A card opens an encounter; it does not certify an identity
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande’s (OSR) augmented greeting card provides a practical example. Following its instructions, a visitor opens the Real Illusions app and points a device at the printed image to encounter the orchestra in augmented reality. The card becomes an entry point to digital expression.
That is the appropriate role for icolocard®: a physical medium that may carry text, animation or 3D content. It can support personal messages, organisations and collectors. It is not, however, an identity credential or proof that every element behind the card is authentic. It is a gateway, not a guarantee.
A book holds context that a link alone cannot carry
With icolobook©, the editorial object remains in the reader’s hands while it may open sound, imagery or spatial content. Its published catalogue names Fantaisie romantique sur deux mélodies suisses, along with an art title associated with Florence Gétreau and Citadelles & Mazenod. Named works such as these make it possible to identify the work, its contributors and its publisher.
The published technology description presents five intended layers: visual recognition of augmented pages, blockchain certification of content, media delivery, spatial computing and publisher analytics. This stated architecture is not an independent audit of every edition. An on-chain record may help show that a file or claim has not changed since certification; it cannot alone establish an artist’s consent, the truth of the original information or lasting access to an experience. A technical trail therefore needs an accountable publisher beside it.
An artist’s presence begins with a real person
icologram® is Cybel’Art’s protocol for capturing a real artist in volumetric 3D and extending that performance into other contexts. It is not defined as an AI-generated character, an avatar assembled from someone’s likeness or a deepfake. Philippe Entremont took part in a documented capture at the Salle de Musique in La Chaux-de-Fonds in mid-November 2019. The OSR also documented, on its icologram® page, the capture of its musicians’ gestures, faces and silences in collaboration with Cybel’Art.
The more convincing a digital presence appears, the more clearly its makers should say when, where and how it was captured; who approved its use; what has been edited; and what the visitor is actually experiencing. Capture supplies a real source; it does not replace that chain of responsibility.
Card, book and captured performance are complementary possibilities, not interchangeable product promises. Nor should they be confused with Virtual Hall®, the separate immersive-performance experience. Across the .icolo SA universe, the aim is to connect an object or spatial medium back to the person, work and institution accountable for it. Trust comes neither automatically from a logo, a blockchain entry nor a realistic image. It is built when a path leads to direct, verifiable answers.
Editorial adaptation of the article by Pierluigi Christophe Orunesu, originally published on Substack on 6 October 2026. Read the original article on Substack