Sponsored post from terratravel.info
The Pushkin Card, student discounts, free admission for children, new draft laws — it’s all about museums. But what’s actually interesting there?
When we hear the phrase “let’s go to a museum,” an image immediately comes to mind: quiet halls where paintings hang and sculptures stand, silently telling their stories. Since childhood we were taught to value art, and now that we’re grown, there are even more exhibitions and creators making incredible things. But here’s the problem: young people increasingly prefer more modern formats of cultural leisure. Instead of wandering museum halls, many of us spend time on social networks or watching TV series. It doesn’t sound as romantic as we imagined, does it?
The quick dopamine rush we get from bright images and videos on the internet can overshadow our perception of real beauty. Surprising a teenager has become a real challenge. But that doesn’t mean all is lost.
Museums have begun actively introducing interactive elements, and this really changes the game. Digital technologies make exhibitions more engaging and accessible. Now you can not only look at paintings but interact with them. This attracts not only young people but visitors of all ages.
Earlier we already covered a new initiative regarding free museum visits for Russian citizens. The bill from Andrey Ryabokon — a deputy of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly — is currently under consideration.
Today we’ll talk with two interesting experts: a creative genius from the world of digital technologies and the editor-in-chief of the project ‘Let’s Go to the Museum.’ We’ll find out how interactive installations affect museums’ popularity and how augmented and virtual reality are changing our experience of visiting cultural spaces.
Which museums in Russia have already implemented interactive elements?
1. The State Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg):
• The Hermitage actively uses digital technologies to create interactive exhibitions. For example, the “Hermitage 3D” project allows virtual tours of the museum and its exhibits. There are also exhibitions with augmented reality, where you can interact with artworks via mobile applications.
2. Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA):
• At MMOMA you’ll find various interactive installations where visitors can participate in creating art objects. Exhibitions often include multimedia elements and digital technologies, allowing visitors to interact with works and even influence their form.
3. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow):
• The museum is actively developing digital projects. It has interactive screens and audio guides that allow visitors to choose different tour routes. There are also events where you can create your own artwork under the guidance of artists.
4. The State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow):
• The Tretyakov Gallery implements interactive elements through mobile apps that provide additional information about paintings and artists. Some exhibitions use augmented reality technologies to show paintings in a new light.
5. Center for Contemporary Art “Winzavod” (Moscow):
• This center is aimed at a young audience and offers many interactive exhibitions. Visitors can interact with art objects here, creating unique experiences.
6. Museum of Science and Art “Experimentanium” (Moscow):
• This is where science and art meet. Visitors can participate in scientific experiments and interactive exhibitions, making it popular for family outings.
7. The Museum of Cosmonautics (Moscow):
• It features interactive displays that let visitors learn about space through various multimedia installations and simulators, making visits both entertaining and informative.
In the context of our topic, we managed to speak with experts from two sides of the art world: creators of digital content who develop new forms of audience interaction, and researchers who study the effects of these technologies on perception and understanding of art. Their opinions and ideas help to better understand how modern technologies affect museums and their roles in society.
Elizaveta Delorosa — editor-in-chief of the project ‘Let’s Go to the Museum’
Still from a virtual 3D tour of the Hermitage
1. How will the role of museums in society change with new technologies?
The role of museums in society is undergoing significant changes under the influence of new technologies, and this shift goes beyond merely introducing interactive screens. Technologies are transforming museums at every level — from the collection and preservation of artifacts to audience engagement.
Modern technologies allow the creation of virtual tours, 3D models, and online exhibitions, making collections accessible to a wide audience, including people with disabilities. Artificial intelligence (AI) helps to create personalized routes for visitors, increasing engagement.
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) open new possibilities for interactive engagement with exhibits, allowing visitors to “try on” historical clothing or “be present” at historical events.
‘Digital conservation’ technologies make it possible to create digital copies of artifacts, ensuring their preservation and availability for research even when physical contact with the original is impossible. This is especially important for fragile or vulnerable items.
