Resn’s beautifully crafted 'SCULPTING HARMONY' takes you deep into the mind of one of the world’s most influential architects: Frank Gehry
Digital experience agency Resn’s masterly website explores Frank Gehry’s creative process while
celebrating the architectural journey behind one of the world’s most famous modern buildings
Sculpting Harmony, is epic. Just have a click and you’ll soon see why… We’re working with Amsterdam’s Resn to share this minor masterpiece of digital design with a wider audience.
The groundbreaking interactive exhibit celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by leading architect Frank Gehry. Commissioned by visual arts powerhouse, Getty, and created by Resn, the virtual exhibition showcases the remarkable architectural journey and multidisciplinary design process behind the landmark building, affectionately known as the “living room of Los Angeles”.
Combining interviews, previously unseen archival materials, 3D graphics, and breathtaking aerial photography, Sculpting Harmony uses Gehry’s original, hand-crafted models as a visual motif to guide the visitor through the creative process behind a structure that embraced technology ahead of its time to create its iconic structure.
From initial concepts to final construction, the interactive narrative brings the vision, challenges, and triumphs of Frank Gehry and his team to life.
Unique in its format and vision, the interactive exhibition sets a new standard for digital craft and immersive storytelling while offering a glimpse into the mind and methodology of the architect. Striking a delicate balance between being user-friendly and academic, the project’s unique format interlaces documentary storytelling with deep-dive insights - showcasing a host of innovative features from the very first click. On the landing page, a ‘maestro cursor’ lets visitors play the role of conductor, creating art from copy simply by moving the mouse around the screen.
Playful typography - which can be stretched and squeezed by scrolling - reflects Gehry’s inventive and challenging style, while a clever mirror device, showing the exact match between the maquettes used in the design process and the finished building, demonstrates his consistency and vision.
Getty collaborated with Resn to develop a visual language that evokes Gehry’s vibrant, authentic style in every aspect of the art direction, down to his signature sketched trademark. The craftsmanship goes beyond traditional storytelling by incorporating 3D versions of Frank Gehry's original architectural models digitised by Getty. Visitors can explore intricate details of the models that highlight the ingenuity, precision and rigour of Gehry and his team, providing a deeper appreciation for the architectural genius behind the iconic structure.
Sound plays a starring role in the exhibition. Emotive musical extracts, carefully curated from the orchestra’s entire oeuvre, choreograph the striking visuals, creating a monument to sound.
From the overarching art direction to the provocative and playful typography, the website is a fitting tribute to the pioneering spirit of Gehry - as well as his architectural masterpiece.
“Sculpting Harmony is a digital exhibition that gives audiences an intimate tour through the inner workings of Frank Gehry’s design process. Its structure is unique and it’s one of the first-ever interactive documentary exhibitions of this sort.
Frank Gehry is one the most influential living architects of today - but he’s also one of a kind - so with this project we wanted to invoke his warm, playful and authentic persona in our style and overall art direction, bringing his personality centre stage through his trademark sketches. We also collaborated with Getty to bring to life their vision of accurately matching the physical and digital models from the design process to the real finished building to show how consistent and visionary Frank’s process is.”
