Vilhelm Kyhn & the Danish landscape
In collaboration with Randers, Ribe, Fuglsang Art Museum and HEART Cordura has developed an extensive digital communication project for the art exhibition Vilhelm Kyhn and the Danish landscape.
Since 1919 this display is the largest exhibition of the artist Vilhelm Kyhn. In addition to displaying more than 70 of Kyhns paintings, the exhibition also contains an extensive digital communication part: mitLANDskab - prepared by Cordura.
About the exhibition
The exhibition Vilhelm Kyhn and the Danish landscape
tells about the life and works of Vilhelm Kyhn (1819-1903) using
traditional and digital platforms. The digital communication
project mitLANDskab consists of TouchWalls, iLands, the
application Kyhns Denmark, the website
vilhelmkyhn.dk and a tablet-and web-based course for
primary and secondary schools.
The exhibition, which is the largest retrospective exhibition of Kyhns work since a memorial exhibition in 1919, is the result of a research collaboration between the University of Aarhus and the four Art Museums, and is realized with the support of the Nordea Fund. The exhibition is accompanied by a major research-based publication on Vilhelm Kyhn and the Danish landscape painting.
The exhibition will alternately be displayed on all four art museums - as a traveling exhibition - and runs from August 2012 to January 2014.
Focus on digital communication and
user-involvement
One of the exhibitions key objectives has been focused on digital
communication and user involvement. Which is reflected in the
digital platforms developed by Cordura. Here, users can browse and
play their way to knowledge of Kyhn and actively engage and
interact with the exhibition and contribute to the debate
mitLANDskab about the Danish national feeling and relation
to the Danish cultural heritage anno 2012.
Different levels of communication and forms of learning and knowledge are used in the digital platforms, and Kyhns work and his time is made available to all age groups in a new and timely manner.
The digital communications is developed by Cordura in cooperation with Lise Jeppesen and Christina Rauh Øxbøll, Randers Museum of Art, Anja Lemcke Starling, HEART and Marie Laulund and Dagmar Warming, Ribe Art Museum.
Read more about the individual installations below.
TouchWall
Two large TouchWalls are integrated in the digital part of the
exhibition. Here the user can explore the works of Kyhn, immerse in
the artist and the time by delving into historical timelines and
seeking information about Kyhn and the Danish landscape.
The TouchWall presents a timeline of his work, and a timeline illustrating the time Kyhn lived in (Denmark and Europe 1819-1903). Here the visitor can pull back and forth in time and read in-depth articles about Kyhns work and history.
In addition, the TouchWall also contain the themeWho was Vilhelm Kyhn, where the user can read in-depth articles about the artist, hear quotes from his letters and art criticism and watch the movie on Kyhn's life and work.
The TouchWall'en also contains a historical map of Kyhns Denmark, which allows users to navigate in the many parts of Denmark, where Kyhn has painted motives of landscapes.
Finally the TouchWall'en contains the theme mitLANDskab - a specially developed debate theme for the exhibition. The theme anchors Kyhns work and the exhibition compared to today. The theme is designed as a digital forum where the users can make their voices heard concerning their relationships, reactions and suggestions to what national sentiment, Danish identity etc.
At each work the users have the opportunity to comment and discuss the works, articles, content, etc.
The user can also view three short films, which present Danes from different regions share their views on the Danish landscape and nationality.
The visitors can participate in the debate by sending their contribution using a QR code scanned with a smartphone. The debate theme in particular expresses the exhibitions goal concerning user involvement.
iLands: Kyhn Landscape Painting and Kyhn
Jukebox
In the exhibition two iLands is established - Corduras interactive
tables. On the tables, users can interact with Kyhns work and
acquire knowledge of his work in relative to compose the ideal
landscape painting. Through play, the visitors gain insight into
Kyhns compositional considerations and work with symbolism and so
forth.
At one iLand table Kyhns Landscape Painting the user has the opportunity to work and manipulate Kyhns work From the area by Himmelbjerget, 1882. Using iLand-pieces with built-in RFID tags, the user can add and remove elements from the original painting and replace with non-original elements and modern cultural elements. Once the user has composed a motive using the pieces, the iLand table will play a sound depending on whether the user has managed to gather the correct Kyhn painting.
On the other iLand table Kyhn The Jukebox, visitors can sort the work of Kyhn using the elements: seasons, geography and weather. The visitors get the opportunity to observe how Kyhn has played with various elements in his art.
App Kyhn Denmark
With the application Kyhns Denmark, the user can go on
tour with Kyhn in the regions of Denmark, where he painted.
On the application map the user can get an overview of the many places where Kyhn has painted. By clicking the buttons, marked by using GPS-coordinators on the map, the user can see and read more about the work painted in the selected area. Via the app, the user can go hunting for Kyhns motives - and experience the countryside then as now.
The user also has the opportunity to share comments and photos to the works and articles with others in the debate mitLANDskab.
Tablet courses
The digital project also include an educational application which
makes it possible to move the teaching outside, combined with the
digital stations in museums, where the students can immerse in
Kyhns paintings.
The purpose of the education-app is to ensure that students in a playful and creative way learn more about Kyhns landscape paintings.
The course is targeted at young people between 15 and 23 years (7th-10th class and upper secondary education), and is built around three modules: a visit to the museum, a workshop outside the museum equipped with iPads and subsequent work at the school.
1st Module - Visit at the exhibition Vilhelm Kyhn and the Danish landscape with an museum intermediary is based on a guided tour focusing on Kyhns art, landscape paintings from the Golden Age and the periods concept of national identity. This class can also explore the exhibition digital distribution platforms.
2nd Module - Practical work in nature with the tablet and the intermediary is based on the students with an iPad in their hand - and along with a museum facilitator - are moving out into the countryside and working analytically and creatively with digital landscape paintings.
Cordura has created a specially picture production and editing program in the app. The student will work with composition, perspective and color as well as meaningful symbols based on their own photographs of the Danish landscape.
3rd Module - Evaluation and rounding off at the school with the class teacher is based on a follow-up at the school concerning the progress and a discussion concerning the guided tour and course. The course ends on www.vilhelmkyhn.dk where the students give each other comments and points for their digital paintings. An exercise, in which the students can reflect on composition, aesthetics and national symbols in their work. The practical work is completed by printing a portfolio.
You can visit the exhibition at:
Randers Museum of Art
18th August 2012 - 6th January 2013
Fuglsang Museum of Art
31st January - 21th April 2013
Ribe Museum of Art
8th May - 1th September 2013
HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art
21st September 2013 - 5th January 2014