After listening to the needs and wishes of their visitors about what a substantial museum experience of artistic heritage should present, the Meštrović Gallery has introduced a new free guide to their permanent exhibition – Smart Guide.
The Smart Guide is a multimedia platform for the presentation of cultural and tourist attractions – in this case, Meštrović’s legacy in his museums, the Meštrović Gallery, Meštrović Crikvine-Kaštilac, and the Meštrović public monuments in the city of Split.
“Today, it is important to provide an excellent experience and good information for the user. Therefore, the content, among other things, will be presented in a dynamic and engaging way, making maximum use of all the benefits that technology provides today through the new Smart Guide project. At the location of the user, via a simple menu that can be accessed through their smartphone, the user can find interesting stories that are told through text, photos, and audio,” says the Meštrović Gallery.
Through 56 stories, Meštrović’s finest artistic creations will come to life with a wealth of information and interpretation. The Smart Guide will be available in six languages (Croatian, English, Italian, German, French and Japanese) and will reveal the stories and ideas behind his artistic work – covering everything from their symbolic meaning to the circumstances in which the art was created, as well as many of Meštrović’s impressions and sources of inspiration.
By listening to the audio guide on their visit, guests can indulge in the fascinating stories of how Meštrović created some of his best sculptures in bronze, wood, and stone, enabling visitors to discover even more about this great artist and his time.
In addition to the audio-guide, in the permanent Meštrović Gallery, visitors can take a break and watch a 30-minute film titled “Ivan Meštrović 1883-1962”. The film, which will be continuously projected in the central hall on the first floor of the gallery, was made as part of the audio-visual content created from a compilation of archival materials, photos, and videos that are stored in the Museum of Ivan Meštrović.
“The guiding principle in the creation of the film stemmed from the desire that visitors to the Meštrović Gallery wanted to have more insight into the broader Meštrović opus, to see beyond the museum exhibitions, including Meštrović’s architectural works and public monuments in Croatia and the United States. To make the film even more intimate and personal, every part of Meštrović’s life and artistic period is marked by one of his quotes that reveals the artist’s ideas, thoughts and feelings. The soundtrack used in the film is made up of songs that Meštrović gladly listened to, thus allowing visitors to discover the author’s musical tastes. Ivan Meštrović is present in the film in the form of video clips where you can see him in his most familiar form – when he is working on sculptures. This is precisely what marked his life most: the constant and tireless commitment to artistic creation,” concluded the Meštrović Gallery.
