|
POST-PROJECT
RE-CAP
When the State Opera of Australia produced Der Ring des Nibelungen or The Ring Cycle, BKI was called upon to create the Valkyrie ice army based on the form of Michealangelo's David. By vac-forming a fibreglass mould, we produced a set of sixteen high-clear, acrylic statues that looked fantastic on stage.
_______
Here's what our client,
Set Designer Michael Scott-Mitchell, had to say post-production:
Over the past few months, I have been working closely with Will Colhoun from Big Kahuna Imagineering on the development of sixteen 2.1m high-clear acrylic statues of David for our production of Der Ring des Nibelungen.
At every stage of their development, Big Kahuna's work has been meticulous. Their approach has been exemplified by extraordinary attention to detail and seamless project management of a very difficult project.
I canvassed a number of companies in regard to the most appropriate and cost-effective way of fulfilling the brief. BKI was the only company to find an artistically effective practical & cost-efficient way to produce the statues.
The final result is a joy to behold and is a testament to BKI's ingenuity in attacking this difficult brief".
Mould for David statues |
|
Put our talents
to the test!
Tell us your idea and we'll tell you how we can bring it to life.
You imagine. We imagineer.
BIG KAHUNA IMAGINEERING
p: +61 2 9810 6299
a: 2/37 Crystal St.
Rozelle, NSW
Australia
e: bki@bki.com.au
w: www.bki.com.au
|
|
Keep up with our
latest, greatest projects & get an insight into the happenings of our workshop!
Big Kahuna Imagineering is on
 Facebook,  Twitter and YouTube!
|
|
|
|
As promised, hot on the heels of #1... Voilà! Here's #2!
Here's a brief look at some more recent BKI work and our newest, custom-built machine, The Big Kahuna Rotomoulder (or as we affectionately refer to it, The Decapitator.)
If you missed out on our first newslog, click here.
Cheers, Will
Will Colhoun/Director Big Kahuna Imagineering
|
|
THE BIG KAHUNA ROTOMOULDER
Reportedly the Largest in the Arts Scene
 | | The Big Kahuna Rotomoulder, aka The Decapitator |
Keeping our tools and toys as cutting-edge as our commissioned projects, the BKI team recently unveiled our newest pride and joy, The Big Kahuna Rotomoulder. We built this huge piece of equipment for members of the art and advertising community to create custom-manufactured, lightweight, hollow castings - a service usually provided by "industry" for those with eyes set on mass production. Rather than limiting the pattern to suit the machine, the versatility of The Big Kahuna Rotomoulder makes it ideal for creating just one or two custom castings because the machine can be adapted to suit the pattern. With a two-metre-by-two-metre steel frame and variable gear ratios, our huge piece of equipment is reportedly the largest in the Australian arts scene. (Click here to see The Big Kahuna Rototmoulder in action... you'll see why we were inspired to nickname this steel, rotating wonder, The Decapitator)
Australia's premier contemporary artist Hany Armanious has already taken this new toy of ours for a spin. Best known for his innovative sculptural work, Armanious will be the sole artist representing Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2011 where his several rotomoulded castings will be centrestage. To have such a prolific and high-profile artist practically a BKI resident is a great honour. We wish him luck with this and other works!
|
|
HEWLETT-PACKARD
615 Units to Showcase a Breakthrough in Technology
 | | Sample of BKI's HP ePrint showcases |
One of BKI's newest relationships in the brand identity realm is our collaboration with specialist retail-advertising agency, Convert. For the past few months, the Big Kahuna team has been keeping busy designing and building 615 point of sale displays for the world's largest IT company, Hewlett-Packard.
Launching the latest development in the web-print revolution, Hewlett-Packard has developed a range of printers they're calling HP ePrint that allows users to print from anywhere, anytime with any Internet-connected device. No cables, drivers or close proximity required. To champion this fantastic breakthrough in technology, Convert asked BKI to custom-design and build the interactive display cabinets for its client, HP. The concept evolved through a number of phases as we sought the best balance of style, function and cost, but the final product is a stunning success. Engaging and eye-catching, keep a look out in your local HP retailers for our chic POS units because all 615 of them are popping up throughout Australia and New Zealand!  | | Final HP ePrint showcase in black |
|
|
BANKWEST
From CGI to 3-D Puppet: BKI Sees the Light
 | | Bankwest 'Sun' on set in Perth |
Big Kahuna continues to work hard on the Bankwest ads with almost too-hot-to-handle agency Hostville (incidentally, also turning 10 this year) and production company Plaza Films. In Bankwest's post-GFC splurge on TVCs with fellow puppeteer and witty director Paul Middleditch, BKI was called upon to create a three-dimensional puppet referencing the well-known 'Sun' character for the continuing Happy Banking Campaign.
