Artworks are highly coded power objects. At best, they serve as windows onto profound and unspeakable experience; at worst, they're simply "wall obstructions." In this paper, two issues will be addressed: (1) What do artists, in their role as extremely subtle information designers, have to teach us about how deep knowledge is conveyed? What do their visual strategies teach us about interface? And (2) how can a digital program be designed that respects the properties inherent in each artwork, and yet harnesses the power of multimedia to make connections across space and time?