Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a name that stands for the epoch of German Idealism, brilliant philosophical ideas – and extremely complicated writings. Stuttgart’s famous son is honored with a museum in his birth house, the Museum Hegelhaus. As part of the latest redesign, we were commissioned to develop and realize a concept for the very first room of the venue, giving an educational as well as entertaining introduction to the life and thinking of Hegel.
Surrounded by Philosophy
Museum space brought to life
Our approach turns the 40 m² room into a 270 degree cinema with realtime projection on three walls. Visitors become more than just a passive audience by diving into the show and determining the storyline via interactive scenes and elements.
Two additional glass panels with hightech liquid crystal film can be switched from transparent to opaque, i.e. either opening up the space or dividing it into visual compartments while becoming projection screens themselves.
Translating words into Images
A Virtual Stage for real actors
Condensing Hegel’s life and his philosophical theories into a 20 minutes show is not an easy task, even if you stick to just the most important parts. We joined forces with screen writers Nicole Buck and Colin Zech to create a story that takes visitors on a journey, interweaving historical facts, modern-day perceptions and insights into the mind and work of Hegel. This story was then translated into powerful visuals, combining live action and 3D realtime graphics.
We devloped a range of visual worlds, from realistic stage settings to abstract spaces and optical illusions to entirely immaterial voids filled with fantastic objects. The variety of scenic approaches supports the narration both on an information and atmospheric level. By making use of all projection surfaces, the visitors’ attention is guided and they are encouraged to move around the room to explore new perspectives.
Two renowned actors, Nina Siewert and Walter Sittler take the role of hosts and guide through the show. Film footage produced at Westside Studios Frankfurt was integrated into a preview of the virtual stage in realtime to achieve maximum visual accuracy.
To take the step from linear show to dynamic experience, we integrated a new level of cinematic storytelling: visitors become active players and can trigger, control, explore or manipulate interactive elements within the virtual world. Three Kinect Azures track all movements in the room, turning gestures and positions into commands for the realtime projection. The audience is able to tailor the content to their interests and actually dive into Hegel’s world.
Behind the virtual scenes
From experiment to installation
With detailled planning and carefully selected hardware, we were able to equip the space within the protected Hegelhaus with a powerful media infrastructure, blending into the historical architecture.
Seven projectors and three Kinect Azures are mounted into a custom truss system and together form the hardware basis for the interactive experience. The glass walls are placed within the space to function as projection surface or spatial elements as needed at any given point of the show.
The visuals were produced in Unreal Engine, using both original imagery like artworks or writings as well as specially produced assets, effects and animations. Thanks to a virtual set-up and a model of the original space, we were able to test visuals, perspectives, interactions and synchronzation carefully beforehand.
These tests also enabled us to tailor the filming to the output needed. With two seperate cameras, clear visual and technical requirements and a live output on site for constant reviewing, the live filming could be efficiently realized in just one day.
During an intesive final phase on site in Stuttgart, we made sure the application runs smoothely and accurately by testing and fine-tuning the last details.
Curious about our approach? Feel free to get in touch!
Max Wolf Partner +49 69 24 000 322 max.wolf@meso.design max.wolf@meso.design +49 69 24 000 322
MESO Digital Interiors GmbH
Gutleutstr. 96 . 60329 Frankfurt . Germany
Team
Christian Leonhard, Susanne Heinlein, Urs Hoffmann, Lasse Foster, Niklas Grom, Sihan Ho, Nikos Mechanezidis, David Morasz, Paula Müller, Daniel Neumayr, Anna Rack, Henje Richter, Ian Rodriguez, Laura Schillke, Constantin Urban, Floriane Zhang