Art Processors, the experiential design consultancy, is celebrating its success at the 2023 Australian Good Design Awards, with the Best in Class award in the Architectural Design – Installation Design category among its accolades.
Three of the firm’s projects were recognised in the prestigious awards, which are the country’s oldest and most distinguished international design and innovation competition.
Best in class for Pentridge Prison Tours
Art Processors won the Best in Class award in the Architectural Design – Installation Design category, which was presented for the firm’s compelling visitor experience, Pentridge Prison Tours. The project was selected out of a total of five shortlisted projects.
The tour is based on comprehensive research and includes thought-provoking first-hand accounts from former inmates, prison officers and clerics. It draws on Art Processors’ extensive specialist knowledge of exhibition design, location-aware audio, and creative technology.
“An immersive, historical and authentic project that captures a raw part of Victoria’s past,” says the Good Design Awards Jury. “Not only does it provoke visitors to question the nature of brutal incarceration, it also harnesses the stories surrounding Wurundjeri Land to ensure its narratives are not lost in the experience.
“We commend the multimedia design of the project, using audio, video, photography and physical recreations to really draw visitors into the depths of the prison, and believe the project vividly portrays the murkiness of Pentridge’s complex history.”
Art Processors awarded Gold Tick and Winner accolades
The firm also received a Gold Tick in the Architectural Design – Installation Design category for the audio-visual experience From the Sails: Light Years. This project was developed to launch the celebrations for the Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary, and featured an extraordinary original film artwork which was projected across Opera House’s iconic sails.
A key feature of the project was a live sync soundscape. For this, the firm developed an innovative new way for the audience to listen on their own device, from anywhere in the Sydney Harbour area.
The Good Design Awards Jury reflects: “This film overcomes challenges of synchronisation through the inclusion of innovative technology – a creative approach that successfully delivers the accompanying audio program. The Jury commends the design team for an impactful and rich outcome. “
This project also recently won in the Experience Design category at Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards.
The innovative audio experience developed for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, US was also named a Winner in the Digital Design – Apps and Software category.
The Bob Dylan Center exhibits over 100,000 artefacts from the musician’s archive. Art Processors created an audio experience using unique audio syncing technology, which enables visitors to access videos, music and personal accounts on their devices by simply tapping a beacon.
“The use of hands-free action and near-zero sound latency elevates the Bob Dylan Centre’s Immersive Audio Experience to new heights of quality digital integration,” says The Good Design Awards Jury. “Additionally, we feel the desaturated blue monotonal UI perfectly complements the feel of this project—congratulations.”
Representing design excellence
Mark Nihill, CEO of Art Processors, says: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised at the Good Design Awards. All three of the winning projects underline that Art Processors is not only at the leading edge of experience design, but we continue to push the boundaries, redefining visitor experiences for world-leading cultural destinations.”
There were approximately 900 entries in the Australian Good Design Awards this year, which were judged by over 70 experts from Australia and across the world, including leading figures from design, engineering, and architecture.
Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Australian Good Design Awards, comments: “To be recognised with an Australian Good Design Award tells the world this project not only represents design excellence, but it also surpasses the criteria for design innovation and design impact. The Good Design Award is an independent endorsement of professional design quality.”
Art Processors recently shared details of its new exhibition for the Museum of Sydney, The People’s House: Sydney Opera House at 50. The exhibition enables visitors to explore the rich history of people, place, performance, design, and engineering that have all contributed to the story of Australia’s famous landmark.
Image courtesy Good Design Australia. Left to right: Tony Holzner (Art Processors), Mark Nihill (Art Processors), Monica Zetlin (Art Processors), Amy Browne (Sydney Opera House), Sam Doust (Art Processors), Rob Kercher (National Trust of Australia (Vic)), Alice-Anne McRobbie (Art Processors), Brook Powell (National Trust of Australia (Vic)), Louise Reardon (Art Processors), Sam Brown (Art Processors).