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Video description: Visitors interact with a large projection of Netherlandish artwork by walking close to it. As they approach geometric shapes reveal additional imagery and text. On one painting, a couple holds a flower that has been animated to wilt.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Flow is an immersive, interactive introduction to the reinstalled Netherlandish Art galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The room-scale installation pairs landscapes with soundscapes and uses camera sensing and projection to dynamically reveal layers of content as visitors draw near. Flow elevates the immersive beyond mere spectacle, presenting masterful works of Dutch and Flemish painters at architectural scale with presence-responsive storytelling.

Project Details

Services

  • Concept Development
  • Audience / User Research
  • Prototyping
  • Projection Mapping
  • Animation & Motion Graphics

Architectural storytelling

Flow surrounds visitors with high-resolution scans of in-gallery Netherlandish masterpieces, projected at architectural scale. A reactive “flow” layer sits atop 8K imagery, allowing the painted landscapes to feel alive. Visitors step into the world of Dutch and Flemish painters before entering the galleries.

A person looking at a large digital display showing a historic building with trees

Presence over touch

This room-scale installation pairs landscapes with soundscapes, using camera sensing and projections to dynamically reveal layers of content as visitors draw near.

A silhouette of a person stands before three hexagonal screens displaying varied images: abstract shapes, a blue sky, and historic figures, set against a landscape.

Layers of meaning

Flow weaves together topics ranging from the first speculative market crash and Dutch idioms tied to the sea, to the difficult ways Netherlandish wealth was bound up with the Transatlantic slave trade.

A person silhouetted against a historical painting of a grand cathedral. An inset shows people in an ancient library.
Historic city scene depicting a large Gothic church and bustling street, with the text “How does a city become a hub of global activity?” floating above.
A vintage map overlaid with geometric patterns fades into a stormy seascape on the right. A faint rainbow arcs above the turbulent sea, blending historical and natural themes.

By pairing visual splendor with honest narrative, the installation encourages visitors to look more closely at the works in the galleries and to think critically about the histories they hold.

Bluecadet’s team of technologists and storytellers were the best partners we could ask for. Flow is a case-study in elevating the immersive beyond mere spectacle.

George Scharoun | Manager of Exhibition and Gallery Media

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