I have just returned from Spain where we inaugurated Concrete Invention, the latest exhibition of our family’s collection, the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) at the Museo Reina Sofía.  The exhibition showcased 200 works from the geometric abstraction movement that took place in Latin America between the 30s and 70s.  This exhibition is the first comprehensive show we have done in a decade and it’s also the first time that we have shown in Europe.

When we began thinking about the concept behind the exhibition we realized that this was our first opportunity to develop a strong digital platform to support it.  As an institution we have always had an educational focus. Our mission at the collection has always been to make our collection accessible to as many people as possible. That is one of the reasons why we don’t have a museum, and instead have a strong lending program worldwide and we make our collection available to universities and institutions such as the Reina Sofía.

Digital platforms have made our mission easier to achieve. For Concrete Invention, we moved away from creating a conventional catalogue and developing a traditional educational museum guide to instead creating a digital experience that would be both supportive of the show and timeless.  In collaboration with Blue Cadet, the industry leaders in digital design, we created a website and app that are truly interactive. The website lainvencionconcreta.org, when accessed from the museum becomes the audio and visual guide for the show and also allows you to share your favorite works through facebook, pinterest and twitter as you walk through the galleries.

The app, available through iTunes here, is designed to complement your experience and uses the physical works in the show as a starting point, but evolves as a platform that allows to you learn more about that period through archival, video and additional  visual elements allowing you  to dig deep in the areas  you are most interested in.