Frankfurt, Germany — The Möbius project marked a significant milestone with its Closing Event during the Frankfurt Book Fair 2023, held from the 18th to the 22nd of October. The fair was a platform for Möbius to unveil its preliminary outcomes, engage visitors in workshops, present panel discussions, and introduce attendees to innovative experiences, notably its Mobile Immersive Book Box and its immersive VR experiences.   

Möbius set up a dedicated booth and its stands in synergy with the Möbius Mobile Book Box. The project’s consortium organised, a series of activities that greatly enhanced the fair experience for the attendees, including a presentation on the project’s preliminary results, the Möbius Policy Event, and a workshop on the Möbius Prosumer Intelligence Toolkit (PIT). 

It’s Time to For a Project Overview 

The first part of Möbius Closing Events revealed a project’s overview of Möbius’ innovative potential for the book and publishing sector. The presentation set the tone for exciting discussions together with the Möbius partners from Eurecat, KKW, Bookabook, IMEC, DEN Institute and IN2. Also with the participation of Franz Fischnaller, media artist; and the author Giulio Ravizza. Stella Diakou, Möbius partner from DEN Institute, developed that “Books and reading have always had a social and cultural function – even if not very visible. However, now, the digital transformation of books creates the opportunity for a very obvious social and cultural function of books, namely that young generations can connect through reading, through the very large fanfiction communities where authors create close connections with the community, and also through the fact that people can write and self-publish books online and reach a very wide audience.” 

The  Möbius Policy Event was another highlight of Möbius’ presence in Frankfurt, which brought together key stakeholders from the world of publishing and of digital innovation to discuss the evolving landscape of the book and publishing sector. The Policy Event, organised by DEN Institute with the support of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, explored how cross-sectoriality shapes the industry,comparing theories, practices, and data, to inform future strategies. Thed discussion was composed of five panelists and was moderated by Stella Diakou. On stage we had Miha Kovač, Professor (University of Ljubljana) and author, guest of honor of the Buchmesse 2023; José Manuel Anta, Director of FANDE (Federation of National Associations of Book Distributors) and IPDA (International Publishing Distribution Association); Simone Lippold, expert and manager, HelloAgile; Arantza Larrauri, General Director and Advisor of Libranda / Market Director of Europe and LATAM at Grupo De Marque; Federico Pianzola, Assistant Professor in Computational Humanities, University of Groningen.  

José Manuel Anta, focused on the need of the upskilling and reskilling of the professionals of the publishing sector in terms of using the newest tools in the market: “The industry is creating excellent tools, but at the same time, we need people to know how to use them. Technology is transforming the skills of professionals in the sector. That is why it is essential to upskill and reskill professionals.” 

New ways of reading are arising more and more. People’s behaviour is changing, Federico Pianzola, Assistant Professor in Computational Humanities, University of Groningen, explained: “We are living in a Gutenberg parenthesis. There are a lot of different media and different digital platforms that are changing how people consume books. High-level reading is important, but we cannot miss digital reading, especially for younger generations.” The diverse contributions of the panelists made the policy event a dynamic moment for knowledge exchange and forward-thinking dialogues. 

Möbius Experimental Productions 

Möbius experimental productions aim at demonstrating and validating the project value proposition through user-driven and enriched book experiences based on The influence of blue, the Italian novel by Giulio Ravizza, published by Bookabook in 2019, and Fantasy into Möbius, the short story by Filippo Rubulotta which won the project’s Call for manuscripts in 2022. The Möbius experimental productions consist of four elements: the immersive individual book experiences generated using the Möbius Book Creator and accessible through the Möbius Player, the Mobile Immersive Book Box, the VR experience, and the Möbius immersive book art installation (an immersive show created by Franz Fischnaller, Media Artist, and Rupert Huber, Sound Designer, produced by Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig).  

The Mobile Immersive Book Box (MIBB) is a transportable 5m x 5m x 3m projection space with a 3D audio system, allowing an immersive experience of the contents of a book. The immersive art installation is accompanied by its own soundtrack, specially composed to enhance the storytelling experience. The VR experience is a 360 virtual-reality visualisation of the fantasy world of the Möbius novels. 

The Möbius Culminating Event 

The Frankfurt Book Fair, an internationally acclaimed trade fair for publishing and content, provided the backdrop for the Möbius Closing Event. To ensure maximum engagement with stakeholders in the publishing and policy sectors, Möbius leveraged the networks and activities of its partners, MVB and FEP. MVB, a subsidiary of the German Association of Publishers and Booksellers, plays a crucial role in the organization of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Consequently, Möbius chose to host its closing event at the fair, reaching out to publishers, prosumers, creative and cultural industries, policy influencers, academics, researchers, and open-source communities.   

While the main activities showcasing Möbius project preliminary results occurred during the Frankfurt Book Fair, the consortium recognized the importance of sharing further findings and updates emerging in the project’s final months. Therefore, the second part of the Möbius Closing Event is scheduled for the end of February 2024, during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, held by Möbius partner Mobile World Capital Barcelona.