animation & interactive media
the John Bird award

sponsored by

cinemedia

1997

'The Flight of Ducks' is a deeply layered web site of almost one thousand screens containing a collection of previously unpublished historical/archival material relating to a journey into the Central Australian frontier by my father in 1933. My aim was to render this material accessible and compelling without losing historical rigor. 'The Flight of Ducks' moves away from the idea of a closed record towards an evolving outcome which shows what it is telling, does what it says, displays its own making and reflects its own action. 'The Flight of Ducks' is like a camp fire. It is a communication between its stories and its audience of participants. A collection of digital objects is given meaning, not just because they have historical significance, but because this story is still unfolding.

Simon Pockley
http://www.acmi.net.au/FOD/

The inaugural award was
presented by Jenifer Hooks,
Executive Director of Cinemedia,
17th November 1997