When a Narrative Becomes an Asset: The Story Behind Hotel Schweizerhof Bern’s NASA Digital Art Installation
Project Stories • 5 December 2025
There are projects that stay with you. Not because they were the biggest or the most complex, but because they reaffirm or challenge your thoughts and beliefs and help you advance and better your actions. The story of the digital ceiling artwork at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern is one of those moments, which served as a milestone in our understanding of the powerful contribution of cultural narrative to guest experience in a hotel environment. It began with a phone call and became a lasting reminder of why storytelling matters in hospitality.
A Call for Help
ArtLink received a call from a designer who had just completed the design of the Schweizerhof Hotel in Bern. It is a traditional hotel, but they had managed to convince the hotel’s ownership to place a digital art installation above the reception desk. The problem was that the owners disliked every video artwork presented to them. The hotel would be opened in three weeks, and if no solution was found, the installation would be forfeited and the screen removed. The designers hoped ArtLink could help, within the few days left to opening, to find a solution.
ArtLink Founder & Creative Director Tal Danai, who took the call, decided to take on this challenge. He thought that Albert Einstein, who when living in in Bern, was working on his First Theory of Relativity, as a potential starting point. That was enough of a thread to start pulling.
Finding the Idea
Tal gathered the ArtLink curatorial team and explained the client urgently needed a video artwork and urged all to search for a work that me be related to Einstein’s theory. Eventually one of the curator’s found a short scientific clip on the NASA website of a digital model created by NASA scientists, visualizing the formation of a black hole based on Einstein’s first theory of relativity. It was part of the largest astrophysical calculation ever performed there. The video was visually stunning and seemed very relevant.
A snippet was sent to ownership who immediately loved it. The only challenge was that NASA owned the rights.
A Very Unusual Request
Tal called NASA and hit a dead end. “NASA isn’t selling anything”, he was told by an agitated voice on the other side. Tal said he understood and that he was only asking for permission to release the copyrights for display. He made little progress, so he asked to be put through to the legal department but was denied. Eventually he got through to one of the scientists.
Tal explained the project and the scientist was enthusiastic about the idea of their work being screened in a hotel in Bern, Einstein’s hometown at the time of developing the theory. He was able to connect Tal to NASA’s legal team who were pleased with the idea but told him they had never released copyrights in this way before and did not have a procedure ready. Tal suggested that he draft the documents for them, to which they agreed. After several rounds of edits, NASA approved the release and granted the rights.
Rebuilding an Astrophysical Calculation
Once the file was received, another major obstacle arose. The rendering was designed for a computer screen. The resolution was not usable for the 2 meter x 2.5 meter screen at the hotel. By this stage the project was over budget and there was almost no time left. Still, the story was too good to give up on.
ArtLink brought in two animators who worked for 48 hours straight to rebuild the video frame by frame at a higher resolution. Nothing could be changed creatively because the work was copyrighted. Fourty eight hours and many beers and pizzas later, they delivered and the artwork was installed in 2011 and it is still there today.
A Decade Later
More than ten years later Tal was back in Bern for meetings and decided to visit the hotel. When he walked into the lobby, he saw a group of tourists standing with the concierge, all looking up at the ceiling. The screen was black, and the video artwork was not working.
The concierge was apologetically telling the group that the digital art installation was experiencing a technical issue but asked if they would like to hear the story behind the piece anyway. Tal stood nearby and listened as the young concierge recounted the tale
accurately. When Tal introduced himself afterward, the concierge explained that the story was handed from one concierge to the next whenever staff changed. “Guests often visit specifically to hear it” he said.
Why Narrative Matters in Hospitality
This project became a clear example of what happens when art carries meaning that strongly belongs to a place. A strong narrative helps guests connect more deeply with where they are. It creates interest, sparks curiosity and gives staff something memorable to share. It becomes part of the identity of the hotel.
For hotels looking for new ways to engage guests, this is the real value of cultural storytelling. When done and managed thoughtfully, it lasts. It differentiates and becomes an asset that grows stronger as the years pass.
ArtLink’s role in hospitality is to build these connections. Our focus is always on communicating engaging and genuine narratives through bespoke art collections that remain relevant long after the opening day. The Schweizerhof Bern project is a reminder that when the story is strong, the artwork becomes more than something to look at. It becomes an emotional thought-provoking experience to share and remember.
