The Pilbara region of Australia is the home of one of the oldest cultural groups on Earth and the world's largest collection of ancient rock art. Despite this, most Australians have never heard about Pilbara. It is too isolated and under threat of disappearing forever. In 2013, we partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the artist Craig Walsh, the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and Rio Tinto to find a way to educate and raise awareness about one of the most endangered heritage sites on earth and made it accessible to all Australians and people across the world.

The solution: Project Embedded. A digital platform projecting and embedding the history and faces of the Aboriginal people into the rock art to symbolise the sacred connection they have to their country. The platform used geo-mapping technology and intuitive design to encourage visitors to fully immerse themselves in the ancient artwork and never before told stories of the Pilbara. The Museum of Contemporary Art hosted an exhibition in Sydney to showcase the rich content, connecting the online experience with an offline execution and creating discussions and excitement around some of Australia's greatest cultural treasures. We used digital technology to create awareness and make the ancient Pilbara rock art more accessible for all Australians, with more than 85,000 people visiting the website and exhibition in person. The project gave the local Aboriginal community a stronger voice and encouraged a more meaningful connection between the people, the land and the creative arts.

The digital platform used geo-mapping technology and intuitive design to encourage visitors to fully immerse themselves in the ancient artwork and never before told stories of the Pilbara - collected and documented by the artist Craig Walsh.

We wanted to bring a "back to the roots" approach to the design, providing a user experience that was natural and organic, seamlessly translating the rock art into the digital space without losing the connection with the landscape and local communities.

The experience was created through video projections embedding the Elders into the rock formations, imagery of the Pilbara landscape, behind-the-scenes footage of the creative process and interviews with the Aboriginal Elders, sharing their stories.

The Museum of Contemporary Art hosted an exhibition in Sydney to showcase the rich content, connecting the online experience with an offline execution and creating discussions and excitement around some of Australia's greatest cultural treasures.

We used digital technology to create awareness and make the ancient Pilbara rock art more accessible for all Australians, with more than 85,000 people visiting the website and exhibition in person.

The project gave the local Aboriginal community a stronger voice and encouraged a more meaningful connection between the people, the land and the creative arts.