Open up, spin around, and peek inside a virtual model of an extraordinary four-sided display cabinet. This multifaceted work of art takes center-stage in a newly redesigned permanent collection gallery at the Getty Center.

The interactive is a major component of the installation, providing the visitor with the capability to experience the cabinet as its original owner would have: rotating it to one of four sides, examining imagery and materials, opening drawers, and peering into hidden compartments. It allows the visitor to explore ornate carvings, miniature paintings, and inlays of precious materials. Engaging snippets of information about diverse elements are presented in conjunction with high-resolution imagery. The interactive also reveals via a synthetic model of the object’s complex 3-D puzzle structure, something that is not fully evident otherwise.

This seventeenth-century collector’s cabinet is essentially an early model for museums today and represents the desire to gather and order knowledge within a single, structured space.

PROJECT
Produced for The J. Paul Getty Museum in 2010 for the New Galleries for Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture and Decorative Arts.

FORMAT
Custom interactive application running on 12" touch screens and remote PCs over KVP connection; also available online.

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Director and producer: Paco Link
Writer: Anne Martens
Editor: Maria Gilbert