Fractured Heart, Interactive art installation at National Film and Sound Archive, Australia

Fractured Heart is an interactive art installation at the National Film and Sound Archive that combines light projections with digital technology. The work responds instantly to your movements and creates ever-changing visual patterns based on how you move through the space.

Fractured Heart was first shown as the backdrop to Gotye's performance of Somebody That I Used to Know with Kimbra at the 2011 ARIA Awards, using projections mapped to the music video. illuminart then redesigned it as a standalone interactive sculpture for Vivid Sydney 2012. It had a soft launch at the National Film and Sound Archive in December 2012 and was officially opened there by Gotye and illuminart on 15 February 2013.

The installation explores how people can express feelings and connect with others through digital means. You see your own movements translated into part of the visual story as you move through the space.

Fractured Heart stands in the courtyard of the National Film and Sound Archive headquarters in Canberra, where it was installed after its 2012 Vivid Sydney showing. Interaction works by motion tracking: move your body and hands in front of the sensors to trigger sound loops and mapped projections. The sculpture was officially opened there on 15 February 2013.

The work lets you control light patterns through your physical movements and create your own artistic interpretation in real time. Every visitor generates a different visual story based on how they move and interact with the installation.