Insects & Us vs Garden Creatures

Insects & Us invites you to explore a virtual, animated environment and engage with the interwoven stories of its inhabitants. Insects serve as food for other animals, pollinate our crops, act as natural pest control agents and play a crucial part in turning dead organic matter into fertile soil. The numbers and diversity of insects have been in sharp decline though over the last few decades. If the trend continues it will dramatically affect human welfare. Watch crickets, dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, and ants make their simple, yet vital contributions for a functioning ecosystem - whilst listening to four scientists talk about why they matter and what can be done to help. Start exploring by scanning a well-lit, textured surface (like a table or a floor) with your smartphone or tablet. 'Tap and Hold' to place the virtual ecosystem on that surface. Once the Insects & Us story-world appears, select (‘Tap and Hold') one of five sparkling insects to start a story. Featured Scientists: Dr. Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, PhD, Dr. Jessica Ware, PhD, Dr. Andreas Segerer and Peter Smithers. Insects & Us was designed and directed by Kris Hofmann and produced by Animate Projects. All 3D content was created and animated by R5 Region Five Media GmbH. Code by WAMMS, sound and music by Marian Mentrup. The project was funded by the AWS Austrian Wirtschaftsservice and the FFF FilmFernsehFonds Bayern.

Garden Creatures is an art experience to immerse players in the surreal, symbolic, and fantastical worlds of Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings. The experience combines exploration and artistic puzzles based on optical color mixing and figure rotation, offering a deep dive into the late medieval artist’s complex, thought-provoking works. Each level is inspired by Bosch’s masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights, with players exploring strange landscapes, interacting with characters, solving puzzles, and striving to bring color back to a world created by Bosch. The plot revolves around King Bird, a quirky monster who escaped the painting and stole the colors. As a player, you must follow the thief through mysterious, surreal places and help restore color to the painting! Features: • Richly Detailed, Mindful Experience Handcrafted visuals interpret the style of Bosch’s triptych. The aesthetics and pace create a calming, mindful environment that promotes focus and peaceful learning, blending art with fun. • Five Distinctive Levels Each level captures the bizarre and fantastical nature of Bosch's work, from dreamlike creatures to fantastical landscapes, while adapting them to fit modern audience's sensitivity. • Clever, Yet Accessible Puzzles Puzzles involve reconstructing elements of Bosch's work to progress in the experience, encouraging absorbing art through discovery. Recreating images from transparent color-field puzzle pieces requires planning ahead and breaking tasks into smaller steps. • Supporting Artistic Skills Development The puzzles are designed to enhance understanding of color theory through color mixing, as well as the painting process (e.g., starting with the background and finishing with the details). • Accessible Characters communicate using pictograms instead of typical dialogue, making the title accessible to a wider audience while introducing visual modes of communication. --- Note: Garden Creatures does not contain advertising, in-app purchases, or any other downloadable content.