smARTplaces: Marleen Hartjes | A digital door to the museum – how a robot provides autonomous art experiences

From March 1st to 2nd, 2018, the conference »smARTplaces | INNOVATION in Culture« took place at the ZKM | Karlsruhe as part of the EU project »smARTplaces«.

Not only is digitization now in art’s DNA, cultural institutions are beginning to embark on disruptive paths in order to facilitate and support innovative processes. The »smARTplaces | INNOVATION in Culture« conference analyzes possibilities, and also necessities, of digital renewal within culture and spotlights audience development.

Marleen Hartjes is a museum education / mediation developer and as accessibility manager responsible for the Special Guests program at the Van Abbemuseum, museum of modern and contemporary art in Eindhoven (The Netherlands). The program is designed to enhance the museums accessibility and inclusion for everyone, regardless of any restrictions, gender, cultural background or handicaps. She developed various programs in cooperation with the constituencies, special tours, projects and additional services for blind, blind deaf and partially sighted visitors, visitors that are deaf or hard of hearing, non-mobile visitors, visitors with autism and visitors with aphasia, all of this next to the Alzheimer tours the museum already offered. Last but not least, she launched a museum app for the hospital based, with the inspiring stories from children about art works of the museum collection. To let them forget the world of hospitals and sickness to enter a world of possibilities and dreams. Two years ago a museum robot was implemented to the program by Hartjes to enable a visit for people who cannot attend the museum in person.

Video documentary:

ZKM | Videostudio

Camera: Moritz Büchner
Live-Editing: Moritz Büchner
Editing: Andy Koch