Enabling transformative experiences for visitors at the Remai Modern

Client Testimonial

“We see the Antenna multimedia guide as one of our big assets and a defining part of our program.” —Kelly Van Damme, Learning and Engagement Manager, Remai Modern

Client Profile

Remai Modern is a new museum of modern and contemporary art in Saskatoon, a city on the vast Canadian Prairies. Opening in 2017, they are a leading center for the display of contemporary, Indigenous Canadian art with a mandate to enable transformative experiences for visitors.

Challenge

The team at Remai Modern knew they wanted a multimedia guide, but they didn’t know what it should look like. Antenna helped them to explore a range of possibilities, honing in on a guide that fulfills their vision and principles.

Solution

Antenna kicked off the project with an intensive Discovery Workshop attended by a large cross-section of museum staff. We discussed the museum’s mission, audience, challenges, and aspirations.

Remai Modern is an anomaly: a contemporary art museum located in a rural area. The building was designed to serve as the region’s “living room,” a place that welcomed all, including many people who had never visited a museum and knew nothing about art.

With this in mind, we defined a set of priorities: The guide needed to give these visitors confidence that they could engage with the art, especially abstract and conceptual works. It needed to connect them directly with artists. It needed to serve both adults and kids. The tone should be warm and friendly, but like the museum’s architecture and collection, it should also be sophisticated and modern.

Antenna produced a multimedia guide distributed onsite on android devices. The design echoes the museum’s architecture, with its blend of clean lines and warm colors. The interface is instantly familiar to most users, consisting of both a visual menu and keypad, organized by floor and gallery. In the museum’s lobby, visitors are welcomed at the fireplace by a series of greetings recorded in indigenous languages. As they explore the museum, they hear artists speaking about their own work, as well as museum staff explaining basics concepts, like abstraction. One of the museum’s principles is to invite everyone to actively participate in the artistic process, and the guide includes interactive games that let users do just that.

Outcome

In October 2017, Remai Modern celebrated its first year in operation. By every measure—attendance, membership, engagement—they surpassed expectations. The Multimedia Guide, regularly updated and refreshed with new content, is a key part of their program.