Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt – Edition of one

Task
Development of an interactive exhibit

Reimagining Historic Design Through Artificial Intelligence

For the special exhibition “A Step Ahead – 125 Years of Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt,” intolight developed an interactive installation that reinterprets a historic poster stand from 1901.

Inspired by the original poster design for the first exhibition of the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony, the result is an exhibit that bridges the past and the present and actively engages visitors in the exhibition experience.

125 Years Later

125 years after the first exhibition of the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony, the installation picks up on its experimental spirit and translates it into a contemporary form of interaction. It plays with art and cultural history as much as with the possibilities and peculiarities of generative AI, with one goal above all: to provoke thought and bring a smile.

Rather than merely displaying historical design, it invites visitors to become part of the presentation themselves. This creates a bridge between cultural heritage and digital technology – entirely in keeping with the spirit of the exhibition “A Step Ahead,” which views design as a forward-looking and socially influential process.

A Matter of Interpretation

The visitor experience lies at the heart of the installation: Anyone stepping in front of it is captured by a camera and becomes the subject of an AI-driven interpretation. The system analyses visual characteristics, associates them with perceived personality traits and uses these associations to generate an individual poster – one that the AI believes might suit the person standing in front of it. In doing so, the AI draws on cultural references and different visual styles from art, pop culture and cultural history.

This is precisely where the installation becomes interesting. In a playful way, it makes tangible how AI analyses and interprets people and makes assumptions about them. The individual poster thus becomes more than a personal souvenir of the encounter: it also provides an opportunity to question the machine’s perspective.

Our thanks go to Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt for the wonderful collaboration and for providing such a unique spatial and cultural setting, as well as to Vasilis Boukis, Marco and the entire intolight team for the collaborative development and realization of the project.

Partner: Vasilis Boukis