The Oracles
Breakthrough Award Winner
Punchdrunk’s “The Oracles” is a multi-platform experience developed for primary school children in North London that unfolds over several weeks. Inspired by the myth of Hercules and his 12 labors, the project is designed to engage pupils in Greek mythology and mathematics and to improve digital literacy. Cutting-edge technology, developed with Google’s Creative Lab and Grumpy Sailor, creates audience interaction that blends digital and physical environments.
“It’s a remarkable set design, though the real innovation is happening out of sight. While exploring Fallow Cross, children carry what looks like a lantern but is in fact a positional tracking device. Working in partnership with Google, Punchdrunk has rigged the whole space with sensors that track the lanterns with pinpoint accuracy. As groups learn new skills and level up, they unlock new areas in the physical world, with the lamp opening a series of locked doors. ‘If they are a level three player they can’t get in, if they are a level four the door is open,’ Barrett says, enthusiastically rattling a locked door for emphasis.”