About the website

The website is aimed both at students, and informal learners; and provides multiple ways of finding the content. Students can use the dropdown menu for a quick reference about an artist, or style they are learning about. Informal learners can follow the content from the Early Romans until the present day, or visually browse through the many artworks to pick whichever they are interested in.

The content is organized by art historical periods; dividing the content into location (countries and cities) in the early art historical periods, and later into art historical styles.

The video pages are enriched with a map & timeline that quickly contextualizes the artwork into a place and time; links to other sources of information such as books and museum websites; and users' flickr photo's that show the artworks up close, in scale and sometimes in context with other works.

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Background story

When working at MoMA's Digital Media Department in 2007, I was asked to think about a way to share the museum's audio tours with visitors on their own devices.

The first iPhones and iPodTouches had just launched, and after some initial research towards mp3-players, it was clear that a mobile web-based platform was more interesting as a long-term solution; providing more flexibility, and greater potential for future development.

Improved interactivity

Where multimediatour devices traditionally require visitors to punch in a number to get an audio stop; MoMA Audio on MoMA WiFi uses the interactivity, visual feedback, and flexibility that browser based interfaces & back-end databases allow.

Besides punching in a number, visitors can browse through the artworks by floor, or exhibition. When the artwork is found, all the existing audio content for that artwork are offered, including content developed for adults, teens, kids, or visual descriptions.

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Making it happen

For ArtTube, I worked within Boijmans' Education Department to initiate the production of videos, including the research and implementation of copyright, contracts, production, archiving, documentation, further online dissemmination and marketing.

For the online collection I coordinated with the Education & Collections Departments, and the curators to prepare and check the collection data for online dissemination.
I managed the development of the two websites by Fabrique & C-IT.

After the launch of the education sites it was clear that the museum's main website was in need of a redesign: to integrate the content of the new websites, and to better showcase the museums exhibitions and programs.
I worked with the museum's designers Thonik, web developers Zicht, and Marketing & Communications Department to develop the new www.boijmans.nl

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Social behavior exhibits

Where Do You Belong is an interactive installation in which visitors can photograph themselves amongst a line of other visitors, holding hands virtually with their direct neighbours. They are prompted to choose their neighbours carefully. The exhibit aims to induce reflection on stereotypes and the concepts of in-groups & out-groups

I Wish My Name Was invites visitors to share the name they always wished they had, and their reasons for choosing that name. A wall of photo's, and a slideshow shows the previous visitors and their choices. Developed to give visitors a bigger visual presence in the museum, and invites them to reflect on the power of names.

Perception of color exhibits

Color Contrast & Mix and Match are two exhibits –originally developed in the early 1990s– that were in need of a software update. Besides creating new versions in Processing, I've designed a new interface for both; to improve usability, and increase their visual attraction.

Workshop and mobile labels

Together with Eric Socolofsky, I organized a Datavisualisation workshop that brought together 16 local data visualizers (designers & developers) and exhibit developers to tackle the challenge of bringing the exploration of large data sets and complex systems to the museums visitors.

For the Multilingual team, I prototyped a mobile solution for Multilingual labels, offering Spanish and Chinese visitors translations of the labels in their own language through the use of iPod Touches and QR codes.

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