iart is working on tools of superimposed virtual worlds to transfer information and emotions connected with exhibits to visitors standing before them, without having to implement visible hardware in the exhibition.

Today, interactive tables are becoming increasingly sophisticated and common in exhibitions. After having conceived a first interactive table for the Jewish Museum in Berlin in 2003, iart has developed a number of such tables and other solutions for interactive interfaces over the years. Since a media tool of this kind always lays claim to a significant part of the exhibition space, which could be better used for the presentation of exhibits, iart has enhanced the idea of the interactive table and is developing a flexible tool which is free from perceivable hardware and furnishing, allows direct access to content wherever visitors wish for information and even adapts content to their personal needs and interests.

The tool relevant to museums currently being developed by iart has the working title ‘interactive cloud’. It consists of an interactive interface which can be projected onto every surface in the room by reflection via a movable mirror on the ceiling. There is no need to install any hardware in the exhibition itself. The only thing perceivable to visitors is the projected virtual interface, which moves to e.g. the floor, the showcase or the wall next to the object of interest as soon as the visitor advances towards it.

The ‘interactive cloud’ allows a multilayered exhibition in which virtual “exhibits” are presented side by side with the real objects. This will be very useful for museums with a wide range of objects, which generally lie motionless and mute in museum showcases or languish in depositaries because there is no room to display them. A range of words, numbers or pictures appear next to the original. These “teasers” are connected to the displayed objects in some way and are arranged according to shared categories like age, size, material, technique, color, form, etc. By holding one hand in front of the surface an so touching one of the figures with the white ring, the visitor navigates to a deeper level of the cloud and gets the opportunity to e.g. virtually experience the functions, construction and sound of an object, to explore its context or to discover reference objects and their further contexts.

Nominated for the Design Preis Schweiz 2009

Interactive Cloud
Research and Development of tool for museums with huge collections

Project duration
2 Jahre

Client
Swiss National Museum for the firts development phase

Services iart
Konception, Research & Development, Planning, Realisation

Used Media
Projector
IR cameras
IR light
PC

Project team iart
Steffen Blunk, Project Management
Valentin Spiess, Idea and Coaching
Matthias Buess, Hard- and Software development
Peter Gassner, Interaction and visual design

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