For a staggering 180 million years, the Daintree Rainforest has peacefully presided over large swaths of land in far north Queensland. It's the oldest tropical rainforest on the planet, and has been deemed the second-most irreplaceable world heritage site in the world. Unfortunately, as with most of Earth's natural wonders, climate change is casting a devastating and long-lasting shadow over its future.
We're all constantly being bombarded with doom-and-gloom news stories about climate change, and while things are looking pretty bleak, there's still time to prevent some of the devastating potential outcomes. To help you visualise the looming threat of climate change and the power we as individuals have, a world-first durational VR installation is arriving in Melbourne direct from Sundance and SXSW.
Taking over ACMI for 48 hours, Gondwana maps 100 years of real-world data projections onto a simulated ecosystem. The detailed and interactive experience inserts visitors among the ancient trees, rare animals and precious flora of the Daintree. Each minute, the simulation jumps forward in time by one year and creates a speculative future that's heavily influenced by how many people are participating in the experience.
"We never know where a showing of Gondwana will end up, but the more people that spend time in each showing, the better the future for the virtual forest," says director Ben Joseph Andrews. "In an age where the future can look really bleak, we want people to come away with a hopeful outlook – that by working as a community, we have the power to craft the change we want."
Gondwana will run from midday on August 18 to midday on August 20, and entry is completely free. Bookings are required to participate directly, but entry as a spectator is simply first come, first serve. Head here for more information.
