As part of an installation for Sotheby’s 75th anniversary celebration, we were challenged to display members of the Cavendish family who were responsible for amassing one of the most impressive modern art collections in Europe. The problem is, no one wants to look at someone else’s family tree. Our goal was to ensure that anyone regardless of age or technical prowess could seamlessly enjoy the experience. We created a game of hide and seek.
The beautiful exhibit was fit for royalty, which meant that whatever we did needed to follow suit. Our solution was to hide the painted family portraits in reproductions of hand painted wallpaper that hang in Chatsworth Castle where the Cavendish art collection is permanently held.
Photo of the wallpaper at Chatsworth castle.
We transformed the decorative elements of the wallpaper into augmented reality markers. Using an iPad as a looking glass, guests explored the wallpaper while birds and flowers sprang to life along with volumetric versions of the Cavendish family. Simultaneously, through Bose sound collars, the markers triggered a spatial audio description of the pictured Cavendish and their contribution to the family story and art collection.
Process: We painstakingly recreated the family portraits volumetrically giving each portrait a new life.
