To experience culture in a truly effective and engaging way today more than ever, a “total” level of involvement is required.
This means having the opportunity to experience what is being observed, to be amazed not only through sight, but through the senses as a whole.
The story we present is the business case of a project dedicated to Physics, carried out by the Municipality of San Giovanni in Persiceto in collaboration with the University of Bologna.
The case history presented highlights the importance of multimedia and interactivity in the enjoyment of a project aimed at both adults and children, and how these must be ensured by technological devices, but above all by a project born from extensive experience and deep knowledge of the sector.
What this article covers:
- Physics Experience: what it is and how the project was created
- Audiovisual technology to amaze
- The multimedia designer
- The museum pathways and the focus on the “immersive” dimension
- AGMultivision’s consulting, a value-added innovation player
- Physics Experience: what it is and how the project was created
Fisica Experience is a museum pathway in San Giovanni in Persiceto that explores the fascinating history of ideas about time and space through the centuries, up to the discovery of the most recent scientific results. It is not possible, in fact, to talk about time and space without understanding their interconnection with ancient astronomy, mechanics, and modern physics with its profound implications; art also plays an important role in this journey, as painting laid the foundations for the modern concept of space.
Fisica Experience means interactive machines, videos, multimedia screens, objects, and collections: these are the tools that will guide visitors along an original and surprising journey that can be told to everyone, both adults and children.
The project, commissioned by the Municipality of San Giovanni in Persiceto (BO) and carried out in collaboration with the University of Bologna – Department of Physics – is the first museum in Europe dedicated to space and time and is located inside an ancient Franciscan cloister, a setting of rare beauty that has been recently renovated.
Professor Nicola Semprini, Scientific Director of the project, worked to offer users an experience focused above all on understanding concepts and processes, demonstrating their applications for both space and time through the creation of objects that illustrate physical principles and mechanical systems that can be used by visitors.
The implementation of the multimedia system proved to be a substantial and intensive intervention aimed at offering a 360-degree experience for the user, fully “immersive” thanks to the presence of at least one interactive wall in each room of the Museum.
- Audiovisual technology to amaze
The Fisica Experience Museum is above all a multimedia experience: this means that cutting-edge audiovisual technology plays the leading role.
We discuss it with Stefano Baraldi, CEO of Tabula Natural Interfaces, multimedia designer for Physics Experience and creator of the Museum’s interactive experiences, in collaboration with the Scientific Director: “More than 70 informational videos, 5 hours of multimedia content and more, a unique immersive experience in Europe for the topics covered, make the San Giovanni in Persiceto Museum one of a kind. Thanks to the equipment and consultancy of AGMultivision, we were able to choose the best solutions to offer an unprecedented immersive experience for users, presenting the concept of time and space in a new and unexpected way.”
The positive feedback, an indicator of the appreciation of the experience, is reflected in the time visitors spend there, as they walk through the corridors with enthusiasm, amazement in their eyes and smiles on their faces.
Users listen and watch without ever disengaging from the experience, and this is the success of knowledge for the Museum but also, indirectly, a recognition of the audiovisual and multimedia technology consultancy provided by AGMultivision.
- The Multimedia Designer: discovering what he does
Stefano Baraldi is the Multimedia Designer who oversaw the Physics Experience project, handling the creation and development of multimedia content and the concepts behind building the immersive experience.
“A touch on the wall,” says Stefano Baraldi, “and everything comes to life. The wall transforms into a giant screen that, through a button with direct interaction, allows the multimedia experience to begin.”
The multimedia designer is the one who develops the multimedia “script” of the Experience and manages relationships with graphic designers and specialists in software and audiovisual and multimedia equipment. They also design innovative interfaces and coordinate the different phases of the show’s production process, from defining the creative concept to final testing.
“Working with the AGMultivision team,” says Stefano Baraldi, “was a stimulating experience and, above all, productive for the realization of the project. A constructive dialogue that led to the best possible implementation of the experience.”
- The museum pathways and the focus on the “immersive” dimension
The Fisica Experience tour offers users an incredible experience, with a remarkable visual component thanks to real-time transitions and the inherently “immersive” nature of the experience, which is meant to be lived both physically and mentally.
Several rooms are featured, including the immersive room dedicated to perspective, which is a deep dive into the discovery of this important concept from its very origins. Thanks to engaging storytelling, the idea of perspective is presented with the support of three projectors that, across three walls, create a narrative continium experience. In the room dedicated to the representation of the solar system and the Law of Universal Gravitation and relativity, visitors can admire the curvature of space and time due to gravity; here the multimedia designer’s expertise comes into play through the integration of mapping software that makes it possible to visualize the lines of force. Finally, visitors reach the corridor that leads them to the completion of the journey: fully immersive and interactive, it can be interpreted as a kind of “decompression chamber” for the experience just lived, created with software that adapts to the naturally irregular walls of the cloister, powered by 8 cameras and 6 projectors. Here the multimedia designer’s know-how is essential in bringing together the elements of the experience: an environment where everything can be touched and where the combination of unfolding floors guides the visitor among clocks and references to the world of art and music, between Dalí and Magritte set to the music of Brian Eno.
- AGMultivision’s consulting, a value-added innovation player
The history of AGMultivision has deep roots: from a passion for hi-tech and audiovisual technologies, over time it has become a consulting project and then a value-added innovation player in professional audiovisual technologies, never losing sight of the needs of “people,” their needs, and their desires.
If you have an innovative project or wish to create an interactive multimedia experience focused on entertainment, enjoyment, or simply learning, contact us and we will guide you toward innovation by simplifying your idea with multimedia technology.
To stay up to date with our latest news, follow us on social media. Find us on Facebook and on LinkedIn.