On 5 March 2020, the thirty or so students from the ESAD TALM, Polytech Angers and the Faculty of Tourism and Culture (ESTHUA) of the University of Angers who took part in the EXPÉ[Angers] Challenge met at the Château d’Angers to present the four innovative mediation devices they had designed and produced over the previous six months.
Experiencing the Apocalypse Tapestry differently
In multidisciplinary teams, students in Textile Techniques, Computer Science, and Cultural Project Management had six months to imagine and create prototypes illustrating the rich heritage of the Apocalypse Tapestry while offering an original discovery experience, remotely, through a game, digital technologies, and even by stimulating the senses.
Innovations to discover a monumental work of art in a mobile way
L’Instant Apocalyptique
L’Instant Apocalyptique, while drawing on representations taken from the Tapestry, revisits John the Apostle’s text through the prism of current events. The students’ interpretation of the work is revealed through two videos that mirror each other, a theatrical parallel mixing historical content and journalism. Each chosen scene taken from the Tapestry finds a contemporary echo among excerpts from reports that have made the news and that testify to “our contemporary Apocalypse”.
Apocap’street
The Apocap’street prototype mixes a system of projections triggered when visitors pass by with a sensory experience of touch. Upon entering the immersive room, the visitor is invited to touch a tapestry extending over several meters. As they walk around the space, sounds are triggered. Guided by the sound atmosphere, the visitor plunges into the heart of an animated film.
Apocalypsis
Apocalypsis is a cooperative board game for discovering the story of the Apocalypse Tapestry in a fun way. Players aim to find the pieces of tapestry lost in its story. They complete the levels by combining the right objects, then have fun imagining the story of their success or defeat. An application is also available for download to be accompanied by the Apostle John through augmented reality. It is a game designed for the whole family (from 8 years of age), for two to five players and lasts 30 minutes.
Tapistreet
Tapistreet is designed as an itinerary through the city of Angers, punctuated by holographic terminals combining historical references, humour and pop culture. The students created an animation lasting a few minutes, targeting a relatively young audience (15-30 years of age). By using humour, the students’ intention was to encourage spectators to visit the Château d’Angers to discover the Apocalypse Tapestry for themselves.
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EXPÉ[Angers] brings together students in Textile Techniques (ESAD TALM Angers), in Computer Science (Automated Systems and Computer Science at Polytech, University of Angers) and in Cultural Project Management (Master’s degree in Culture, Faculty of Tourism and Culture at the University of Angers) around a project to promote the Apocalypse Tapestry, a large medieval set of tapestries that is unique in the world, exhibited at the Château d’Angers – Domaine National.
This is an action of the West Creative Industries (WCI) programme in the Pays de la Loire, co-managed by Angers Loire Développement in partnership with the University of Angers and ESAD TALM Angers. It benefits from the support of the Région Pays de la Loire, the CMN (French National Monuments Centre), the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) of the Pays de la Loire, and the metropolis of Angers.
