Art on Campus – A walkabout of discovery with a digital companion
Art walkabout on the ETH Campus: as communicative companions, mobile devices provide background information in audio or text form to those interested in art, and use the campus map to take users directly to the objects they want to see.
You can experience a fascinating alliance of art and science on the sprawling ETH Campus, where more than 100 works by renowned artists are scattered across dozens of buildings and outdoor areas. Swiss artists have been helping to shape the grounds of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich since the end of the nineteenth century, including internationally renowned luminaries such as Augusto Giacometti, Max Bill, Roman Signer and Sylvie Fleury. Selected works of painting and sculpture, as well as installations, can be viewed on the ETH art tours.
Digital art guide
We have recently optimised the art walkabout for mobile devices: a responsive website that is primarily designed as a guide for mobile use, but which of course can also be used on the desktop, makes the art walkabout accessible at all times to anyone interested in art.
Eyes on the prize
To ensure that visitors can keep their eyes on the artwork yet still receive background information, the website also provides text in audio form: A single click on your smartphone activates a recording for each individual work. In addition to enhancing the general user experience, this feature is indispensable for people with impaired vision.
Making a beeline to art
The information is complemented by a campus map that shows the location of the artwork. Thanks to clear navigation instructions, you can find your way to the object you are looking for without any wrong turns. The digital guidance system is available only when the website is accessed from a mobile device, as there is no need for such assistance when the site is used on a desktop computer.
Discover the ETH Zurich art walkabout today
ETH Zurich’s art walkabout of the Zentrum and Hönggerberg campuses pays special attention to the question of how artistic creations come about in the context of science and how art can be inspired by science. It also addresses the issue of the degree to which science is ingrained in the works of art and how artists experience ETH Zurich as a scientific institution. All of this gives you, as a visitor, the opportunity to discover ETH Zurich from an unusual perspective.
The works you discover on the art walkabout are part of the ETH Zurich art inventory, a collection comprising around 300 works. Discover the objects on the E-Pics image platform.
