Case Study title: The Invisible Interactive

Abstract:

In May 2010, The British Library launched their new exhibition Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art, which showcases the British Library’s impressive collection of large-scale maps dating from the 1400s to the present day. Many of these had never been exhibited in the UK before. In order to reveal the information and stories hidden beneath the surface of the maps, the Library commissioned four ground-breaking digital interactives from digital agency Cogapp http://www.cogapp.com/news/interactives-unveiled-magnificent-maps-exhibi.... Through cutting-edge techniques we were able to make the technology invisible, and thus remove any barrier to visitor interactions with the maps. Using physical oversized "magnifying glasses" as controllers, the project enabled the curators to deliver the required information to their audience, whilst allowing for a very intuitive, seamless, and magical experience. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogap/sets/72157623998371758/ . We report on our experiences on the project; the motivations behind it; what did (and didn't) work; how visitors reacted to the experience; and what we plan to do next.

Co-Presenters

Ryan Doherty (Multimedia Production Manager, British Library); Joe Baskerville (Head of New Technology, Cogapp)

Ryan Doherty

Ryan Doherty is the British Library’s Multimedia Production Manager and works with curators, interpretation managers, and interactive designers to develop and produce content for the Library’s public exhibitions and website. His main focus is developing ways of using digital technology to enhance the visitor experience and to provide alternative, exciting ways in which to interpret the Library’s collections. In his two-and-a-half years at the Library Ryan has worked on several major exhibitions, most recently Magnificent Maps: Power Propaganda and Art. Notable highlights have included a multi-award-winning, virtual voting interactive for Taking Liberties: The Struggle for Britain’s Freedoms and Rights in 2008, as well as a series of interactives for the exhibition Henry VIII: Man and Monarch in 2009, which digitally removed Henry VIII’s handwritten annotations from original documents and then allowed the visitor to see them "being written" as though for the first time. Before joining the Library, Ryan spent five years in television and multimedia production. This included working for Discovery US as Associate Producer on the educational documentary series Assignment Discovery, which won an Emmy award in the Outstanding Children’s Television category in 2004. He has an MA in History from the University of Glasgow.

Joe Baskerville

As Head of New Technology at Cogapp, Joe often works on projects that fall outside the domain of traditional Web development. He experiments with emerging technologies we may wish to utilise in future work, such as multi-touch screens or GPS devices, and he is experienced in many programming and database languages including PHP, ASP, JSP, ActionScript, SOAP, SQL, Cocoa, C/C++ and Open GL. Joe has worked successfully on some of the most challenging and innovative projects Cogapp has seen through in recent times. These include a software and operating system setup for Land Rover utilising GPS technology, and the development of the technical framework and platform for five synchronized interactive kiosks for The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Joe also played lead technical roles in the development of the British Library Interactives and the Prudential Eye, completed in late 2007. He was responsible for all the technical architecture and engine building, enabling four projectors to seamlessly merge separate projections into one ultra-widescreen moving image on a large custom-built piece of Holopro glass. Previous to joining Cogapp, Joe spent four years working as Head of Design for Thirsty Fish, a company that provided Web solutions to high-profile charities such as the PDSA, Christian Aid, and Cancer Research. He has a BA in Visual Communication Design from Middlesex University, though the majority of his programming skills are self-taught. 

Session Info 

• Keywords: interactive, library, maps
• Relevance: Museum professionals interested in innovation as the project explores the use of cutting edge, invisible and interactive interfaces and a new way of delivering information to your audience.