climate change reshapes those systems. My task: build the interactive layer that makes that exploration feel alive.
Challenge
Turn a high-level narrative—“kids should feel the impact of climate change by moving through different biomes”—into a smooth, intuitive, real-time experience. And do it using LIDAR, environmental animations, and museum-grade reliability. Nothing breaks immersion faster than tech that stutters in front of a school group.
My Contribution
I developed the full TouchDesigner application that powers the installation’s interactivity:Integrated LIDAR tracking to allow visitors to “swipe” through biomes using natural body gestures. Built real-time animations triggered by movement, from shifting ecosystems to climate-impact transitions.
Developed a modular TouchDesigner architecture so the Grumpy Sailor team could tweak, expand, and iterate rapidly. Collaborated with designers, producers, and technical directors to ensure visual fidelity and exhibit-floor reliability.
Optimized performance for large-scale projection and high foot traffic.
Result
A playful, responsive, educational experience that lets kids explore complex environmental concepts through movement—not lectures. The installation became a key interactive moment inside Our Wondrous Planet: accessible for young visitors, robust for museum ops, and flexible enough for future updates.
What This Project Shows
Expertise in TouchDesigner for large-scale public installations
Ability to translate storytelling into interactive technical systemsSolid collaboration with a top-tier creative tech studio (Grumpy Sailor)
Experience delivering work for high-profile cultural institutions
Strength in combining hardware inputs (LIDAR) with real-time visuals
Client: Grumpy Sailor (Australia)
Role: Creative Technologist / Touch Designer Developer
Platform: Interactive LIDAR-driven installation
Year: 2024-2025
READ ARTICLE →Role: Creative Technologist / Touch Designer Developer
Platform: Interactive LIDAR-driven installation
Year: 2024-2025