Local time — Probably figuring out a tiny detail in a design right now.
900 Years KuurneFor the 900th anniversary of Kuurne, we created an interactive installation that tells the tale of one of Kuurne's most cherished themes, the Kuurne donkeys!
For the 900th anniversary of Kuurne, my partner Gitte Neven and I created an interactive installation that tells the tale of one of Kuurne's most cherished themes, the Kuurne donkeys!Through a life-size interactive clock, we take a closer look at the past, present and future and teach visitors about the meaning of the Donkeys in each era through animated videos.To let people learn and explore more freely, we also created 3 side installations that each pair up with one of the 3 time periods. Visitors can explore and learn more about each story through interactive fun, together with friends and family.
The Brief
Next year, in 2023, Kuurne will have its' 900th anniversary. To celebrate, the town came to us with an idea to set up an exhibition about their history. They have already found a great location, the old vicary in the city center.Within this unique space, they asked us to create an installation that could fill an entire room inside and talks about some of Kuurne's rich history. Of course, this should be a captivating, innovative and above all entertaining experience.
The Concept
To tackle this brief, we decided to create an interactive clock, as a big centerpiece on which animated stories about the legend of the donkey will be told. The big clock contains 3 storylines, one from the past, the present and the future.To go along with these three stories that are projected onto our clock in the middle of the room, we created 3 side installations. These are also interactive, and allow visitors to learn about the donkeys in a fun and informative way.
The Process — The Style
As a foundation for our style, we chose to respond to the idea that the legend of the donkey is truly a folkloric concept. The tale of how the donkey became a part of Kuurne's past, present, and its future.The big hero of our story is, of course, the donkey! We've developed some different variations, but focused mostly on making this a lovable character for young and old. But not only the donkey deserves a spotlight, our "Kuurnenaaren" also went from their christmas tree outfits to a more humane look.
The Process — The Donkey RaceTo expand our main storyline on the clock, we had 3 interactive touchpoints for the visitors. The first installation, relating to the past tale, is The Donkey Race. It's a game about the travel of the donkey from Kuurne to the Market in Kortrijk. And as the player, you'll have to jump over obstacles by pressing a button and getting the highest score!
The Process — Find Your MedallionFor the present time's interaction, we based ourselves off of a very lively part of Kuurne's community, an organization called the Order of the Donkey. In our installation, the visitor is asked to find a medal in a box of hay. When they find one they can put this medal on a scanner, which will trigger a fun fact about the Order of the Donkey to appear on the screen in front of them.
The Process — Donkey King SelfieLastly, to go with our vision for the future, we created an Instagram filter of our beloved donkey. This way, our visitors can become a Donkey King, an honored title for a Kuurnenaar and a large event in Kuurne's history. We worked with Blender and SparkAR for modelling and publishing the filter.
The Final ProductThis Bachelor's Thesis was an incredibly fun project that allowed me and my partner, Gitte Neven — check her out at gitteneven.be — to put our entire skillset to work. The final installation was delivered fully ready for placement to our client, and they are putting it on display in the vicary during the 900 Years of Kuurne celebration!
Check out our casemovie for the project below!
next project
BodoniAn interactive longread on the Bodoni typeface for Slanted Magazine’s “My Type” series (school assignment).
