Say Hello, Dalí! at a Surreal Interactive Museum Exhibition

If advertising is based on the art of illusion, then a new dalliance with Dalí should fit right in the picture. The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida has a new interactive exhibition that explores the faces of illusion. The installation, developed by ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, is called Marvels of Illusion and it celebrates surrealist artist Salvador Dalí by exploring his fascination with double imagery and optical illusions. The interactive installation was inspired by Dalí’s delight over visual perception and the number of pixels needed to produce a recognizable human face. And rather than simply showcase his paintings, the installation lets visitors get in the picture and transform their self-portraits into pixelated replications of one of Dalí’s wondrous works. The New York Times featured more on the installation.

The exhibition revolves around a Dalí painting from 1976 called “Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea Which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln (Homage to Rothko).” As part of the museum’s permanent collection, the painting features Dalí’s wife, Gala, but morphs into an image of Abraham Lincoln when viewed from a distance. Dalí was driven to produce that painting after reading an article about facial pixelation. And today, that same painting inspired the installation that is a focal point of the exhibition.

The installation consists of a photo kiosk at the museum that lets visitors transform their self-portraits into pixelated replications of that painting, Then, those images are instantly projected onto a wall next to the actual painting.

The exhibition is scheduled to run through October 12, yet gallery-goers who can’t get to the museum can get a virtual view and participate in the photo fun by visiting the mobile website at galacontemplatingyou.com.

From an advertising perspective, the installation is indicative of how traditional advertising agencies are expanding into new media and exploring the new “maker culture” by producing both physical objects and apps.

In fact, the original idea for the exhibition was to create a phone app that would allow users to place their own face into various paintings. Yet that was filled with programming pitfalls and proved too difficult to do. Apparently, it took programmers days to create the pixelation precision that Dali had done intuitively. Then, the concept evolved into taking a photo of each visitor and pixelating it like the painting so that the image of the person’s face would replace the face of Lincoln.

The Dalí Museum is promoting the exhibition with an ad campaign that includes television, print advertising, outdoor, digital media, and social media content such as real-time updates under the Twitter hashtag #MarvelsOfIllusion.

Social media is a key element of the advertising campaign and contributes to the museum’s ongoing efforts to connect with their large international following on social media. After all, 50% of their Facebook fans are from outside the United States, while only about 20% percent of museum visitors are from other countries. Social media is the most effective way to keep in touch with their international fans and keep them involved in museum events.

In addition to exhibiting the power of perception, this installation highlights the art of illusion in surrealism, as well as the way it plays into advertising.

See what’s new and novel in museum advertising. Contact MDG today at 561-338-7797, or visit www.mdgsolutions.com.

MDG, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Boca Raton and New York, NY, is one of Florida’s top branding firms. MDG’s capabilities include print advertising, direct mail marketing, branding, logo design, creative, digital marketing, media buying and planning, radio and TV advertising, Web design and development, online video advertising, infographic development, email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. For the latest trends in advertising and branding, contact MDG today at 561-338-7797 or visit www.mdgsolutions.com.

If advertising is based on the art of illusion, then a new dalliance with Dalí should fit right in the picture. The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida has a new interactive exhibition that explores the faces of illusion. The installation, developed by ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, is called Marvels of Illusion and it celebrates surrealist artist Salvador Dalí by exploring his fascination with double imagery and optical illusions. The interactive installation was inspired by Dalí’s delight over visual perception and the number of pixels needed to produce a recognizable human face. And rather than simply showcase his paintings, the installation lets visitors get in the picture and transform their self-portraits into pixelated replications of one of Dalí’s wondrous works. The New York Times featured more on the installation.

The exhibition revolves around a Dalí painting from 1976 called “Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea Which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln (Homage to Rothko).” As part of the museum’s permanent collection, the painting features Dalí’s wife, Gala, but morphs into an image of Abraham Lincoln when viewed from a distance. Dalí was driven to produce that painting after reading an article about facial pixelation. And today, that same painting inspired the installation that is a focal point of the exhibition.

The installation consists of a photo kiosk at the museum that lets visitors transform their self-portraits into pixelated replications of that painting, Then, those images are instantly projected onto a wall next to the actual painting.

The exhibition is scheduled to run through October 12, yet gallery-goers who can’t get to the museum can get a virtual view and participate in the photo fun by visiting the mobile website at galacontemplatingyou.com.

From an advertising perspective, the installation is indicative of how traditional advertising agencies are expanding into new media and exploring the new “maker culture” by producing both physical objects and apps.

In fact, the original idea for the exhibition was to create a phone app that would allow users to place their own face into various paintings. Yet that was filled with programming pitfalls and proved too difficult to do. Apparently, it took programmers days to create the pixelation precision that Dali had done intuitively. Then, the concept evolved into taking a photo of each visitor and pixelating it like the painting so that the image of the person’s face would replace the face of Lincoln.

The Dalí Museum is promoting the exhibition with an ad campaign that includes television, print advertising, outdoor, digital media, and social media content such as real-time updates under the Twitter hashtag #MarvelsOfIllusion.

Social media is a key element of the advertising campaign and contributes to the museum’s ongoing efforts to connect with their large international following on social media. After all, 50% of their Facebook fans are from outside the United States, while only about 20% percent of museum visitors are from other countries. Social media is the most effective way to keep in touch with their international fans and keep them involved in museum events.

In addition to exhibiting the power of perception, this installation highlights the art of illusion in surrealism, as well as the way it plays into advertising.

See what’s new and novel in museum advertising. Contact MDG.

MDG, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Boca Raton and New York, NY, is one of Florida’s top museum marketing firms. MDG’s capabilities include print advertising, direct mail marketing, branding, logo design, creative, digital marketing, media buying and planning, radio and TV advertising, Web design and development, online video advertising, infographic development, email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. For the latest trends in advertising and branding, contact MDG.