What if there was a never-before-seen, super contemporary format that brings science to life through art and technology, awe and wonder. A funky format that makes you discover and understand crazy things about our world that you want to further explore with friends, family, your gang – that you want to have, that you can’t put down.
Welcome to the UP – the ULTRA-PERCEPTION project!
The ULTRA-PERCEPTION (UP) project reimagines the book as a traditional medium, physical object and traditional knowledge broker, by amplifying it into an interactive, technologically-empowered tool for intergenerational discovery and learning. Supported by KINETIC – a funding scheme for “for game-changing new ideas” piloted in 2023 by ANU Physics, the ANU MakerSpace, Wizer and Compton School – we create a prototype of what will hopefully become a series of research-based pop-up books that are accompanied by an augmented reality app. Five of our initial six pop-up spreads, which can later be rolled out into individual books, are dedicated to specific research themes ranging from the research field of Environmental Humanities to Synthetic Biology. By hovering a prototype app, created by the Canberra animation company Eye Candy, over these spreads, the science-based pop-up pages come to life – through art and technology, awe and wonder. A new science experience! The aim of the ULTRA-PERCEPTION pilot project is to explore and test the concept and its feasibility – so that, in the next step, the project can be taken to further extremes.
The ULTRA-PERCEPTION team is a cross-disciplinary, culturally diverse conspiration of activators, inspirators and motivators from the STEAM fields of the ANU. It is led by UP Wizard Dr Anna-Sophie JĂĽrgens (Pop Culture Studies/Science Communication) and UP App Ninja Dr Terhi Nurmikko-Fuller (Web Science), who partnered with Canberra artist Dr Hanna Hoyne and ANU researchers from different disciplines: Professor Jochen Brocks (Paleobiogeochemistry), Dr Laura Dawes (History of Medicine/Public Health Communication), Dr Claire Hansen (Health Humanities), Professor Alex Maier (Parasitology), Dr Dan Santos (Science Communication/Biotechnology) & Dr Aiden Beauglehole (SynBio), and Dr Brad Tucker (Astronomy). Together they developed the concept for each of the six spreads, four of which were then designed and realised by Dr Hoyne and two by Dr JĂĽrgens.
In collaboration with the UP team, the animation experts from Eye Candy designed and developed a prototype Augmented Reality app that, triggered via marker and target image, animates elements of the pop-up spread.
We are working on this website – stay tuned!
The “UP Explosion”
Discover our introductory pop-up spread and learn more about the ULTRA-PERCEPTION project, context and team – this spread was developed with historian Dr Laura Dawes, designed by Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens and animated by Eye Candy!
The Parasite Pop-Up Spread
Did you know that parasites teach us a lot about their hosts, including us? Discover our Parasitology-themed pop-up spread – developed with Prof Alex Maier, designed by Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens and animated by Eye Candy!
The Early Life Pop-Up Spread
Did you know how strange organisms were when ‘life got big’? Discover our Paleobiogeochemistry-themed pop-up spread – developed with Prof Jochen Brocks, designed by Dr Hanna Hoyne and animated by Eye Candy!
The Life in Space Pop-Up Spread
Did you know that space exploration also includes studying us on Earth? Discover our Astronomy-themed pop-up spread – developed with Dr Brad Tucker, designed by Dr Hanna Hoyne and animated by Eye Candy!
The Tree Pop-Up Spread
Did you know that literature and the environment shape each other? Discover our Environmental Humanities-themed pop-up spread – developed with Dr Claire Hansen, designed by Dr Hanna Hoyne and animated by Eye Candy!
The SynBio Pop-Up Spread
Have you wondered how we can create opportunities for life from waste? Discover our Synthetic Biology-themed pop-up spread – developed with Dr Dan Santos & Dr Aiden Beauglehole, designed by Dr Hanna Hoyne and animated by Eye Candy!
Find out more about the Pop-up Team – coming soon!
Flashback – 2023 – Science galore! “ULTRA PERCEPTION: Science goes pop” is one of the WINNERS of the KINETIC funding scheme for ‘game-changing ideas’! – developed by ANU Physics, ANU MakerSpace and the Compton School.
Thank-yous & acknowledgements
We would like to thank our co-conspirator, visual artist Dr Hanna Hoyne, for going above and beyond for this unusual project; our vibrant and enthusiastic ANU colleagues - Dr Aiden Beauglehole (CoS), Prof Jochen Brocks (RSES), Dr Laura Dawes (CPAS), Dr Claire Hansen (CASS), Prof Alex Maier (RSB), Dr Dan Santos (CPAS), Dr Brad Tucker (CoS/CPAS) – and the team of the MakerSpace: Rachael Hanrick, Angel, and Liam Kennedy in particular. Eye Candy: You have shown us a whole new world! Thank you Damian & Rachael and team for being so adventurous to join this project and for your incredible and truly 'game-changing' contribution. We are grateful for the enticing visual concept images created by Canberra AI-artist TA, and the invaluable support from Sue Hagon (CPAS) and Heather Luckie, and, last but not least, the masterminds behind KINETIC – Professor Tim Senden and Dr David Court. Many thanks to everyone we know and those we don't know who supported this project in the voting and pitching process - you guys are awesome! And, finally, Nic Vevers (CoS), you are an ingenious videographer, thank you!
