Thomas Cole House Museum
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
What we did
Concept and Media Design
Animation
Interactive Prototyping
Infrared-Trigger Spatial Interactions
Immersive Media Projection with Mapping
Price range inclusive of AV and Hardware
Project Intro
When the team at Thomas Cole approached us about ways to bring their second-floor tour of Thomas Cole's home to life, we were ecstatic to approach the challenge of integrating augmentative storytelling into such a serene space in ways that would feel unintrusive and natural.
We felt the original space resting in its natural environment spoke for itself. Rather than overloading the original space with physical augmentations or heavy sensory media, we opted for a more muted approach.
Creative Mission
By highlighting the authenticity of Thomas Cole’s story, his tools, and the influential environment surrounding him, we supported the visitor experience by bringing them into Cole's space in ways that were inviting and organic.
Spatial Approach
There is a docent-led experience that does have a preferred order, but the experience can also be done freely. The main room is divided into two separate zones that activate when approached, and visitors are encouraged to touch and hold objects to read into the insights that provoked Thomas Cole.
The Climax
After viewing the main room, visitors are invited to the immersive room, where they can sit and watch the Hudson animate before the eyes while a replica of Thomas Cole's painting canvas evolves and narrated audio tells the story of the environment.
Technical Approach
Leveraging motion sensors and media controllers linked to lights, sounds, and a mapped projector system for the immersive room, we took an augmentative approach to telling Thomas Cole’s story through sound and projections without unsuitable alterations to the original space.
As visitors approach each designated zone, lights and sound activate and project an actor's narration of each moment in the voice of Thomas Cole.
