Josquin Des Pres Website - An immersive web journey to the Renaissance

client: Pierre Boulez Saal

introduction

Celebrating Josquin des Prez with a unique digital experience

From July 13–16, 2022, the Pierre Boulez Saal Concert Hall in Berlin will present an extraordinary project: In eight concerts over the course of four days, the Tallis Scholars Musical Ensemble and their founder and director Peter Phillips will perform all 18 surviving masses of Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521) in the first-ever cyclical presentation of these works. Accompanying these concerts, NEEEU designed and developed a digital universe where audiences can explore the works of Josquin like never before!

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The challenge

How might we create a digital space for people to engage with the life and times of Josquin Des Prez. How might we develop a unique exploratory experience that demonstrates how Josquin’s life is connected to and influenced by Renaissance art.

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Working in partnership to analyse content and create a dynamic content architecture

The works of Josquin des Prez intersect temporally and practically with some of the most fascinating moments in the history of Renaissance art. Working together with the team at Pierre Boulez Saal, we workshopped and mapped how best to structure and display the varied content including: podcasts, paintings, essays and, of course, the majestic recordings of Josquin’s Masses. We wanted to emphasise visually how interconnected this period really is.

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A flowing, musical design

With this website, we wanted to create a feeling of fluidity and connection, where information is clearly presented but also somehow feels organic and even lyrical. The end result is an engaging website, where the most ardent fans of Renaissance art and music and those who are new to the form can learn and explore. Content is tiered in such a way that you can dive deeper into the life and times of Josquin, or move on to explore another space or artwork.

Bringing Renaissance art to life

A special feature of this digital Josquin universe is the parallax effect that allows you to experience the Renaissance paintings in a never before imagined way. We selected 4 paintings together with the team from Pierre Boulez Saal and then went about deconstructing the layers of the paintings based on depth of field. We then digitally reconstructed each painting in such a way that users can interact with them to create a feeling of movement within the paintings. Technically this is all about timing and speed of movement of different layers, and the effect really brings the paintings to life!