2019 was the 500-year-jubilee year for Innsbruck-based Kaiser Maximilan the First. Burghauptmannschaft Austria initiated the anniversary exhibition "Maximilian I - Dawn of the Modern Era" at the Hofburg Innsbruck.
On this occasion, we created several digital doubles and highly detailed reconstructions of historical persons as well as real exhibits with our congenial partner Manfred Corrine. Scan data of the imperial monument of Speyer Cathedral was processed and the round temple was digitally completed by us. Thanks to a special recording process, we were able to depict the world-famous marble panels of the Cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian I and enlarge them many times over. Also, we could reconstruct several chalices richly decorated in detail.The statue of Philip the Handsome was precisely 3D printed based on our LIDAR scans of the original in the Innsbruck Court Church:Anyone staying in Innsbruck should not miss the exhibition in the Hofburg!
A special site requires special scenography. The ancient rooms of the historic Hofburg are both an opportunity and a challenge as an exhibition site.
To add a scent of future to the royal walls, we used AR and VR.
VIRTUAL REALITY
INSTALLATION
One objective for the exhibition was to present history as direct and vivid as possible. We thought about scenes that are catchy, memorable and typical for the time. The scenes we came about are knight fights.
On horseback or on the ground, these knight fights proof of rough and passionate heroes. We built a VR experience that lets you sit on a virtual horseback and experience the fight out of a knight's perspective.
Burg Fragenstein and its surroundings was one of Maximilians most favourite places for hunting. Today, only fragments of the old castle remain. In the exhibition, a 3D printed model shows how the castle once looked like.
Via the Maximilan I app, visitors have the possibility to explore the rooms of the castle. Via the AR mode, each chamber is accessible in its historic look.
As you may anticipate in the video above, we had actors in our studio to perform ancient dances and the emperor himself. The film and 3D material that resulted from these sessions was integrated in the exhibition and the app.
The realistic embodiment of the emperor made him come alive. Visitors are delighted to meet him (almost) in person. It is a tribute Maximilian absolutely derserved.
