VISIT OOSTENDE
2019
Experience - Design
Let’s be honest, this was not an easy brief. Create a permanent exhibition for Fort Napoleon, in a harsh environment full of sand, wind and humidity.
At first, it seemed to be a simple, creative thinking exercise but soon it ended up in a technical, creative and ambitious concept.
A courageous move but one we are quite proud of. SUPERMACHINE created an experience that resulted into long-term impact for both the City of Ostend and Fort Napoleon.
"This is the fortress where visitors walk along the walls, with their heads close to the stones. Because here, in Fort Napoleon, the walls are whispering."
The main attraction of the Fort is the building itself: its location and architecture. We needed to create an experience that, while respecting that environment, strengthened that appeal. An experience based on the latest trends in experience marketing, combined with the element of tranquillity.
"This is the fortress where visitors walk along the walls, with their heads close to the stones. Because here, in Fort Napoleon, the walls are whispering."
How does it work? With invisible audio beams, we send very specific stories to the ears of our visitors. You can hear the whispers up to one meter away from the wall. Further away, you hear nothing at all. This way, you truly need to get in touch with the fortress. Each installation is activated by a Bluetooth beacon, pinned to a visitors' badge.
So, no false walls or technical installations that dishonour the space. The fort remains authentic and we use the existing environment as an element of atmosphere.
A specific colour is projected onto each wall that whispers, so Instagramers could go wild! And so the visitor immediately knew which wall is hiding a whispering message.
