In summer 2014, the Fondation Beyeler organised a pitch for a multimedia room to be integrated into their upcoming show 'Paul Gauguin'. A first in the history of the museum, the room was to enhance the impact of the exhibition by offering educational content about the artist and his work to a diverse audience in three languages (English, German and French).

Our agency was invited to participate in the pitch and proposed interactive books as the central element of the room. The idea was to provide a multi-level access to Gauguin’s work by means of animations, texts, and intuitive interaction possibilities.

We had already been working on a technical framework for implementing interactive books for about a year, when we won the Gauguin pitch in August 2014. Over the next four months, and in close collaboration with the Fondation Beyeler, we elaborated the contents, designed the animations and optimised our technical solution.

The book is designed to reflect the values and identity of the Fondation Beyeler as a museum of modern art. All interactive elements are integrated into the images in a way that allows readers to recognise them intuitively, while at the same time not taking away any attention from the paintings. Gauguin's masterpieces always remain the main focus.

Starting from the paintings, we selected first sketches, preliminary studies, photographs and quotes by the artist, in order to contextualise and communicate the different aspects of his work. And because each page tells its own story, readers are able to begin browsing anywhere in the book.

Finally, we conducted usability tests to optimise our interaction design with regards to the visibility and intuition of the interactive elements, as well as technical tests to refine our framework (type of paper and ink, image markers, material for the base of the book, etc.).

The interactive book forms the magical centre of the multimedia room to the exhibition 'Paul Gauguin' at the Fondation Beyeler near Basel, Switzerland.

As readers leaf through the book, each page unfolds anew before their eyes. For the printed parts of the pages are supplemented by projected content, thus permitting interactive elements and moments of surprise in the form of animations with sound.

The analogue and digital worlds seem to merge on the pages of the book. It does not only appear in virtual superposition, but adds to a new experience by offering a haptic sensation, which fascinates both younger and older readers.

By combining virtual with analogue elements, a sophisticated technology, intuitive opportunities for interaction and elaborate animations, the interactive book on Paul Gauguin provides new possibilities in art education and offers a playful approach to the life and work of the artist. It enhances the Fondation Beyeler's art education programme and allows the museum to reach a diverse public in an innovative way.

The current exhibition on Paul Gauguin's masterpieces has already attracted 100,000 visitors – after only 6 weeks since its opening – and will welcome its 200,000th visitor shortly. The exhibition runs until 28 June 2015.

The Fondation Beyeler is a Swiss museum of modern art that ranks as one of the finest in the world. The museum designed by Renzo Piano has won international acclaim for its exhibitions of celebrated 19th, 20th and 21st century artists, for its outstanding collection and for its collaboration with living artists. Its central aim is to facilitate a personal, immediate, sensory experience of art for all its visitors. The Fondation Beyeler addresses a diverse public and aims in particular to fire the enthusiasm of young people for art through its exhibitions as well as through lectures, workshops, and concerts.