digiPlaySpace at TIFF in Toronto

I recently attended a special preview of TIFF’s award winning digital playground digiPlaySpace with my three-year-old niece and was as enchanted by the experience as she was. This is the fifth edition of digiPlaySpace and it is bigger than ever before. digiPlaySpace, aptly dubbed “the playground of the future” by TIFF, provides kids (and adults!) of all ages the chance to learn through play.

The exhibition spans three rooms at TIFF Bell Lightbox and includes a wide range of interactive installations from nine countries. I felt like Alice in Wonderland diving down the rabbit hole into a wonderful and magical new world.

Here are my Top 5 installations at digiPlaySpace:

1) Marshmallow Clouds

Artist: Tangible Interaction, in partnership with the New Media program at Ryerson University’s RTA School of Media and TIFF – Canada.

The first thing you see as you enter the exhibit is an interactive light-up cloudscape hanging high above your head, shining with vibrant colours. The giant clouds have the appearance of supersized Lucky Charm marshmallows. The only downside is that they aren’t edible. Twelve New Media students from Ryerson University spent more than 200 hours helping with the construction and set-up of this impressive wall installation.

2) Keylight:

Artist: Aaron Van Domelen – Canada

This custom green screen uses the technology of movies to take kids on their very own adventures in far off worlds. My niece got the chance to battle dinosaurs and fly through space. An astronaut helmet and green gloves transformed her onto the big overhead screen as a “no-hands space girl”. She had so much fun that as we made our way through the different rooms, she kept running back here to try it out again.

3) Elements:

Artist: Design I/O – USA. Co-commissioned by TIFF and Cinekid Festival Amsterdam

This interactive installation takes up the entire massive wall in the main room, drawing all eyes to it. Kids can embody one of the four elements in this exhibit: earth, air, fire or water. As the elements move across the screen, you can reach out and transform them and then watch as they explode in bursts of colour – like fireworks across a night sky.

4) Sensory Imaging

Artist: Adrian Sas – USA

This installation engages kids (including those with sensory processing disorders) through sensory exploration and encourages learning through discovery. As children interact with the installation’s billowing and soft fabric, the material appears to change hue. At the point of contact bright, tie-dye looking colours radiate in large circles, creating a four-dimensional map of your actions. My niece loved using her hands, feet and even head to create different patterns. Sensory Imaging was simple in its design, yet brilliant in its effect.

5) Augmented Reality Sandbox

Artist: Developed by the UC Davis W.M. Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences. Technical support in Toronto is provided by Ryerson’s Master of Digital Media Program – USA/Canada

In this installation kids can dig and sculpt mounds of real sand to create their own topographic environments, which change in real time through an elevation colour map, contour lines and simulated water. The Kinetic Sand used in the sandbox mimics the physical properties of wet sand and is as easy to use as play dough. My niece and I created wide lakes, quickly filling them with sand to transform them into vibrantly coloured mountain ranges.