Domani Studios Unveils Website For 2004 Whitney Biennial

Domani Studios launches the 2004 Biennial website to provide a detailed resource for exploring the exhibits artists and themes, while fostering community participation and driving new memberships to the museum.

(PRWEB) March 28, 2004 --"Perhaps the Whitney's defining exhibition, the Biennial is a requisite, periodic report from the front. It's a means of discovery and of recognition, and a reaffirmation to American artists and to America's cultural life." -- Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney's Alice Pratt Brown Director.

Ranging from the chaotic to the ethereal, the Whitney Museum of American Arts 2004 Biennial inspired Domani Studios to create an engaging and immersive web site for the highly anticipated exhibition, www.whitney.org/biennial. Domani Studios, a full-service design firm based in Brooklyn, NY, worked closely with the museum to provide a detailed online resource for exploring the exhibits artists and themes, while fostering community participation and driving new memberships to the museum.

We began the design process by meeting with the Biennial curators and getting an in-depth understanding of the objectives and themes of this years exhibit." explains Jonathan Hills, Domani Studios Creative Director. The Biennial curators-Debra Singer, Shamim M. Momin, and Chrissie Iles-selected artists from around the United States to represent the latest developments in American modern art. Through that process, the curators discovered subtle connections and sub currents that run between the artists and their work. In response, Domani Studios suggested a dynamic interface that engages visitors to explore and reveal relationships, imparting a sense of context to the exhibit as a whole.

While many web sites have a relatively limited number of sections to navigate, Domani Studios was faced with the challenging task of creating a navigation scheme to address each of the 108 artists with complete equality, while also providing a digestible means of uncovering the connections that run between them.

Rising to the challenge, Domani Studios design allows the artist list to be sorted textually by artist name or visually via thumbnails of the work. Browsing the artists visually gives visitors an immediate way to connect with the art," says DS Studio Director Bill Fletcher. For a casual visitor who isnt familiar with many of the names, this system offers the most accessible way to digest such a comprehensive exhibit." Either method of navigation can be refined to show relations by medium or theme. Visitors can then discover the inter-relations between artists who arent limited to only one theme or medium, but who cross boundaries and inhabit spaces with other more formally defined artists.

With the launch of the 2004 Biennial website, Domani Studios introduces the concept of real-time communication between visitors of the site. We really pushed ourselves to have the 2004 Biennial site utilize the web medium to its fullest potential. Not only does the site provide sophisticated sorting and relation mapping, but the Dialog section provides the ideal medium for fostering discussion and debate." says Director of Technology Corey Szopinski. The Dialog section uses a proximity-based interface to allow visitors to chat with each other in real-time. The Dialog not only features instant text-messaging but also movement around the screen. Visitors tend to cluster near each other to have a conversation just like one would find in a crowded room." says Hills, The technology is a little eerie at first, but once you realize that what youre seeing on the screen is influenced by people from around the world, you get a sense that youre part of something larger, something tangible."

To help people get started with the Dialog, Domani Studios built an artificial intelligence Guide, which responds to keywords in a visitors message, and suggests further resources based on that interaction. If a user asks a question about the location of the museum, for example, the Guide will dutifully answer with the museums address and phone number.

Unlike typical chat applications, Domani Studios integrated the functions seamlessly into the site. We try to build our interfaces with the physicality of a reactive space, which is more life-like and engaging." says Szopinski. The technology behind the Dialog section was built in-house using custom server-side software and an original protocol. Domani Studios expects to use the real-time communication assets to add value to upcoming projects including an e-commerce site due to launch early this summer.

In addition to providing an overview of the exhibit and enabling the lively discussion that surrounds each Whitney Biennial, the website also serves to foster long-time relationships between the museum and the community. The site encourages visitors to sign-up for the museums mailing list to keep abreast of ongoing events at the museum. It also has a Refer-A-Friend section that broadcasts a personalized HTML email alerting friends to the exhibit. By using every tool in our arsenal, we have quadrupled the traffic to the Whitneys website. At the end of the day its about exposing people to the artwork, and encouraging them to visit the museum." says Fletcher.

ABOUT DOMANI STUDIOS
Domani Studios is an independent design firm based in Brooklyn, NYC. The studios objective is to provide high-end design sensibilities and online marketing services for a broad array of clients and projects. With a focus on the luxury, lifestyle, and entertainment industries, Domani Studios has created award-winning work for clients such as CNBC, Gucci, Geffen Records, Starwood Hotels, and Esteé Lauders Bumble and bumble.

The Whitney Museum of American Art has relied on Domani Studios for over 3 years to provide strategic vision, support, and hosting for the museums various online properties.

ABOUT THE WHITNEY MUSEUM
The Whitney Museum houses one of the world's foremost collections of twentieth-century American art. The Permanent Collection of some 12,000 works encompasses paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations, drawings, prints, and photographs. The Whitneys 72nd Biennial Exhibition is on display from March 11 through May 30.