#newselfwales – What does the face of New South Wales, Australia, really look like?
In 2018 the DX Lab asked audiences ’what does the face of New South Wales look like?’. The DX Lab was given this unique opportunity to develop and build an innovative exhibition and online experience to explore this idea. The DX Lab is the State Library of NSW’s innovation lab that explores ways to make the Library’s collection and data sets accessible via new methods using existing and emerging technologies.
After an extensive user-experience led research phase the DX Lab decided to use Instagram and in-gallery photo booths to ask visitors to contribute to the collection of portraits on display, so that the moment could be collected by the Library at the conclusion of the exhibition.
On October 4 2018 a live in-gallery data visualisation, showing thousands of faces from the Library’s collection alongside photos from the public went live.
This was the DX Lab’s biggest experiment, crossing multiple disciplines and domains, including physical, digital, design and engineering. This presentation will reveal the making of this experiment, show what audiences did onsite and online and what was finally collected after the four month exhibition was over.
Paula Bray
Paula Bray is the DX Lab Leader at the State Library of NSW. Paula develops, manages and promotes an innovation lab using existing and emerging technologies to deliver new ways to explore the Library’s collections and its data.
The DX Lab is a place where innovation and collaboration are explored. The Lab delivers creative, engaging and new ways to explore the Library’s collections, data sets and services through a diverse range of digital experiences. The DX Lab is a place for creative partnerships with digital peers, cultural heritage organisations, students, researchers, artists and creators.
Twitter: @paulabray #dxlab @statelibrarynsw