Growling Grass Frog

The growling grass frog is a native frog that is listed as an endangered species in Victoria. Over the past 20 years the population has been steadily declining due to loss of habitat particularly due to urban developments.

The visualisation is driven by Growling Grass Frogs calls, derived from recordings by users of the Melbourne Water Frog Census app (www.melbournewater.com.au/frogcensus). It is heavily inspired by their characteristics and habitat. The sound drives bubbles that bulge out from the surface and retract. These bubbles possess the same qualities of vocal sacs found on a frog’s neck when calling. Inspired by their natural habitat, the surface is filled with “weeds” and is shaped as a branch but shares the same textures of the Growling Grass Frogs skin.

The visualisation is an artistic exploration of how the Growling Grass Frogs calls can be visualised. Through this, it hopes to raise awareness of the species.

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This audio visualisation was a feature piece at "The Hub" space at Melbourne Knowledge Week 2018. The team from Swinburne Design worked with Grimshaw Architects to contribute their expertise as well as created the concept and design for the visualisation piece. The team also worked closely with Melbourne Water to support awareness raising of this very important frog.

Creative Direction and Project Management: James Berrett, Swinburne Design Lecturer
Design and Artwork: Jennifer Dudgeon, Swinburne Design Student
Audio sourced from: Melbourne Water Frog Census app - www.melbournewater.com.au/frogcensus