An art version of Gift

Gift was originally developed for Brighton Museum. In 2019, the designers behind Gift at Blast Theory set out to make a new version of the app for the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway.

The Munch Museum posed a different opportunity for the design team at Blast Theory. The museum offers artworks by a single artist rather than the collection of artefacts at Brighton Museum. Therefore, some terms had to be changed, and playfulness was perhaps less appropriate for the painter of the famous ‘Scream’.

These and many other considerations led Blast Theory to radically alter and shorten the narrative within the app, although the functionality remained fundamentally the same as the final version released in 2019 at Brighton Museum.

The visitor experience begins with the option to open a gift from the museum. This gives visitors a context for what is expected of them and what a gift can offer. Visitors are then prompted to create a gift of their own to someone special. The app has had substantial uptake and positive responses.

The app is live at the Munch Museum from 28 September 2019 to April 2020.