Zeranta tells the story of the Reggia di Colorno

On 6 September, Zeranta inaugurated an immersive installation at the Reggia di Colorno, the ‘little Versailles’ in the province of Parma. Recently, the palace joined the Association of European Residences, whose aim is ‘to preserve and enhance the artistic and cultural heritage of European museum-residences’. To this end, the Provincial Administration of Parma (owner of the building) decided to undertake initiatives to adapt and modernise the visiting experience and the educational function in the area.
This year saw the inauguration of an immersive installation, in a room on the piano nobile, and a space on the ground floor dedicated to students.

In both projects, Zeranta was responsible for the conception, design and creation of the multimedia content as well as the supply and installation of the technologies.

For the ground floor, a space dedicated to student workshops, was made a video that tells part of the history of the Reggia, with an educational slant, characterised by an ironic and playful tone.

The immersive video on the main floor, on the other hand, aims to create a surprising pause in the visit experience. After wandering through the various rooms and admiring paintings, furniture and objects, visitors arrive in an enveloping space of animated images and surprising sounds. The protagonists of the story are the three duchesses – Elisabetta Farnese, Luisa Elisabetta di Borbone-Francia e Luigia d’Austria – who lived in the palace at different times, each leaving their own mark.

The video animation was art directed by Jader Giraldi, the drawings by artist Federico Manzone, the music composed by Nico Canzoniero, inspired by scores from the three eras. Texts and direction were by Roberto Pagliara, post production was by Francesca Cotini and the technological project was by Stefano Tedioli.

The challenge of the project was twofold: to find an expedient to break up the tour with something completely unexpected, capable of creating attraction and amazement, and to succeed in highlighting, in a short space of time, the characteristic aspects of each duchess. For this reason, it was decided to create a work with a Pop character, clearly different from the rest of the exhibition. The historical content was validated by art historians and history experts. Our task was to study it thoroughly and find the right elements to stitch together with great care.

We attended the opening and gathered first impressions from those present. There were many expressions of wonder and surprise. The four-minute video flows without boredom, and the word ‘attraction’ was repeated several times, as was the expression ‘I would see it again!’.
We are truly satisfied with what has been achieved and truly convinced that these installations will represent a further attraction for the Reggia di Colorno, capable of attracting an increasing number of visitors of all ages.