Rembrandt Privé

Cultural

For the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt’s death, the City Archive of Amsterdam hosted Rembrandt Privé, an exhibition showcasing 17th-century documents about the artist’s private life. We partnered with Synergique to create an AR experience that made these intricate, handwritten records accessible and engaging. The result was a seamless integration of technology into the exhibition, earning industry recognition and overwhelmingly positive visitor feedback.

Made for

City Archive Amsterdam

Exhibition design: Synergique
AR Development: Orb Amsterdam
3D Art: Aron Fels
Music and sound design: Matthijs Koster
Voice-over: Kees Prins & Beverley Jackson
Photographs by: Mike Bink & Bas Uterwijk

Bringing 17th-Century Archives to Life

Rembrandt’s archive records provide rare insight into his private world, but their handwritten old Dutch script made them nearly impossible to decipher for modern audiences. Synergique sought to bridge this gap with an AR solution and turned to Orb Amsterdam to bring their vision to life.

Transforming Archives with Augmented Reality

We developed a seamless AR experience using custom iPads, elegantly housed in wooden casings to blend with the exhibition’s aesthetic. Visitors could simply lift an iPad from its station—no taps or menus needed. The AR experience revealed spatial content around the documents, enriching them with contextual stories that explained their significance. Additionally, the AR acted as a highlighter, allowing visitors to focus on specific passages within the documents for deeper exploration.

Impact and Recognition

A post-exhibition survey found 93% of visitors rated the experience positively. The project won 3rd place at the 2019 Holo Awards, earned an honorable mention at the Spin Awards, and was featured in Museum Next as a pioneering use of immersive technology in exhibitions.