Frontline
14 October 2009
Frontline is a new Australia Council initiative that explores the relationship of people to places using locative media gaming technology in a suburb of Darwin called Malak. The project builds on work by Darwin Community Arts with Indigenous, African, and other communities in the northern suburbs of Darwin and is supported by Community Partnerships, the Inter-Arts Office, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and Northern Territory Government's Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Although still in the early stages of development, community participants have already begun experimenting with open-source Laser Tagging and LED Throwies during the Darwin Fringe, and at Malak Shopping Centre and car park. Other projects planned for the initiative include:
- Amazing Malak: A version of the Amazing Race, which has proved popular with young people in Darwin, organised through vacation care programs. This game/race will be held across Malak's parks and other places, with on¬ the¬ ground racers working with virtual, online participants in spaces such as Second Life.
- Computer Kiosks: Computers will be placed around Malak to accept video blogs and other contributions that annotate and trace people who come through these spaces.
- Interactive Spaces: Spaces that will have multimedia presentations about the spaces themselves (e.g. film or video clips) triggered by movements of visitors in the spaces.
- Online Social Mapping: Residents will be encouraged and assisted so they can post information about places in Malak and surrounding areas on Google Earth/Maps.
For more information on Frontline, contact Bong Ramilo at Darwin Community Arts, bong.ramilo@darwincommunityarts.org.au, phone 8945 7347, mobile 0414 682 350.
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