The World Came Flooding In
27 Jun 2026 — 30 Aug 2026
| Dates | Saturday 27 June to Sunday 30 August |
|---|---|
| Times | Open 10am — 5pm daily |
| Cost | FREE |
| Booking | No bookings are required to visit the exhibition. VR Experience bookings will open closer to the date | RSVP Required. Opening event bookings will open closer to the date | RSVP Required. |
| Age | All ages welcome |
COMING SOON - An XR installation by Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine, where stories from flood affected people highlight how we embody household objects with meaning, feeling and memory.
In The World Came Flooding In, lost objects and spaces are recreated by the artists in collaboration with flood affected people. Virtual reality, projections, miniatures, photographs and sound are thoughtfully orchestrated, exploring the rich inner world that remains when everything has been washed away.
We hear from three people - Marina, Antoinette and Tom, in their own words as they share their stories of living through a flood, separated by thousands of kilometres but connected by shared experience. Using cardboard and other simple materials, the artists artfully recreate the lost homes of each storyteller in miniature, then, via photogrammetry the rooms are translated into virtual reality.
The result is an evocative and wondrous tour through memory spaces. This is a lyrical and unique experiential work that explores personal memory, grief and loss, and the shared experience of an extreme climate event.
Content advisory
Please be aware that this exhibition includes themes and imagery relating to flooding and disaster events.
These themes may be distressing for visitors who have been personally affected by floods or related experiences.
Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine
With a shared passion for stop-motion animation, storytelling and technology, Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine have a 20+ year career creating elaborate interactive artworks, moving short films and unique immersive installations which have been celebrated all over the world.
Their works have premiered at film festivals across the world including at Cannes (where they were awarded a Special Mention), Venice, Rotterdam, Chicago and Sundance. Their installations have been exhibited nationally and internationally including at GOMA, MONA, NGV, Art Gallery of NSW, Ars Electronica, Linz, the ICA, London, and at the Seoul New Media Biennale. Their installation You Were In My Dream won the 2010 Premier of Queensland's National New Media Art Award. Their VR film Passenger won the Virtual Reality Award - Best Film at the 60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Their Augmented Reality work Night Creatures won the 2023 AIDC award for best Immersive/Interactive Documentary.
Related programs
Postcard still, The World Came Flooding In. Image Courtesy of the Artists.
Memory Postcard Workshop with Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine
02 May 2026 — 03 May 2026
Memory Postcard is a workshop exploring memories in relation to flooding.
Paper Craft: Make a miniature home
29 Jun 2026 — 30 Aug 2026
COMING SOON - Winter 2026 School Holidays: Draw, fold and create your own paper furniture to arrange into a memory of home.