Nathalie Keurmeur, a specialist in digital curation, works at the Humboldt Forum Foundation in Berlin, where she is developing valuable expertise in coordinating and implementing the digital strategy of this site bringing together several cultural organizations. She has led innovative projects such as “Palace of Memory” and “Re-Set,” exploring the boundaries between virtual and augmented reality to enrich the visitor experience. Her pragmatic vision of sustainability and her commitment to the ongoing evaluation of digital devices testify to her strategic approach and her constant concern to improve the accessibility and impact of cultural content in an ever-changing digital world.
Hello Nathalie, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your career?
Nathalie Keurmeur (N.K.) : I studied in the north of France, at the IUP (Institut Universitaire Professionnel) Métiers des Arts et de la Culture at theUniversity of Arras, where I focused on cultural professions. For my last internship, I went to Germany, where I’ve stayed ever since.
After this internship, I joined an agency specializing in museography for small museums. In this context, it wasn’t always easy to distinguish between content intended for digital media and that for physical cartels, as all content was designed by the same specialists. My role was to write texts and content for both digital and physical media.
It was when I joined the Humboldt Forum in 2015 that I began to focus more on digital media. In an institution of this scale, the amount of content to be produced dictates a certain specialization. Although I’m relatively new to digital media, this aspect has always been present in my work, especially in today’s world where media are essential to our communication.
It’s important to know that the Humboldt Forum brings together several institutions: the Ethnological Museum and the Asian Art Museum of the Berlin State Museums, the Berlin City Museum, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and the Humboldt Forum Foundation.
I began my work at the first two museums, where they needed someone to coordinate digital media. Later, it was decided to centralize this coordination at the top level of the four institutions. So I joined the Humboldt Forum Foundation where, along with my colleagues, I took charge of coordinating the digital media used by all the partners, such as the tour guide.
This coordination includes both digital content for temporary exhibitions and shared visit kits, designed to smooth transitions between museums. We also integrate communication systems, including screens and the media tower in the foyer. We collaborate with stakeholders to create navigation standards and ensure that all institutions are informed and harmonized.
We also work on aesthetic digital staging, such as digital architecture, thinking about what needs to be standardized to make digital content easier to use by staff and easier to appropriate by the public. This was our mission until 2022, when the Covid-19 pandemic turned our organization upside down. With the arrival of new experimental projects, which I’m sure I’ll be able to present to you, since 2022 we’ve been focusing on the next stage: developing digital experiences that are more in line with today’s expectations.
What digital and immersive projects are being developed at the Humboldt Forum?
(N.K.) – This year, we are first presenting two immersive experiences at the Humboldt Forum, in connection with our current exhibition: “Blown Away: The Palace of the Republic.”
First of all, we have“Palace of Memory“, a virtual reality installation. It’s a social and participatory experience for up to 10 people simultaneously, offering a journey through German memories of the former Palace of the Republic, destroyed in 2008. For this artistic intervention, we used our own resources and grants to finance this project, which is part of our program. We collaborated with artists from the world of theater, CyberRäuber, who worked on staging and interaction, enjoying a great deal of creative freedom. Our role was limited to providing advice and setting limits, without intervening directly in the design and realization. The collaboration was very rewarding, allowing us to learn from their approach and understand why some of their creations would not be possible with our traditional methods.
Then there’s“Re-Set“, an augmented reality web application that lets you recreate the Palais de la République according to your location. To compensate for the palace’s physical absence, we provided 360° panoramas of the Palais de la République. We used the models designed by the two artists of the“Palace of Memory” installation for this intervention around the Humboldt Forum. By placing panels and replacing the rooms of the Palais de la République in their original locations, we integrated a QR code system with 3D models. This is a relatively cost-effective solution. Our media guide is open source, and we have an augmented reality file to project the façade of the Palais de la République onto that of the Humboldt Forum.
We also have another installation, “Loot. “This exhibition, on the theme of restitution, is currently being presented in collaboration with the Mauritshuis in The Hague. This is a temporary exhibition. Last Thursday, I attended the XR History Awardwhere this installation won a prize. ” Loot. “presents ten objects chosen from different looting contexts, including those from the colonial and Napoleonic periods, to show that the theme of looting is broader than is generally thought. This theme of restitution has been central in Germany for some years now, and tackling it through digital mediation was particularly interesting.
With these projects, we’re exploring new technologies more this year, working on digital staging to convey content in a highly comprehensible way.
What are your challenges in terms of designing digital mediation tools?
(N.K.) – Generally speaking, our strategy is to use temporary exhibitions to enrich and develop our permanent offering. This is particularly apparent with the exhibition“Blown Away: The Palace of the Republic“, which gave rise to the first two experiences using existing digital assets. It’s important to point out that we have the luxury of not needing to refinance. As a result, the various experiences we offer are free or low-cost.
Then there’s evaluation. We have an evaluation phase for digital offers, which includes measuring visitor numbers and length of use. We exchange a great deal with the visitor service, including surveillance and mediation staff, to gather technical feedback (functional or otherwise) as well as qualitative feedback on visitor appreciation. It’s crucial for us to intensify this approach.
Finally, there’s the question of the durability and longevity of the devices, which I consider pragmatically. For example, in“Palace of Memory“, the approach is artistic. Curators wouldn’t necessarily have thought of creating images with AI, offering a journey between reality and fiction. For us, it’s essential to always seek to learn from curators. What does this experience bring to our work? How does it enrich our relationship with visitors and our thinking about memory work?
We’re also looking to actively involve visitors. What we experience today could guide our future initiatives. We are aware that every temporary experience can teach us something, and that sustainability is not just about maintaining an installation forever, but also about learning from it and integrating it into other projects. For me, sustainability means recognizing that we are continually learning, and that we can choose to continue – or not – in a particular direction in the future.
Bonus – What are your expectations for the next NUMIX LAB in Germany?
(N.K.) – What particularly interests me about the next edition of NUMIX LAB in Germany is the opportunity to meet other professionals in the field, to exchange our respective experiences and to discuss with those who work with digital formats on a daily basis. I’m motivated by the idea of exploring new perspectives in terms of staging and techniques, given that digital media are constantly evolving.
My aim is also to forge strategic partnerships that will enable us to take on more ambitious projects. Indeed, the high cost of digital media is a major challenge, and partnerships strengthen our ability to meet this challenge together. So I’m particularly looking forward to these opportunities for partnership and exchange of experience.
Sometimes, museums can be isolated in their own universe, and it’s crucial, especially in the media field, to break out of this bubble in order to communicate effectively about the present. It’s a way of bringing contemporary life into the museum.
Many thanks to Nathalie for her availability and this wonderful feedback. To register for the next edition of NUMIX LAB in Germany, to be held from November 25 to 29, 2024, please click on this link.
Find out more in a second interview with Nathalie Keurmeur, conducted in partnership with Unframed Collection, who discusses the place of immersive experiences in the Humboldt Forum’s programming, the contributions of these new media and her vision of tomorrow’s museum. Find out more here.
