Midnight Zone

  • Australian National Maritime Museum
    Gadigal Country (Sydney)
  • 2025

Far below the surface, where light disappears, life becomes alien and extraordinary.

Here, people design creatures based on real deep-sea species, exploring how eyes enlarge, teeth lengthen and bodies turn translucent to survive the dark. Each creation joins a glowing ocean, forming a living ecosystem shaped by adaptation.

At the end of the dive, you can take your digital creature home, a small reminder of the strange beauty that thrives where almost nothing else can.

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Technology

Built with Flutter and Rive, the experience lets visitors design animated creatures using touchscreens that are then transmitted via MQTT to a central computer driving a 4k display. Submissions appear in real time, blending user-generated animations into a living digital ocean.

Each visitor receives a QR code linking to their creation, extending play beyond the gallery.

Credits

  • Arantxa Uria, Designer
  • Claire Evans, Strategic Director
  • Ella Douglas, Producer
  • Evan Davies, Technical Lead (Hardware)
  • René Christen , Technical Lead (Software)
  • Shunji Davies, Project Director
  • Tom Siddall, Creative Director