Arts and technology converge with Ortelia Interactive Spaces
Technology comes to the fore of the Arts sector with the launch of Ortelia Interactive Spaces - showcasing Ortelia’s two new products which provide interactive, educational and innovative 3D services for art galleries, museums, theatres and the education sector.
Originally conceived through the work of Professor Joanne Tompkins from UQ’s School of English, Media Studies and Art History, the 3D technology that represents theatre spaces took off in 2001 through the involvement of UniQuest, UQ’s main commercialisation company, and introduction to Mr Lazaros Kastanis, at UQ’s Advanced Computational Modeling Centre at the time.
Professor Tompkins said the project has come a long way since its inception.
“The original project was around the idea of theatre spaces, but we soon realised the real commercial potential had to involve modeling virtual environments in the online world,” she said.
“We’ve been fortunate to receive grant funding to develop the software prototypes and have worked with some fantastic industry partners, such as La Boite Theatre, The Powerhouse, and the UQ Art Museum, to model the software in real life environments and refine the technology.”
Ortelia Pty Limited is a startup company of UniQuest, established in 2009 with Mr Kastanis as CEO, a Director and main salesperson.
“This year we commenced work on a number of significant projects, including one for the Museums and Galleries, New South Wales, and one with the Queensland Theatre Company,” Mr Kastanis said.
“We are now a growing startup company with two new products and an increasing customer base seeking business growth partners. The potential is massive.”
The software package has two key components: Ortelia Curator, for professional curators; and Ortelia Virtual Set Designer, for theatre professionals.
Both products have applications for the education sector, with educators and students in mind.
“Whether it’s a curated exhibition, a theatre set design, digital archiving, simulations or a virtual walkthrough, Orteliaallows its clients to reach a wider audience using its 3D solutions with ease,” Mr Kastanis said.
In the education space, Ortelia Virtual Set Designer is being used in a number of Queensland school reference sites, and lesson plans are under development to complement the product for the education market.
Professor Tompkins has continued to use the tool as a teaching and learning aid, and in her own research into cultural spaces which has resulted in a range of papers delivered internationally on these concepts.
About Ortelia Pty Limited
Ortelia Pty Limited delivers high quality, interactive, educational, and innovative 3D products and services for art galleries, museums, theaters and the education sector. Whether it’s a curated exhibition, a theatre set design, digital archiving, simulations or a virtual walkthrough, Ortelia allows its clients to reach a wider audience using its 3D solutions with ease.
The company’s mission is to bring the available digital technologies to the sector in an innovative and effective manner thereby allowing organisations to extend their reach and audiences.
Ortelia professionals ‘install’ an exhibition (either forthcoming or past) in an interactive model of the client’s venue. These virtual models:
- offer guided tours of the venue;
- provide the option for users to explore the gallery or museum by themselves;
- provide museums and galleries a means of extending their audiences;
- permit curators, set designers and other designers to see design issues in a virtual environment on line;
- have the potential to decrease the costs associated with the setting up of an exhibition, a theatre set, an event etc.;
- can be reused for each new exhibition that is shown in the space; and
- offer school groups and young patrons the chance to try curating their own exhibition or to learn about a particular artist or work.
Ortelia specialises in the modeling and archiving of heritage buildings and historic venues, and simulating past exhibitions in those locations.
The Ortelia team has a deep understanding of the Arts and Cultural Heritage sectors. It is comprised of professionals from the fields of gaming technology, drama, real-time modeling and real-time content development.
For more information about Ortelia and its products, please visit www.ortelia.com or contact Mr Lazaros Kastanis vialaz@ortelia.com.