I’m actually talking about Easter Eggs in the technology sense. Hidden tips, tricks, messages and so on. A bunch of us have been working on TAP: Sacred Spain for some time now and it’s been slightly exhausting. With the exhibition, Sacred Spain: Art & Belief in the Spanish World, opening this weekend, it’s been a mad dash to finalize this exhibition experience that features audio commentary, music, polls, videos and high res imagery, all accessible for $5 on an iPod Touch.
X-Ray of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Way back in September, Charlie initially wrote about TAP, giving our readers an early look at the software. The application is designed to be extremely flexible, meaning that we will be reusing TAP for future exhibitions both inside the museum and conceivably outside. Although the IMA attempted a multimedia guide back in 2005 for the American galleries (does anyone remember this?) – this will be the first time we’ve attempted this type of visitor-focused experience for an exhibition. And to think, the entire software development and authoring, content production and implementation was done entirely in-house (check out the video below for a closer look at TAP).
When it comes to new media production, a lot of footage and content goes unused in the final product. In the case of TAP – we shot and recorded hours and hours of media for the tour. Once it’s all edited and fine tuned, it boils down to about a 90 minute experience. What happens to the hours of unused material? This brings me to Easter Eggs. We wanted to provide some surprises in this tour and make use of content we ordinarily wouldn’t use. In some ways, Easter Eggs are similar to a cameo by Alfred Hitchcock. They are little surprises or experiences that were created to augment the real or planned experience. In the technology sense, they are intentional, additional pieces of content that are hidden, hard to find – but the in the end, result in a funny or unexpected discovery. What will you find?
The hidden location!
You won’t find Alfred Hitchcock on TAP – especially since he once said “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible” - but you will be able to locate secret 3-digit codes that will lead to you new stories. How do you find these Easter Eggs? Well, you can surf around HERE or come to exhibition and investigate. You might find something – are you up for the challenge?
Filed under: Exhibitions, New Media, Technology
October 8th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Congrats! This looks great and I’m excited to hear how it goes. For some reason I thought the golden eggs were potatoes. Maybe I’m hungry?
October 8th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
I said it before but the Hitchcock line is genius.
October 9th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Congrats to the New Media team and all involved! Experiencing TAP in the exhibition blew me away. And searching for Easter Eggs on the Sacred Spain Web site was rewarding (when I finally found one). I hope Indy and those who can make it to the IMA will take full advantage of these amazing and fun opportunities.
October 9th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
all this talk about eggs is making me hungry but it is a great way to use all that extra footage. thank you for clarifying exactly what it is.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Loved TAP. Such a great way to experience a beautiful exhibit on a whole different level. I personally enjoyed the background curatorial and conservation information as presented through the audio and visual components of the tour. I also liked that the TAP device was very easy to use and understand. I love the fact that the TAP tour allows visitors to pick and choose which information they want to explore more in depth, and the “Easter Eggs” are so much fun to “hunt” for. TAP is such a great departure from the typical “audio tour,” because it is interactive, interesting, and so easy to use. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!
November 6th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I found TAP to be a very exciting way to gain more knowledge about the art in the Sacred Spain exhibit. I love Spanish art, so naturally I enjoyed this exhibit immensely and TAP only furthered my experience.
November 7th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I was really hoping to read this and find out exactly where the hidden eggs are. Why won’t you make this easy on me?!
November 9th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I liked finding the Easter eggs as I was going through the exhibit, but I only knew to look for them because I’d been prepped for it. Do you think that it would ruin the moment of discovery for the ladies handing out the iPods to tell you to keep an eye out for hidden numbers in the galleries (or do they usually do that and I just missed it because I was with a huge group)?
November 10th, 2009 at 12:23 am
TAP is so fun that I spent all of my time using it, and I missed out on the parts of the exhibit that didn’t incorporate it. I guess I’ll have to go back for more!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
TAP saw a very successful debut in my mind at “Sacred Spain.” It really enriched my experience and shattered the “see object–read label–repeat” way of viewing exhibitions, which in an exhibition like “Sacred Spain” can become monotonous, honestly. I’m excited to see what the future holds for TAP.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
TAP has some interesting content, as well as the opportunity to be part of a poll and see how other people have responded. If you try to hear and see everything, though, you may find yourself overwhelmed.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
TAP is a really interesting way to get audiences excited about Sacred Spain. If you have limited time to view the exhibit, it might be overwhelming. Overall, I thought it was a fun way to access behind-the-scenes content. I’m excited to see what the IMA does next with this app!
February 13th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Looking back on this project, it is amazing to see how well it was received with the amount of exposure it was allotted. It really is a completely new way of looking at art. I can’t wait to view the rest of the museum with an iPod in hand, experiencing the artwork like never before. Hopefully the museum goes this route and New Media can produce another stellar product for the Indianapolis art communities.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
In my eyes, the most beautiful destination for travel is Spain. I like Madrid, Barcelona and all other cities. Very beautiful country.
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