Finding the right words

An app for a museum exhibition? If it’s the Maurizio Catellan’s exhibition, then of course you need an app. 

Maurizio’s Guggenheim rotunda is overwhelming. A horse, the pope, an advertising billboard, an olive tree and dozens of other works loom, hung by ropes like pieces of laundry. 

Exactly, like pieces of laundry—Maurizio Cattelan wanted to present his retrospective hanging from the ceiling. Typically, artists present their work on the floors and walls of the Guggenheim. But Mauricio’s hanging forms required more effort.

The exhibitors had to consider placement, weight, and additive features (like hand-carved pigeons resting on Maurizio’s previous works) in order for the works of art to make sense in the larger context and durability of the structure. It was an effort that took months to put in place.

The accompanying app addresses every aspect of the retrospective from creation of individual pieces to the architecture of the entire retrospective. It makes it possible to look at the works of art in detail and with the actual placement of the work. In addition, it offers a peek into the process of the whole installation, which is a work of art in itself. Lastly, it is a souvenir.