Child of Now

A massively co-authored story about the next century and the most ambitious portrait of a place’s people ever created.

This project-in-development combines emerging virtual holographic and artificial intelligence technology with performances from 14,400 Victorians.

Project History

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In 2021 we developed a prototype for the Child of Now project funded through a major grant from Melbourne School of Engineering and The School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne.

The first audiences experienced the Child of Now Prototype in February 2022.

Child of Now Prototype Team

• Robert Walton / Concept, Director, Co-writer
• Julianne Pierce / Creative Producer
• Claire G Coleman / Writer
• Phoria / Technical Artist
• Anna Tregloan / Environment Design
• Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey / Audio Design
• Richard Gorr / Production Manager
• Volumetric capture system by Dr Andrew Irlitti (University of Melbourne), Professor Frank Vetere (University of Melbourne), and Associate Professor Thuong Hoang (Deakin University).
• Executive Producer Arts Centre Melbourne with support from the University of Melbourne.
• Uncle Jack Charles and Tahlee Fereday / The Voice of I-ME

Future Advisors

A Council of Future Advisors supports the process of making this ambitious work – a portrait of the future people of Victoria – by providing feedback, offering questions, ensuring that the experience is as accessible and meaningful to diverse range of ages, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.  They are on the alert for unintended ableism, racism, gender discrimination, transphobia, homophobia and ageism within the content and form of the work, through the lens of their lived experienced. The project currently has 4 advisors, all artists, each from a different decade of life. The council will grow to 10 future advisors, one from each decade of life, as the project develops.

• Jax Jacki Brown / Future Advisor
• Janice Florence / Future Advisor
• Lorna Hannan / Future Advisor
• Mitch Mahoney / Future Advisor

In 2018 we completed a comprehensive Feasibility Study for Child of Now funded by Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne and Arts Centre Melbourne.

The 42-page study details the project’s concept, co-creative approach, design, audience strategy, deliverables, partners, governance, First Nation engagement, technical feasibility, approach to diversity, community engagement strategy, international strategy, budget and proof of concept.

It included contributions from:

• Robert Walton
• Claire G Coleman
• Gendry Morales
• Angharad Wynne-Jones
• Brad Hammond
• Anna Tregloan
• Kieth Tucker
• Luke McKinnon
• Xavier Irvine
• Chris Clarke

June 2018 – Arts Centre Melbourne supported by City of Melbourne

Over three days the participants unpacked the research material and concept of Child of Now. Focused discussions on technical feasibility took place at the end of each day to ground speculation and move us closer to a deliverable project.

Participants

• Robert Walton, Lead Artist, Director
• Angharad Wynne-Jones, Head of Participation, Arts Centre Melbourne
• Emma Dodd, Creative Producer, Arts Centre Melbourne
• Mish Grigor, Artist, Co-founder of POST
• Luke McKinnon, Founder and Director, Common State, Communications
• Brad Hammond, Creative Technologist, Emerging Media System Design Expert
• Gendry Morales, Founder and CEO, Flight Plan, Blockchain Expert
• Margie Mahon, Research Innovation and Commercialization, University of Melbourne
• Prof Frank Vetere, Head Microsoft Centre for Social Natural User Interaction
• Dr Alison Bennett, Artist working in expanded photography and digital media
• J Rosenbaum, Contemporary Figurative Artist

One morning the team visited Investment Centre Victoria on Floor 46 of 55 Collins Street. The view of the stretch of the river addressed in Part II was critical in helping the team understand the scale of the project.

Focus Groups

Arts Centre Melbourne and Luke McKinnon director of Common State conducted two focus groups with members of the public about the concept and appeal of Child of Now. One group of 53 year olds and another of 23 year olds worked for 2 hours each on the project concept. The feedback gained from this exercise has informed the shape of the project and feasibility study.

The use of virtual and augmented reality was appealing to both groups, and particularly appealing was the ability to participate with friends and family in contributing your own image and then being able to see it again in the city. The 53 year olds strongly favoured an innovative project that puts the city and state on the international map in terms of ambition, as well as feeling connected to the idea of adding part of themselves to posterity. The 23 year olds were drawn to the idea of being able to participate with their friends and access the work during the evenings and night.

Comments from Focus Group participants

Being new and different makes the whole idea more appealing. A once in a lifetime chance that may not come again.

53 year old

[Appealing to] use virtual reality to experience time, and being a part of the largest portrait ever to be.

23 year old

Seeing/meeting lots of people born when I was, comparing our life experiences, celebrating a life lived in Melbourne. Being part of a one of a kind, historic event.

53 year old

Very relevant to my demographic: anxiety about the future job aspirations etc.

23 year old

[It is appealing] To be integrally part of something special putting Melbourne in the world spotlight.

53 year old

It seems like a really forward thinking art project which would be appealing to many demographics. Being able to see it on the big screen would be very cool. Multiple locations is great as is by phone.

23 year old

In April and May 2018 Robert Walton was artist in residence at Blast Theory in Brighton UK as part of the Australia Council’s International Residency Program. Blast Theory are the world-leading pioneers of interactive art, asking thorny questions in public spaces. For six weeks Robert developed the concept for Child of Now under the mentorship of the Blast Theory team culminating in the first public presentation of the background research and working concept for the project.

Blast Theory made this short video at the beginning of the residency.

Visit Robert’s page on the Blast theory website.

Images above by Open Studio participants. 

Developed with funding from