We need to also think about the environment surrounding these works. Start with the lighting. Just as you would think about properly lighting a physical work of art, work with a professional integrator who knows how to ensure your digital art is depicted in a manner befitting its merits rather than receding into the background because it just looks like a TV.

Many digital artworks also have a sonic element, and some of them are actually entirely audio-based. But even for visual-only pieces, it’s important to consider acoustics and sound as part of the experience. To get some insight into these invisible-but-essential factors, I spoke with Steve Haas, CEO and Principal Consultant with SH Acoustics.

Especially because digital art might be installed in large open spaces in homes, you should be sure there’s not a lot of cacophony created by reverberant reflections. Think about the enveloping hush of a gallery and how that adds a luxuriously contemplative level to the viewing experience. The addition of some properly designed acoustic control can help to deliver that effect at home. Also, if there is a sound component, you might want to acoustically isolate the room to prevent the creation of—or distractions from—disturbances elsewhere in the home. 

You might consider using some of the high-tech directional speakers that can precisely aim where sound is traveling—the kind they’re using at compelling new immersive-experience emporiums like the Illuminarium in Atlanta and Las Vegas. These spaces go beyond the usual multi-surface video projection into full-scale aural choreography, which together will make you forget all about the outside world.

“Having rooms like that, filled with unique content that updates regularly, I could really see that happening,” Haas said. His work in museum experience design and in high-end residential media and acoustic design have combined to give Haas a unique vision for how we might reimagine our homes. 

“I see having these elements that are interspersed throughout the house in a very purposeful, creative way that introduce video and soundscapes and all the other elements that make that experience fully immersive,” Haas said. “And sometimes, if it makes sense, potentially adding informative or educational content, which can also change, of course.”

Going beyond home theaters or media rooms, you might add dynamic digital artworks to corridors, atriums (direct-view LED walls are bright enough to handle high-brightness areas), foyers, great rooms, or anywhere you want to experience additional levels of engagement. In recreational spaces, there’s even more possibility, with full-scale video, sound, and lighting activations in personal nightclubs, bowling alleys, patios, pools, and more. 

From there, Haas takes it one step further, returning to the idea of immersive exhibits found in museums. “Think about having custom-produced media from any of the top museum content producers,” he suggested.

“How can you create this hybrid, totally unique world in somebody’s home that might even have didactic meaning, historical content, or educational content for their kids or anyone else?” Haas asked. “Each of these thematic experiences can represent something important to the family’s lives, the same way a museum presents media or physical content that’s important to the institution’s mission.”

That might also address the “these kids today and their phones” challenge—though it’s hardly just the kids. Every generation is now compulsively interacting with screens and content on a regular basis. What if the home was similarly compelling with ever-changing atmospheric elements? Maybe then we could get more people to look up from their screens and enjoy living together.