Previously computer animated, BKI wanted to give the 'Sun' puppet features that would allow it to interact with actors face-to-face. So, we designed and built custom mechanisms that make the mouth move asymmetrically, sunbeams wiggle and eyebrows arch independently or together. It's all of these expressive nuances that brought a level of realism to the set bring offering greater viewer affinity for the character. (Click here to see our 3-D puppet in action)
And while we're on the Bankwest subject, here's a look at all of the Happy Banking characters that BKI has been involved in puppeteering.
BKI custom built the original 'Goldfish' and 'Grass Head' puppets. As to 'Flower', 'Dog' and 'Teddy'; we disassembled the original model of each and inserted the required animatronics such that they could act and be animated live on set. We then went behind the scenes on the set of the Bankwest commercials to manipulate and sync the characters' movements with the live audio playback.
 | | Photos of 'Goldfish' & 'Grass Head' are courtesy of The Glue Society; Photos of 'Flower' and 'Dog' are courtesy of Conti Bros. |
|
|
THE TOUCHED BY OLIVIA FOUNDATION
BKI's Jewel in the Sky
 | | Sketch of BKI's Jewel in the Sky sculpture for TBO |
Children's Charity The Touched By Olivia (TBO) Foundation is the force behind Livvi's Place - the internationally-heralded, all-ability playground popping up in parks all over the country. With help from leading playground experts, disability specialists, architects and early childhood academics, Livvi's Place was uniquely designed so that all children, regardless of their ability, can play side-by-side.
The TBO Foundation approached BKI during the construction of the first Livvi's Place in Five Dock's Timbrell Park, NSW. The brief was to create a one-of-a-kind sculpture to sit at the entry of the playground. Inspired by the extraordinary play space and the foundation's butterfly logo, BKI created the Jewel in the Sky sculpture.
 | | BKI Staff constructing the Jewel in the Sky |
From many angles the sculpture appears disjointed and abstract, but when you come to one focal point in front of the five-planar assembly it transforms - the seemingly irrelevant pieces suddenly come together to form a beautiful butterfly that is flying amongst the green hills above a river bridged by a yellow brick road with colourful, dangling fruits cast from tinted, transparent resin.
Big or small the sculpture greets everyone who enters with a cheery burst of vibrant colour from its perch atop the entry gate of this magnificent playground.
 | | The apparently deconstructed Jewel in the Sky sculpture, Timbrell Park |
 | | Jewel in the Sky, Timbrell Park |
This September, Livvi's Place in Timbrell Park was named the best play space in the country by Parks and Leisure Australia. And just as the original playground is about to celebrate its first birthday on the 20th of November, there are 29 more Livvi's Places planned for parks around the country.
The original sculpture has been so well received that BKI is now in the process of creating a second Jewel in the Sky for a Livvi's Place located at Victoria Park in Dubbo, NSW. This project was a great opportunity to showcase BKI's more artistic side and we can't wait to do more!
|
|
BUNDABERG
Travel-Friendly Promotional Barrels
 | | Render of Bundaberg Barrels |
The barrel is the iconic symbol of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks. So much so, they built their famous tourist centre in the shape of a traditional barrel in 2005.
So, naturally, when Bundaberg took their promotional campaign on the road last year, they wanted to take their distinctive barrels wtih them. But faced with lugging bulky, wooden kegs all over Australia and New Zealand, Bundaberg knew the real thing would be far too cumbersome so oOh Media! came to BKI for a functional alternative on Bundaberg's behalf.
The Bundaberg promotional barrels needed to be lightweight, transportable and as realistic as possible. First, BKI designed the barrel into three sections, nested within one of the parts for very compact transportation. Then to tick the 'realistic' and 'lightweight' boxes, BKI chose to reproduce the barrels in fibreglass from fibreglass moulds. The result was seven Bundaberg-branded barrels for oOh Media! that traveled around a healthy chunk of Australia and across 'The Ditch' equipping Bundaberg with high-fidelity, experiential marketing hardware that powerfully reinforces the brand.
 | | Finished Bundaberg Barrels by BKI |
|
|
About BKI
Big Kahuna Imagineering is where those in the know, know where to go when they need to inject some power and vivacity into their brand. The difficult, often time-poor engineering challenges that others dodge or slap together, BKI embraces with the verve and talent that top industry professionals rely on. We are point-purpose commercial artists and industrial designers who pride ourselves on having an eye for detail, intent and image. With over 20 years of designing and fabricating experience, we are one of Australia's premier custom-build manufacturers; so, we apply the vast array of materials of choice exactingly.
From your fleeting vision to the lasting impression of the finished campaign, BKI will help you impress your clients with panache and professionalism. Put our talents to the test. Tell us your idea and we'll tell you how we can bring it to life.
You imagine. We imagineer.
p: +61 2 9810 6299
 
|
|
