Belgium - The historic Sint-Janshospitaal Museum in Bruges has unveiled an innovative digital experience that transforms how visitors engage with the life and works of the Flemish Primitive, Hans Memling – one of the most significant Early Netherlandish painters. The Closer to Memling exhibition is an interactive audiovisual journey that features Leyard LED display technology, creating an immersive environment in the museum's medieval attic space.
The installation work began in February 2024 and was completed in December 2024, opening to the public on 10 December. The project represents a collaboration between Musea Brugge and digital experience specialists Ocular, who worked alongside creative partners Studio Louter, Shosho, Wondering, Atento and Chris Pype to develop the concept and implementation. Following previous successful digital installations at the museum, Ocular was entrusted with the task of transforming the historic attic into an engaging, accessible space that could appeal to visitors of all ages.
"Through brainstorming sessions with the client, we determined the layout, content, and interactive elements,” explains Nicolas Vanden Avenne, Ocular founder and CEO. “We built a full-scale trial installation where both adults and children could test the applications, ensuring a smooth implementation.
"We were looking for a way to bring the story of the artist Hans Memling to the museum in an accessible way. It was important that both young and old were triggered to go into the attic of the museum to learn about Memling's life."
The centrepiece of the exhibition is a striking 4.5m by 4.5m Leyard NEV1.9 LED video wall, which enables visitors to explore Memling's masterpieces in remarkable detail while preserving the historic integrity of the 800-year-old building.
Robin van der Heiden, BNL field sales manager at Leyard Europe, highlights the technological advantages: "Our NEV series has very large cabinets, so it's easy to install and create large format displays like we did for this project,” he says. "We used our 1.9mm pixel pitch so that visitors can stand very close in front of the screen. The NEV series also comes with 800 nits of brightness, meaning you can show a very clear, powerful image on the screen."
"The biggest challenge was to integrate the hardware as subtly as possible in the monumental attic," notes Vanden Avenne. "Leyard's LED wall obviously catches the eye immediately, but it does not compromise the authentic elements. Everything was installed with the utmost care, and the LED wall fits perfectly within the space. At Ocular, we are very familiar with Leyard products, so we knew what to expect from them.”
