Ideum, an experiential designer of interactive exhibits, collaborated with the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) to create a digital interactive for its Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia exhibit.
The exhibit features the stunning and intricate textile artworks of Policarpio Valencia (1853-1931), a Nuevomexicano artist from Santa Cruz who examined themes like spirituality, morality, and mortality in his creations. The digital interactive developed by Ideum for this show enables visitors to explore these detailed textiles more thoroughly through touch and projection.
Visitors can pan and zoom across the textiles, explore their reverse sides, view animations of the texts and poems stitched into some pieces by Valencia, and read and listen to transcripts in both English and Spanish. These features support clear and accessible interpretation.
The application operates on a 65” open-frame Inline display by Ideum, mounted in a custom table built by MOIFA. The touch screen is linked to a projection that replicates what the user sees and interacts with on the larger display. This projection provides visitors with an additional view of the work and enables gallery visitors who are not directly using the application to engage with its interpretation.
Highlighting New Mexican culture
“Ideum is always thrilled to work with local organizations such as MOIFA, which is based in Santa Fe,” says the firm. “Being located and operated in Corrales, New Mexico, Ideum takes great pride in showcasing the rich and meaningful stories of our unique state.”
For each textile containing text, MOIFA was able to record various descendants of Policarpio Valencia reading the text in both English and Spanish.
Ideum integrated these recordings into the interactive piece, giving the art vitality and a sense of place and heritage. The team combined the recordings with text animations, which made each word glow on the textile as it was read, allowing a broader audience to connect with the messages conveyed by the textiles.
Valencia stitched the text into textiles in various formations, from simple lines to scattered fragments. The text is hard to follow due to its colloquial New Mexican Spanish dialect and unconventional word order. This challenge is overcome by the relationship between the transcript readings and text animation created by Ideum, enabling viewers to appreciate this hyper-local art fully.
To achieve this design, Ideum experimented with new methods. The VFX team translated textiles into 3D models for realistic cloth simulations, allowing the digital fabrics to behave like real ones when users manipulate them. They also carefully cut out each letter of the embroidered text to create a glowing animation that highlights each word as it is read.
On the software development side, the team added an X-ray-like feature enabling users to see the stitching on the reverse side of the textile they are viewing.
Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia will be on view in MOIFA’s Hispanic Heritage Wing until 27 July 2026.
Earlier this year, Ideum released a new touch table product bundled with a software package that allows wineries, wine bars, and others to create interactive wine tastings.
