Experience Art

One of my favorite pics from the Maui trip, copyright Janna Kimel, not Peter Lik!

(see more of Janna's pics)

On a recent trip to Maui, I had a fantastic user experience. Yes, sun, sand and palm trees in March are the real experience for this Portlander, but there were a number of beautiful galleries on the island as well.

Peter Lik is a photographer with stunning work. You are transformed by the landscapes and photographs in his space upon entering. We all have lovely photos of trees and beaches, flowers and trees, even aunt Ethel. Peter has taken photography to a whole new level photographing many extreme weather conditions and flowers and landscapes like you have never seen them before. He uses a medium format camera and a special crystallized paper for printing.

The experience

Although his images are super pricey, collected by Frank Gehry, Bill Clinton and even Paris Hilton, I inquired with one of the salesmen to find out more about his extraordinary work. He carefully explained how the images are matted, between heavy plexiglass, and then took me into a side room and dimmed the lights. (I think it was at this point that he also closed the door but I was so mesmerized I didn't notice). The room looked a bit like a living room with a row of halogen lights above and a couch towards the back and beautiful, natural wood accents.

The salesman propped up a photo of some red maple leaves in fall with the halogen lights hitting just right. As he dimmed the lights, the image took on a whole new dimension, not just going flat or grey like a normal photo, but the light simply began to reflect differently. The image changed with every dim of the light. It was fantastic. In this instance, not only was the art exceptional, but the fact that I got to experience it to the fullest extent of its beauty in a setting somewhat similar to the one where I would own it was a great lesson learned.

How can your company help buyers have the full experience of your product simulated as it would be in the environment of use? What creative ways can you use to display and promote your extraordinary user experience?