Art and Gen Z: an LCC-Dulwich Picture Gallery collaboration

An immersive exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, focusing on the works of Harald Sohlberg, was produced with the help of students from three LCC courses.

How do art galleries and museums keep up the with times and ensure they remain relevant in today’s digital age?

Interactivity is one of the directions they can pursue when it comes to reaching out to a generation which never switches off. Audio and visual stimulus is already used to good effect in many cultural institutions, but the very latest technology is creating new ways in which to engage with younger audiences. 

Elements such as enhanced user experience and virtual reality are beginning to feature in the world of exhibitions, and students from three courses at London College of Communication worked with Dulwich Picture Gallery in south-east London on one such project.

The gallery commissioned them to help create an immersive experience celebrating the works of Norwegian artist Harald Sohlberg (1869-1935), whose work was going on display in an exhibition entitled ‘Painting Norway’.

Rosie Allen, from LCC’s Business & Innovation team said the initial brief was simply to ‘deliver a project in response to Norwegian artist Harald Sohlberg’. Students from LCC’s MA Virtual Reality course were approached and asked to pitch their ideas, coming up with the concept of an immersive experience for visitors. 

Like many others at LCC, the main focus of the course is to ‘give as many students real-life [work] experience as they can’ whilst giving them the opportunity to make industry contacts.

Undergraduates from BA User Experience Design and BA Sound Arts And Design were then introduced to the collaboration to further develop the creative media needed to deliver a truly enveloping and captivating sense of participation in the exhibition.

The aim of the evening, dubbed ‘Norwegian Nights’ and including live music and guest speakers, was to be a celebration of Nordic culture. Sohlberg’s art offers representations of the harsh contrasts of the Norwegian landscapes: beautiful, bright summer days juxtaposed with bleak, bitter winter evenings.

To compliment the 100-piece collection of his work of show, VR was a fitting medium through which to mesmerise guests and submerge them in his artistic vision.

Collaboration is one of the cornerstones of LCC, and this one gave students an exceptional opportunity to work with a prestigious cultural establishment and gain ‘real world’ experience.

Ana-Despina Tudor, MA Virtual Reality course leader at LCC, explained: “Our students had a live brief with a hard deadline, so they learned a lot about time and resource management.

“We applied agile software development frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban to manage the project, and enjoyed a fruitful partnership with BA Sound Arts. Sound is very important in VR, and through this collaboration, students created truly immersive experiences.”

The project proved to be mutually beneficial, and Dulwich Picture Gallery is keen to develop its working relationship on other ventures which harness the creativity and skills of LCC’s staff and students.

Jane Findlay, head of learning at DPG, said: “The students required some guidance, but the gallery was happy to offer them support and help, so any challenges we faced together were quickly resolved.”

Jane described Sohlberg’s work as having themes of “symbolism, colour and spirituality” which encouraged the idea of using more interactive media to really communicate these motifs. The students valued the experience as an opportunity to take a first step into professional practice.

Ana-Despina added: “As a course, we are definitely interested in collaborating with other courses again, and to work with external clients such as Dulwich Picture Gallery.”   

Feature image credit: Harald Sohlberg, Fisherman’s Cottage, 1906, Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Edward Byron Smith.