D\Tank at Wired Next Fest

On Saturday, October 7, D\Tank was a guest at Wired Next Fest at Castello Sforzesco, where it held a workshop on its ongoing research project entitled Digital for Museums.

During the event, discussions revolved around how digital technology is transforming the relationship with the artistic heritage, and which development models, value chains, and technologies can enhance the experience of visitors and their connection with artworks and museums.

The co-design session was opened by Dr. Fiorella Mattio, Curator of the Collections of Modern and Contemporary Applied Art of the Castello Sforzesco, in Milano, who delved into some of the Extended Reality experience projects presented at the Castle in recent years.

Following the presentation of the research results, the Library of Castello Sforzesco hosted a co-design session divided into three scenarios, with the participation of 12 people. Participants created a story for each of the three scenarios, using inspirational cards related to technologies, activities and places.

In these stories, artistic achievements are no longer merely objects to be admired and contemplated, but acquire new narrative and experiential functions through the integration of new digital potentials and functions. These include the possibility of duplicating and transforming into immersive experiences that allow for greater incisiveness, up to the possibility of dematerializing, entering blockchains to guarantee their value. In this way, the museum expands outside its walls, reaching out to people, territories and communities.

The session concluded with an open discussion on the co-created stories, from which emerged the protagonist users, the technologies involved, and how these will be integrated into the museums of the future.

Overview on the research Digital for Museums

The research session about Digital for Museums began with an extensive literature and patent review of technologies, products, and services related to museum digitization and immersive experiences, conducted by a group of researchers of the Department of Design. This first phase allowed to outline some macro-themes, which were subsequently discussed and validated through a user analysis and by several moments of discussion with industry experts and decision-makers.

Adopting typical Futures Studies methodologies, with a user-centered approach, D\Tank elaborated the design priorities that emerged from the research by projecting them into the future with the awareness that the future is not the destination but a vantage point from which to look back and elaborate "Alternative Presents": close scenarios, that can be imagined in a near future, within 24-36 months.