A GeoDome Theater is the venue for a new outreach program from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), in collaboration with UOW Science Space at the University of Wollongong. The team has produced a feature-length planetarium show, The Earth Above, developed with Deakin Motion Lab, which explores CABAH’s research into Australia’s unique biodiversity and Indigenous heritage. WorldViewer makes it straightforward to show the fulldome movie in the truncated GeoDome – no rendering required.

The Earth Above aims to contribute to a transformation of our understanding of Australia’s ancient Indigenous heritage and environmental past and to allow the wider community to engage with the pressing issue of how to protect our unique heritage and biodiversity into the future. This is part of CABAH’s key mission to increase awareness and tell a culturally inclusive and globally significant story of Australia’s human and environmental history prior to European arrival.  The project centered indigenous voices from conceptualization to vetting content to final edits. The story combines scientific research and traditional knowledge, and the content creation process fuses filmmaking, participatory media, and immersive technologies. As a company, we are honored to support this project by expanding its reach with the GeoDome program.

The GeoDome Theater will tour Australia supporting UOW Science Space’s existing school outreach programs, and most importantly, take the immersive experience back to the remote reaches of Australia where the featured research and filming occurred in partnership with Indigenous communities. Additional educational and outreach resources will also be developed to support schools to engage in the videos messages and knowledge.

Photo credits: Queensland Museum