Stepping into the new immersive Ghost Trees exhibition in Canberra, all the worries and concerns and distractions of the outside world disappear.
In a darkened room, there are images of trees projected across the walls, accompanied by the sounds of the forest, but not as we usually know them.
All around, is something beautiful, otherworldly and unexpected, a collision of art and science. There is a feeling of being inside the trees, above them and around them. It's mesmerising.
That's music to the ears of Ghost Trees co-creator, composer and sound designer Gary Sinclair.
"That's what we were really hoping for," he said.
"You don't know what the effect might have. People might hate it. They might find it discombobulating. But you're maybe the third person who's said that they've come out of it feeling quite tranquil and quite transported.
"And that, to me, is just amazing. To give people a bit of respite from the world, and to take them somewhere, is just so rewarding for me."
Exhibition opens on Saturday
Ghost Trees opens on Saturday at the National Film and Sound Archive in Acton, coinciding with the start of National Science Week.
It's a surround-sound, 360-degree experience that is free and on continuous loop, so the visitor can stay for as long as they need. There are even beanbags to sit back and really take in the sights and sounds.
Created over four years of trial and error by Sinclair and fellow artist James McGrath, Ghost Trees was a piece of art made from scientific data.
The artists were given access to environmental data captured for the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) by Ghent University's Professor Kim Calders.
TERN is an in-the-field observatory that uses sensors, surveys and tools to produce data and analytics.
McGrath created the visuals from three-dimensional scans, giving viewers "kinetic and surprising perspectives on the forest".
Sinclair's audio drew on site recordings, with melody generated from the spatial data points of the trees.
The results make the visitor feel like they are soaring through a canopy here; able to reach out and touch a branch there.
"I just tried to make that data as evocative as I could," Daniels said.
The exhibition uses mainly images from the Rushworth Forest in Victoria.
Trees in the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Tasmania's Huon Valley and the TERN research SuperSite in the Snowy Mountains can also be spied through a central pod in the space.
It had been around the world and now it was Canberra's turn.
"In layman terms, I just want a kid to come in here and go, 'This is amazing? What is it? Where does it come from? Oh, scientists do this? How can I do that?'," Daniels said
NFSA chief experience officer Chris Mercer said the exhibition was a chance to just "come and be".
He expected it would be very popular, and hoped it would persuade people to linger longer in the archives, with a coffee or wine.
"I think both sonically and visually, it's this incredibly immersive experience. It's something that takes you on a journey and holds you in time," he said. "You have a moment to pause, reflect."
- Ghost Trees is at the National Film and Sound Archive in McCoy Circuit, Acton from Saturday, August 10 until September 8. Entry is free. It's open daily from 10am to 4pm.