Digital conservation allows the creation of digital replicas of artifacts, ensuring their preservation and availability for research. AI also helps analyze large volumes of data, accelerating scientific research. For example, it was used to decipher the text of a carbonized scroll from Herculaneum, found after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The emergence of new technologies requires mastering new skills and specializations. Museums need IT specialists, digital marketers, and data managers, and the role of museum staff is shifting from keeper of objects to curator of experiences and creator of digital content.
2. Can you give examples of successful interactive projects that had a significant impact on audiences?
I can provide a few examples.
For the largest exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s works at the Louvre, VR developers created a volumetric animated character of the Mona Lisa that could be seen only with virtual reality glasses.
During the COVID-19 pandemic there was an incredible popularization of virtual museums. People in quarantine sought new cultural experiences and visited virtual tours of leading world museums without leaving home. This practice remains in demand today.
3D Mona Lisa in the Louvre
3. How do you approach the process of systematizing information about museums within the ‘Let’s Go to the Museum’ project? There are many museums, it’s important to cover them all — which museums are in greater demand and why? Should they receive more attention due to demand?
Information about museums is systematized in several ways. Our platform features the country’s largest museum catalog. We carefully monitor the accuracy of the information and work closely with museum representatives to promptly update data. The site has a Blog where information about new exhibitions and events in the museum world is posted. There is also a ‘Museums by Year’ section on the platform, which presents a chronology of museum openings in the country from 1714 to the present. Certainly, there is steady demand for museums with a rich history, but we also see private projects attracting attention.
Among private projects we have collaborated with, I can highlight the museums ‘V Tishine’ (In Silence), the PARADOX group of museums in Zelenogradsk, and the Museum of Garbage. Demand for museums depends on many factors; in my view the most important are the ability to connect with an audience, an unusual concept, and a unique image.
Darya Matorina — digital producer, co-owner of the media programming studio Int-React
1. Which modern technologies are most promising for interactive exhibitions?
Under current conditions, various technologies such as sensors, trackers, lidars, and Kinects are being actively implemented and will continue to develop. These tools, including microcontrollers, provide opportunities for custom-configured installations and the integration of different systems into a single art construction.
Modern viewers want not just to observe but to become active participants in an exhibit. Interactive technologies play a key role in this process, allowing people to interact with art objects. This interaction requires visitors to act — they can touch, manipulate, and explore installations, which greatly increases engagement.
2. How do augmented and virtual reality change the museum experience?
The use of virtual and augmented reality in museums is an excellent way to make visits more interesting and engaging. These technologies allow people to be transported to different times and places, showing historical events or themes, and to recreate exhibits that cannot be displayed physically.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) provide the opportunity not only to look at objects but to interact with them. This makes exhibitions more attractive and memorable. Visitors can not only observe art or history but actively participate in the process.
Although such technologies already exist, their use in museums continues to evolve and opens new possibilities for communicating culture. This helps museums stand out from traditional exhibitions and attract more visitors.
3. What difficulties arise when integrating technologies into traditional exhibitions?
One of the main problems is complex approval processes. It often takes a long time to get consent for new ideas, which delays the development of innovative solutions. As a result, many resources are spent on paperwork, which hinders the effective use of new technologies.
Another problem is insufficient electrical capacity in museums. This can lead to equipment failures, especially when resource-intensive technologies like real-time neural networks are used. Unfortunately, many museums are not ready to invest in upgrading their infrastructure, which also limits their capabilities.
To successfully implement modern technologies in museums, both administrative and technical constraints must be addressed.
Visual interactive art in Russian museums is actively developing thanks to digital technologies. Museums not only preserve cultural heritage but also make it accessible and interesting for everyone. Studying artifacts and implementing widespread digitization only expand the sphere of cultural influence on modern society.
It is necessary to support and develop trends in preserving and enhancing art, as well as historical monuments. If achieving this requires the use of machines, robots, and artificial intelligence, then we should adapt to modern trends and update our tools, taking into account successes achieved and working on mistakes made.
Source of the publication: https://terratravel.info/mag/zachem-idti-v-muzej/
