dMAPS
The spaces of dOCUMENTA (13) were widely spread throughout the city of Kassel. dMAPS was a digital tool for orientation, interpretation, and participation in the mental and physical space generated by dOCUMENTA (13). Intelligent cartography combined with geo-location technologies was put in the hands of the visitors, allowing them to locate their position, find their way in, and experience the different zones of the exhibition. dMAPS also offered visitors an understanding of the urban history of Kassel in the postwar period, between collapse and recovery, and in relation to contemporary art.
dMAPS relied on some of the most effective functionalities of typical applications designed for exhibitions. However, it avoided simply transposing the logics of the audio and multimedia guide to the mobile device. Instead of delivering explanations of the artworks, it operated as a media player, allowing visitors to listen and to feel, opening up different perspectives towards an engaged knowledge of the art in dOCUMENTA (13). Some of its key features were one-minute video statements by the artists, soundtracks selected by them, and artists’ audio tours to the main venues of the exhibition.
dMAPS is still available for Apple’s iOS and Android-powered devices from www.documenta.sparkasse.de/dMAPS, on the iTunes Store, and Google Play. Devices with the dMAPS application were also available from the dMAPS station located next to the main ticket counter on the Friedrichsplatz.
dMAPS was produced in collaboration with Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe and developed by Linon Medien.
