Scream Time Machine

Scream Time Machine is a proof-of-concept designed within Scenario 2 of PERCEIVE project, as an immersive experience of the iconic “The Scream” (1910?) painting, owned by MUNCH museum in Oslo. This experience was showcased and evaluated at the InArt24 workshop (Colour and appearance for cultural heritage – new research approaches from the ApPEARS and PERCEIVE projects) and during the conference (3rd –7th of June 2024), followed by a full day display at the Cultural History Museum (KHM) in Oslo on 8th June 2024.

The concept enhances the access and a sense of care for fragile and precious artworks, deepens curiosity, and provides personal relevance and interpretation of the colored surface of the painting and its change over time, without requiring the download of an app. Both conservation and scientific perspectives around color change (mainly fading) and interactive exploration with the surface and materiality of the object were considered in the design of the different components of this experience.

The experiential set-up consists of three components:

  1. Video Tutorial
    • Provides context and background information about “The Scream” (1910?), its story and its scientific investigation spanning several years and different research projects (MOLAB & PERCEIVE etc).
    • Explains the various parts of the exploration including the production and background behind the acquisition of the 2D and 3D scans and the creation of the printed 3D replicas.
    • Introduces keywords and images used in the interactive Board Game.
  2. Scream Reinvented Display (Fig. 1)
    • Features a full 2D scan (30x) of “The Scream” (1910?) acquired in 2024 using high resolution Hirox digital microscopy technology.
    • Includes several 3D prints (both monochrome and colored) created with various software and printing technologies, highlighting different areas of the painting affected by color change and its multilayered features.
  3. Interactive Board Game (Fig. 2)
    • Allows players to explore scientific and conservation concepts around color change (primarily fading) and mitigation actions related to “The Scream” (1910?).
    • Designed for a minimum of two players, where one can act as the Danger Master and the others as Time Travellers. Every time a Time traveller mistakes the date for the right sequence of the card with an image of the scream, the Danger master is entitled to stop the player and present a Danger card for which the appropriate Care card (action for mitigating the danger) has to be identified. The game can continue once the player chooses the right Care card for the Danger card. If the Danger Master plays all the Danger cards before the Time Travellers complete putting in the correct order the cards, they will lose the game. If they complete the timeline without making so many mistakes, they win.
    • Provides a conservation vocabulary as a guideline tool to support the players by explaining the terms used to describe the type of danger and care action, so they can select the appropriate time-sequence and succesfully play the game.
Full size scan in 2D (30x) of the Scream and 3D prints (colored and monochrome)
Full size scan in 2D (30x) of the Scream and 3D prints (colored and monochrome)
The gameboard and the 3 sets of cards: 8 timeline cards (blue), 5 Danger cards (red) and 5 Care cards (green)
The gameboard and the 3 sets of cards: 8 timeline cards (blue), 5 Danger cards (red) and 5 Care cards (green)

All three components are designed to be easily adapted to a multisensorial immersive context, including considerations for visually impaired visitors. The experience engages two senses—sight and touch—allowing participants to explore surface patterns and understand the differences between the cardboard support and the applied colors (their topography and layered sequence), as well as between faded and non-faded areas of paint.

Credits
  • Primary Contributors: Irina C. A. Sandu ORCID (MUNCH), Petros Y. Stavroulakis ORCID (FORTH), Beatrice G. Boracchi ORCID, Sivert Thue ORCID (MUNCH)
  • Secondary Contributors: Aron Mørk Eskeland (MUNCH), Molab Team (CNR ISPC)
  • External: Emilien Leonhardt, Vincent Sabatier ORCID (HIROX Europe)
Learn more
  • Stavroulakis, Petros Ioannis, Alfonsina Pagano, Beatrice Boracchi, Panagiotis Siozos, Sophia Sotiropoulou, Emilien Leonhardt, Vincent Sabatier, Giorgio Trumpy, and Irina C. A. Sandu. 2025. “Tactile 3D-Printed Media Interaction with the Color Surface Features of Paintings. The Case of the Scream (1910?) Painting.” Frontiers in Computer Science 7 (June). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2025.1597880.
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