The context
Electric Puppet gives families a direct role as makers. Federation Square commissioned the original format, and QUT’s 2017 Robotronica programme documents a drop-in presentation where visitors designed and animated digital robots.
The creative approach
Participants assemble a character from a library of body-part images, then move to animate it through real-time tracking. Personalisation creates a recognisable connection between the person, the character and the public screen.
What is documented
QUT’s Robotronica programme documents the interaction and drop-in format. Wonderment Walk also records a commissioned 2014 adaptation involving John Olsen’s Frogs sculpture. Different versions are kept distinct rather than assigned a single launch year.
Opportunities for a future commission
What this could support
The applications below are proposals for a new brief, rather than measured outcomes from the original presentation.
Ownership through making
Participants decide what their character looks like and how it moves. This offers an accessible starting point for creative expression and a practical way for youth programmes to include participant-authored imagery.
Learning through physical play
The visible link between movement and animation lets people explore digital systems through action. A future programme could assess creative confidence and understanding through short tasks and participant reflection.
Nature interpretation with precedent
Wonderment Walk’s Frogs adaptation brought an existing sculpture into an interactive digital experience. The organiser describes a connection with environmental awareness, providing a precedent for future local-species storytelling.
Make a character and become it
The interaction combines authorship and performance: create the image, then discover how your own movement changes it. A shared screen lets families and other visitors witness the result.
A council library, museum or festival could pair character creation with a family-friendly early-evening showcase. A nature edition could focus on local wildlife, with ecological guidance and permissions for any existing artworks or cultural stories.
How a future brief could be evaluated
- Participation
- Record characters completed, repeat engagement and access needs across sessions.
- Creative learning
- Use a simple making task and participant reflection to assess expression and understanding.
- Environmental curiosity
- For a nature edition, test recall of one locally relevant species or conservation idea.
Before commissioning
Choose the age group and balance between drop-in play and facilitated learning. Test tracking, seated interaction and screen visibility. Agree supervision, participant-image permissions and any third-party artwork rights.
Project sources
QUT Robotronica 2017 programme; Wonderment Walk Launch Exhibition, February 2014; Georgie Pinn event portfolio. Frogs is a work by John Olsen; the interactive adaptation was commissioned from Georgie Pinn.