From HIT Lab NZ
Thursday, July 28, 2005
HIT Lab’s three-dimensional virtual picture book has been named as a New Zealand finalist in the World Summit Awards. The eyeMagic project, a collaborative project between HIT Lab and noted children’s author and illustrator Gavin Bishop, will represent New Zealand in the e-Entertainment category.
HIT Lab’s three-dimensional virtual picture book has been named as a New Zealand finalist in the World Summit Awards.
The eyeMagic project, a collaborative project between HIT Lab and noted children’s author and illustrator Gavin Bishop, will represent New Zealand in the e-Entertainment category.
It is further recognition for a project that has attracted phenomenal international interest from the media, industry and educationalists, including a recent request from leading educational publishers Pearson Education (UK) to feature the technology in a new education textbook.
The eyeMagic project explores the application of augmented-reality technology to children’s literature. Using the technology, Gavin Bishop’s story Giant Jimmy Jones was transformed from a normal printed book into one where three-dimensional animated virtual images appear to pop up from the real pages.
The project also used music by Christchurch composer Patrick Shepherd and involved local school children. It was supported with Smash Palace funding from the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology and Creative NZ.
Gavin Bishop says he is delighted the book has been selected as a finalist
"It will bring this technology to the notice of the world although there has been a lot of interest in it from Britain already."
"I really enjoyed working as part of a team, something that I don't usually have the opportunity to do when writing a book. And to work with One Glass Eye and (HIT Lab student)Claudia Nelles, the animator, was terrific too. They took great care while making the models and animating my drawings to retain the integrity of the original art.”
Gavin is currently working with the HIT Lab on a second magic book based on his award winning story, The House That Jack Built. The project is still in the planning stages but he says the book will be animated in a "much more interactive way".
Running in association with the second World Summit on the Information Society to be held in Tunis in November, the World Summit Awards will be a global showcase of 40 outstanding information, communication and technology (ICT) projects from around the world.
New Zealand’s eight finalists will be evaluated with entrants from 196 other countries by the WSA 2005 Grand Jury in August in Bahrain. The winners will be announced at the WSA Gala in Tunis on 16 November 2005.
At the last summit held in Geneva in 2003, New Zealand beat entries from 136 countries to win two awards.
The New Zealand finalists were announced this week by Hon David Cunliffe, the Minister of Communications and Minister for Information Technology.
“Innovative technology has an important role to play in New Zealand’s digital future,” Mr Cunliffe said. “The winners of these awards represent the talent which will take this country into the forefront of the ICT global market in line with this government’s Digital Strategy: creating our digital future.”
The New Zealand WSA is sponsored by the National Library, the Ministry of Economic Development and Internet New Zealand with the close cooperation of the 2020 Communication Trust.
