The Montreux Jazz Heritage Lab 2 aims to create a unique, specific experience of the world’s largest audiovisual archives of blues, jazz and rock live recordings, rather than mimicking the past. Eight years of work have transformed the original material into an information system. A first test installation for a more intimate audience got a Swiss Design Award in 2013. The new experience includes almost all of the archives, can accommodate twenty people and will give an unprecedented sense of immersion.
The wish for the effort to serve the actual content, its cultural value and the original take in the archives, video and sound, is at the heart of the device – unaltered and dominant. To enhance immersion, the side walls of the space are made up of mirrors which reflect the central image. The space seems to expand and the concert grows. The immersion is strengthened by the display on the mirrors of additional information on music, iconic visuals and anecdotes revealing the festival’s history and unique identity. The installation includes 3D sounds with full virtual reconstruction of Montreux Jazz old venues. The browsing system helps to create an overall perception of the archive, its wealth and its contents. Over 44,000 songs are at the users’ fingertips with a design reminiscent of a music score.
team: Dieter Dietz, Rudi Nieveen, Manon Fantini, Javier Puchalt, Yannick Claessens, ALICE EPFL
interaction design: Nicolas Henchoz, Cédric Duchêne, Tommaso Colombo, Karian Foehr, Delphine Ribes, Guillaume Bonnier, David Roulin, Susanne Schneider, EPFL + ECAL LAB
coordination Montreux Jazz Digital Project: Alain Dufaux, Igor Ristic, Olivier Bruchez, Gregory Marti, Sarah Artacho, Caryl Jones, Julien A. Raemy, Céline Racine, Metamedia Center EPFL
3D sound: Dirk Schröder, Sönke Pelzer, Fabian Knauber
photographs © Joël Tettamanti
all images courtesy of ALICE studio EPFL