As part of the restoration reopening of the restored Capitol Theater, I joined the design and development team working on an interactive display for the theater lobby, honoring the contributions of the various project donors.
When I joined the project Will Owen had already started working on a design and prototype from the ground up. My role was to assist in the design of the ‘story interface’ that would display historical facts, photos, and anecdotes, and handle the library of content and documentation under the hood.
The display is a large 2 meter tall 58:9 (3840 x 600) monitor with a custom touch overlay. To take advantage of the screen real estate a tile system was used. Each tile contains a story and can be scrolled and selected, allowing users to swipe and zoom through photos, and scroll through written stories documenting the history and design of the theater.
The interface was designed to compliment both the wall’s existing design, and the theater’s fabulous Art Deco architecture and famous crystalline ceiling. Many of these design ideas were incorporated from original drawings by the architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.
You can learn more about the design on Will’s website, and you can visit the theater in Melbourne. Currently events and screenings hosted by ACMI are taking place at the theatre, and you can have a more in-depth tour during year Open House Melbourne events.
