Recently we had an opportunity to speak with Giuseppe Ragazzini, the visual artist, painter, illustrator, set designer at Giuseppe Ragazzini about Mixerpiece

Please share with us the backstory of what motivated you to create this app.

In 2016 I concieved and realized a permanent video installation in the Lounge of the Meyer Pediatric Hospital in Florence. 90 minutes of pictorials animations and children's contents projected on two huge LCD screens were installed in two recessed wall windows ("The Dreams Windows"). I also specifically concieved an iOS and Android creative app for children, "Meyer Art", that was installed on four 80 inch touch screens mounted in the wall beside the main two LCD screens of the "Dreaming Windows". After this experience I turned my attention to art and childhood more broadly, and concieved my app "MIXERPIECE", a new creative and educational art app, for children but also for artists and creative adults.

What features do you hope to roll out to your app in the future?

In the next update I will add a function to upload your personal items trough your camera.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of the creation of this app?

I realized that Mixerpiece is a tool that gives the user infinite potential knowledge and deligh, inspires creativity and promotes new ways of learning. Is the ideal tool to stimulate imagination and visual associations for educational purposes: it can be used in art educational programs in museums and schools and in therapeutic programs for children in pediatric clinics and other settings.

What is the coolest or most innovative feature of your app?

Two of my favorite and coolest Mixerpiece's functions are that you can "tap and hold" on to the items to show the detail and the original masterpiece where the items come from.

After you create your collage artwork, if you desire another path to artistic inspiration you can "shake the tablet" and Mixerpiece recomposes your creation with random elements from the item's categories you used in the composition. The creative possibilities are really endless!

What surprised you most in your journey to create this app?

I think the most surprising thing is that as an artist myself I realized Mixerpiece it could be a really powerful creative instrument not only for children but also for professional artists. I'm already working on my personal version whit my personal art pieces to create my original illustrations and artworks in my artistic style.

Which other mobile apps or technology have inspired you?

I've studied a lot of mobile apps, especially art and collages apps and museums apps, to understand how to make Mixerpiece's interface the more intuitive and easy to use also for children.

Do you have any recommendations or advice for others wanting to create a mobile app?

I think one of the secret of Mixerpiece is its simplicity. The interface is very easy to use even if it has some powerful tools. So I would advice a developer to keep his app as clear and comprehensible as possible.

How did you decide which platforms to release your app on and do you plan on releasing your app to other platforms?

Mixerpiece is available for iOS (only iPad) and Android tablets. I would like to make a version also for mobile phones, and lot of people are already asking me for this. Mixer piece is a personal investment and it coast me a lot of efforts and money, so I'll have to wait a bit to make this further investment. But I'm confident.

How is your app different than the rest of the market? Which unique need does it fill?

“Mixerpiece" acts as a digital magnetic board, with more than 200 items and shapes which can be used and combined to create new works of art while learning art history at the same time.Indeed, all of the items the child can play with and mix together are taken from some of the greatest masterpieces of all time (all works and pictures in the public domain).

You can view Mixerpiece here