Aussie tech creatives, PHORIA will showcase its world’s first environmental Augmented Reality Our Planet experience in partnership with WWF-Australia at Pause Fest 2020
Tags: Press Release, Augmented Reality, Technology, Environment, Installation

After finding international success, PHORIA are bringing a pop-up activation of REWILD Our Planet to Australia for the first time. WWF-Australia will also seek to raise awareness around Australia’s current environmental laws in light of the ongoing bushfire tragedy.

Melbourne, Australia — 31 January, 2020: Pause Fest 2020 will be Australia’s first glimpse of the popular Augmented Reality (AR) experience REWILD Our Planet, based on the Netflix original documentary series Our Planet. The winner of two Emmy® Awards, Our Planet was filmed over four years by Silverback Films and is narrated by world-renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough. This short-term activation of REWILD Our Planet, run by PHORIA and in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, will highlight the challenges that humanity and the planet face, why nature matters and how people can work together to ensure that nature thrives with us.

Since launching last year in three locations across the globe — ArtScience Museum (SNG), Dolby Soho (NYC) and We The Curious (UK) — REWILD Our Planet has been played by over 30,000 users and has won multiple awards in both Melbourne and New York. The experience is a world first in social and persistent AR, designed to empower environmental education and positive behavioural change.

As Australia’s leading Extended Reality company, PHORIA are excited to expand the impact of REWILD Our Planet by bringing it to festivals such as Pause Fest 2020. There it will feature alongside exhibitions from other leading creatives and innovators, such as Adobe, Black Magic, RMIT and La Trobe University.

So far, 22,000 people have made pledges to better their environmental choices after experiencing REWILD Our Planet. WWF-Australia will be encouraging Pause Fest visitors to send a submission to Australia’s key decision-makers, urging them to reform current environmental laws as part of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) review. This consultation is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to reform our laws to ensure our most precious wildlife and wild places are protected. And we only have until April, 17th 2020 to have a say.

CEO and Co-founder of PHORIA, Trent Clews-de Castella, commented on why REWILD Our Planet is an important digital tool for social awareness and behavioural change:

“We believe now is the time to wake up and shift gears in our collective approach to reverse the loss of nature. Immersive technologies like AR and VR have this undeniable capacity to open our minds and hearts, to get us feeling more deeply connected to the world and to each other. That’s why REWILD Our Planet is so special — it allows users to visualise the positive impact they could have and empowers them to take action together.”

Founder of Pause Fest, George Hedon, added that:

“I’m personally very excited about this project because I saw it in New York and having it premiere in Australia, while we’re having the worst bushfires in history, is a powerful way to start thinking about climate change right here from Pause Fest.”

Yves Calmette, WWF-Australia’s Chief Marketing Officer said:

“AR activations like REWILD Our Planet allow us to connect people to nature wherever they are. In this time of the devastating bushfire crisis, we hope we can provide inspiration and hope to encourage people to take action on issues like our need for urgent reform to Australia’s environmental law. ”

Pause Fest will run at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, February 5th — 7th 2020. Trent Clews-de Castella will also attend Pause Fest as a key speaker.

At the festival WWF-Australia will be asking visitors to support their fundraising appeal in response to the devastating Australian bushfire crisis.

For more information or tickets to experience REWILD by PHORIA in person please visit: https://www.pausefest.com.au

Discover REWILD Our Planet: https://www.phoria.com.au/projects/wwf-rewild/