The Meural Canvas: An Interactive Photo Frame That Responds with Gestures

Last Updated on 10/10/2017 by Chris Gampat

If you haven’t heard of Meural, then the Meural Canvas may be something you’re going to want to pay attention to, photographers! The company has been around since 2014 and making art installations interactive and fun for artists everywhere–and that doesn’t just apply to hipsters. What’s special about the Meural Canvas is that you can think of it as a large sort of iPad but instead of responding to your interactions via the screen, all you need to do is wave your hand and swipe in order for the next photo to come up. That’s significantly tougher to explain about while reading a blog post, but like all other materialized art, you need to experience it in person.

Settings for the Meural Canvas can also be customized via their smartphone app. And part of what makes the Meural Canvas so amazing is the fact that it has capacity for up to 8GB of photos. There is also 2GB of RAM, WiFi built in, 1.8GHZ, an anti-glare matte surface (HUGE FOR PHOTO DISPLAYS) an ambient light sensor, and of course Meural’s set of proprietary hardware and algorithms that make the art interactive. Then there’s customization available for the types of wood involved like Poplar and Walnut.

So why am I so hyped about the Meural Canvas? I think it’s the perfect way for photographers who have never or barely ever print photos to be able to experience the next generation of in-person art and photography. It combines something you’re familiar with (a screen) with something else that you’re bound to be familiar with (gestures). Of course, it isn’t as complicated as paper either. These aren’t designed to eliminate the paper experience–very few things can replace the in-person experience of a well lit luster photo, but it’s bound to make people interact with and peruse through your art at their own discretion.

Head on over to Meural’s website for more.