The earth above: participatory immersion, transdisciplinarity, and the planetarium as research space

This article examines experimentation as a defining force in Australian screen production education and research through a practice-led analysis of The Earth Above: A Deep Time View of Australia's Epic History. Emerging from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) and developed in collaboration with First Nations communities, archaeologists, artists, and technologists, The Earth Above is a fulldome planetarium work that entangles Indigenous knowledge systems with emerging research to narrate Australia's deep time histories. The article situates the project within traditions of Australian screen experimentation while foregrounding curiosity, uncertainty, contingency, and collective authorship as key methodological principles. It argues that experimentation operates not only at the level of form and technology but also through pedagogical processes, governance structures, and public engagement. The article advances three interconnected claims: first, participatory, transdisciplinary practice-led research enables experimentation to function as an epistemological strategy; second, the planetarium constitutes a distinctive and under-theorised research space within Australian screen ecologies; and third, experimental screen practices grounded in Indigenous-led collaboration offer models for ethical screen education and research. In doing so, the article contributes to debates about non-traditional research outputs (NTROs), screen pedagogy, and the role of experimentation in Australian screen cultures.