The Power of Touch

When you first turn the pages, they seem like ordinary illustrated books. Except their pages feature a combination of physical printing and virtual projections. The multimedia-enhanced books created by iart, which made their 2015 premiere at the Fondation Beyeler’s Gauguin exhibition, make the artists’ work tangible to all the senses.

In contrast to the artworks in the exhibition, the books are expressly meant to be touched. The printed book pages are complemented by projected content and amaze with animations accompanied by sound: A ship enters the port of Papeete, and Gauguin’s sketches morph into the painting based on them. And windows with supplementary text in three different languages can be opened and closed.

The technology intentionally remains in the background – hidden inside the ceiling and concealed in the pedestal beneath the book. Gauguin’s world from the 19th century merges with the digital world of the 21st century.

The walls of the multimedia room also provide insights into Gauguin’s life. An animated world map, partly printed and partly projected, shows Gauguin’s travels around the world. Texts and photographs tell about phases and discontinuities in the artist’s life story. An audio guide, also developed by iart, accompanies visitors through the entire exhibition.