James the Rat King eXperience

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Author(s)
Akcay, Zeynep
Hooper, Nicola
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2021
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Abstract

•Research Background James the Rat King eXperience is an animation-based public art project that tells the story of the 1900-1907 bubonic plague in Brisbane. The project investigates how QR code activated multimedia on mobile platforms can provide a thorough account of a historical event to the general public along a designated trail. Drawing from the project’s collaborator Dr Nicola Hooper’s doctoral research and art project on zoonoses, James the Rat King eXperience combines historic documents, archival footage, original illustrations, and animated sequences accessed through 8 different spots.

•Research Contribution Amid the struggles that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, James the Rat King eXperience aims to provide a larger perspective by presenting the different aspects of the 1900-1907 bubonic plague in Brisbane. Although this event has been recounted a few times in video and installation formats, this is the first time that it became the focus of a large-scale public art project, offering both a shorter summary and a more in-depth account of different aspects. The animated sequences in each spot tell the story of the plague in a nursery rhyme and fairy-tale setting, relaying a complex and distressing story in a more relatable way. The archival footage, illustrations and scientific information found on the same page give further context. Overall, this project contributes to animation in public art domain by combining animation with historical footage and scientific facts and presenting it in an accessible and flexible experience.

•Research Significance James the Rat King eXperience has been featured in Curiocity Brisbane 2021, a large-scale public event supported by Tourism Queensland and the City of Brisbane. The event lasted more than 10 days and the site was visited by thousands of people every day. James the Rat King eXperience was also featured in SLQ blogs and had a large press exposure through Curiocity Brisbane news.

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Subject

Interactive media

Other creative arts and writing

Other history, heritage and archaeology

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Akcay, Z; Hooper, N, James the Rat King eXperience, 2021

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