“ReInHerit a Museum: Immersive Performance at the BoCCF”

“ReInHerit a Museum: Immersive Performance at the BoCCF” was the second and final case study organized within the framework of the ReInHerit project. The event, which took place on May 19th, 2023, at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation (BoCCF) in Nicosia, Cyprus, coincided with the International Museum Day and the European Museum Night. The BoCCF, serving as the host organization for ReInHerit H2020, provided an ideal venue for the event, combining museological function, archaeological exhibits, and an outdoor amphitheater used for performing arts.

CYENS created an immersive performance within and around a museum, consisting of a temporary large-scale audiovisual installation, combining live electronic sound with a group of 20 live music performers, theatrical lighting, generative video art and projection mapping, a digital exhibition, and an augmented reality (AR) smartphone app that allowed visitors to interact with the installation during the event.

The challenge of organizing a performance within a museum, a space not originally designed for live events, prompted collaboration with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. The performance unfolded across various museum spaces, including exhibition rooms, the courtyard, and the building's main staircase. This departure from conventional museum etiquette, where silence is encouraged, transformed the museum into a concert hall, adding layers of sound and interaction to the visitor experience.

The immersive experience was achieved through an interplay of live music, sound art, video art, lighting design, programming for the AR application, and digital exhibition curation. The goal was to create a site-specific, exhibit-specific, time-limited, and adaptable multimedia experience, allowing visitors to engage with the museum on a personal level.

The musical component featured a unique sound installation with 14 stations triggered by an AR app. Audience interaction with virtual exhibits influenced live performances, creating a dynamic, co-created music piece. The performance successfully merged with the museum, adding an unprecedented layer of sound and interaction to the exhibits.

The visual component of "ReInHerit a Museum" merges the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation's (BoCCF) historical artifacts with Generative and Video Art. Integrating algorithms, the performance creates a dynamic audiovisual landscape, encouraging diverse interpretations of Cyprus' cultural heritage. BoCCF exhibits and AI-generated dancer images are transformed in real-time, using techniques such as photogrammetry and projection mapping, resulting in a dynamic, ever-evolving painting in time.

A significant aspect of the project involved the development of an AR application showcasing virtual exhibits from the BoCCF's ethnographic collection. These 3D-scanned objects, displayed alongside the museum's existing exhibits, allowed visitors to interact with the virtual exhibition and gain insights into 19th-century Cypriot daily life.

A comprehensive advertisement campaign in social media platforms and local newspapers, along with the release of a performance highlights video, aimed to maintain audience interest. The overarching objective was to attract a diverse audience, particularly younger demographics, fostering a new generation of museum visitors.

"ReInHerit a Museum: Immersive Performance at the BoCCF" exemplifies the successful fusion of technology, music, and visual art to transform a museum into a dynamic, interactive space. The project not only fulfilled its goals of audience engagement and site enhancement but also provided valuable insights for future projects within cultural heritage sites.