Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth
October 2022
Clay created some unique animated media and an interactive software piece for this dynamic exhibition at the British Library. The Library's exploration of Alexander the Great includes many of the fantastical stories that turned his legacy into legend.
Clay collaborated with designers Drinkall Dean and lombaert studio to ensure that the AV was deeply integrated into the exhibition narrative and visual structure.
The introductory animation highlights some of the representations of Alexander the Great in the exhibition. The animation expresses the ever-changing question over Alexander's identity by rarely settling on a single image. Instead, images come and go, morphing into one another in a variety of techniques and styles.
As visitors travel through the exhibition, they pass through transitional structures that support layered cloud projections that seep through semi-transparent fabric. We also produced an ambient soundtrack to synchronise with the visuals and add further atmosphere to the space.
Visitors reach an enchanted forest during their journey and are invited to wake the talking trees of the sun and moon. A motion capture camera system is used to detect and respond to a visitor's presence, mirroring their shadow in leaves, blowing in the wind. Now awakened, one of the trees will deliver a fortune to the visitor.
