rtifacts and paintings are more than just objects on display. They are a window into the past and an absorbing way to learn about history. But let’s face
it – art in general can be tricky to understand. And most of the time, visiting a museum just means wandering around galleries, often with little context or information beyond a small placard or brochure.
For this reason, we have to rely on our imagination to fully comprehend how the pieces were used, what feelings the painter wanted to portray, and how all of these fit into the broader historical context. This, unfortunately, results in an experience that left many of us feeling underwhelmed or disconnected from the underlying meaning, sometimes leaving the museum with little or even no knowledge of what we had just seen.
But Augmented Reality (AR) has made museums fun!
Nowadays with the help of immersive technology, we get to dive into a time-traveling adventure by being taken to a period when a particular work of art was created. This way, museums offer us the ability to gain information, while also having fun at the same time! Let’s face it – it will be a worthy topic of discussion and we get to share our new-learned information with everyone.
Imagine this: you're at your local historical museum – the one you’ve been avoiding forever because you don’t think it’s interesting enough. But as you’re walking through the hallways, suddenly, you see a 3D hologram of an old relic. As it is rotating, complex details regarding its style or the era in which it was created, all appear on the display. Mixed reality experiences help different events be exposed more easily and get a more entertaining experience.
Or imagine that you’re standing in front of a painting. This is the first time you’ve seen this artist and maybe you don’t know much about their life or their style. But with a quick scan of your smartphone, you can see the painting come to life with animations, audio, and video that explain the history and context behind the artwork. Or you might even be able to see a virtual reconstruction of the painting’s original context, such as the room it was displayed in or the people who would have viewed it.
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With the right technology, history is brought to life in museums!
AR technology is an increasingly popular tool for making historical events more accessible and engaging. The key to making these experiences immersive is using AR as an interface between one's physical world and digital world.
Let's say that you are going to see a piece of artwork from an artist you are interested in at a museum exhibit and you want to learn more about it before or after your visit. You can use AR-enabled devices which have built-in cameras on them to do that! Easy and pretty fun! But enough of this talk, let’s see a real-life example.
In 2017, the Museum of Broken Relationships in Berlin opened its doors to visitors. The museum is designed to look like a house with rooms dedicated to different types of relationships: love, hate, and everything in between. Visitors can explore this virtual space by using their smartphone or tablet as an external camera that allows them to see what is happening inside the building through augmented reality (AR). It was a big hit with the audiences and spawned plenty of variations.
The benefits surrounding augmented reality should be taken into consideration by museums
With AR technology, visitors have a better experience as they're able to interact with content in ways that were previously impossible or difficult for them. For example, an art museum can use AR technology to allow visitors to view paintings from different angles. How cool is that? Or even see how those pieces of art would look if they were hung on their walls. You probably thought about how “Starry Nights” by Van Gogh would look in your living room. Or maybe Mona Lisa?
This type of interaction allows people who have disabilities or limited mobility to access the institution's exhibits and collections without difficulty and experience it the same as other people. This way, everyone has an equal opportunity to learn about history and culture! It is a wholesome development that we should see more of in museums!
And let’s not forget to talk about how AR improves accessibility for all audiences. By making information more approachable through smartphones and tablets, museums can reach non-traditional audiences who may not otherwise be able to visit in person due to a lack of funds (that is rarely the case as museums are not that expensive). Sometimes it is pure laziness! Let’s face it – we’ve all been there! But with AR, the process is more fun and engaging!
But let us not get ahead of ourselves, as the implementation of AR in museums comes with many challenges!
For example, it is demanding to ensure that the AR experience is seamless from a user's perspective. A person may experience lag or other issues when interacting with an augmented reality object or space. Additionally, museum visitors tend to be sensitive about their privacy and personal information. No one wants their details to be shared in unwanted places!
Furthermore, there are limitations concerning what can be presented through augmented reality technology: virtual objects cannot be touched exactly as you would in your physical world. They also lack depth perception due to their lack of realism compared with their real-life counterparts (take paintings as an example).
Indeed, we are not there yet! Augmented reality still needs to develop a lot more before being integrated into every museum experience. But if you stumble upon a museum that offers AR experiences, we recommend you take them! You have nothing to lose, and they are usually pretty fun!
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