A Project Showcase · Studio ESEM · 2026

Birds of Australia STORYBOX

Dr Sarah Barns · Studio ESEM × Australian Museum
Birds of Australia STORYBOX
The Project

For two years, a digital cube brought Australia's birds to life in the middle of town.

Free, public and outdoor across eight regional NSW destinations, April 2023 to June 2025. Celebrating the wonder and fragility of Australian bird life, in dialogue with First Nations knowledge.

Opening
Gould's birds animated across the STORYBOX cube
The Cube

Gould's birds, animated across a four-sided digital birdscape.

The Work
The Tour · Eight cities · Twenty-four months
NewcastleMar 2023 TamworthJun 2023 OrangeSep 2023 Batemans BayDec 2023 AlburyMar 2024 GraftonJun 2024 Port MacquarieOct 2024 Blue MountainsFeb 2025
The Tour
The Work, Briefly

A twelve-minute collection, animated for the street.

A digital interpretation of the Gould Birds of Australia collection, presented on a four-sided digital cube. Free, public, outdoor. No ticket, no queue.

Delivered for the Australian Museum, supported by Create NSW Blockbuster Funding.

See it at the Australian Museum →

The Project
The Show

Twelve minutes, four sides, one collection.

The Show
The Team

Twenty-five collaborators across the Australian Museum, Studio ESEM, an extended creative team, and First Nations knowledge holders. Commissioned by Create NSW.

Australian Museum

  • Louise Teteris
  • Vanessa Finney
  • Elliot Cole

Studio ESEM

  • Sarah Barns
  • Michael Killalea
  • Leif Wilson
  • Peter Hird

Creative Team

  • Anna Fraser
  • Julian Burgess
  • Freya Berkhout
  • Rene Cristen
  • Sarie O'Brien
  • Tim Siggs
  • Alan Richardson

First Nations Contributors

  • Aunty Rhonda Radley
  • Dr John Heath
  • Prof Gawain Bodkin-Andrews
  • Frances Bodkin
  • Ray Timbery
  • Warren Ngarre Foster
  • Janine Leane
  • Brendon Blacklock (videography)
Commissioned by Create NSW
The Team
Community Engagement

Every stop shaped its own local event.

Port Macquarie launch event
Port Macquarie launch
Children's puppet-making workshop
Puppet-making workshops
STORYBOX on location in Orange
Orange, Civic Square
Community Engagement
The Birds of Australia STORYBOX on location
On Location

The cube on the street, in the middle of town. Free, public, outdoor.

The Tour
First Nations contributors to Birds of Australia STORYBOX
First Nations Storytelling

Knowledge held alongside the collection, primary in its own right.

We worked with Aunty Rhonda Radley, Dr John Heath, Professor Gawain Bodkin-Andrews and Frances Bodkin, Ray Timbery, Warren Ngarre Foster, Brendon Blacklock and Janine Leane.

First Nations knowledge wasn't laid over the Gould material. It sat alongside it, sometimes reframing it, always primary.

Interpretive Design
First Nations Dialogue

Stories told on Country, shared on the street.

Dr John Heath
Ray Timbery
Aunty Rhonda Radley
Interpretive Design
“
It's made me more aware of the birds around me. I'll pay more attention when I'm out walking.
Visitor survey · Birds of Australia STORYBOX
Evaluation
Evaluation · Reach

65,000 passers-by, converted step by step into a measured cultural audience.

Passed by
65,000
Engaged (62%)
~40,000
Rated it high
88.9%
Travelled for it
25%
Part 03 · Evaluation

83.5% were just passing through. That's not a problem. That's the point.

Public-space placement is the medium. Casual discovery, converted into a genuine cultural encounter.

Part 03 · Evaluation
The Mobile Companion

A second screen in your pocket.

Visitors colour in original Gould illustrations, listen to distinct bird calls, and trigger the cube from their own phone. Live at storybox.australian.museum.

Mobile

Thank you to all our collaborators and partners.

studioesem.com
Explore the project at the Australian Museum →
Studio ESEM × Australian Museum · Create NSW
Birds of Australia STORYBOX
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