While the Metropolitan Museum of Art was able to reopen after several months of prudent closure during the spring and summer of 2020, they’ve done so with reduced capacity, limited hours, and reservation requirements that mean that not everyone who wishes to browse the art can do so. And if you are lucky enough to get in, you don’t have leisurely hours to enjoy the collection.
For those who can’t come to the Museum, or those who want to enjoy it at their own pace and unbothered by other concerns, the Museum has launched a virtual gallery experience. Titled “The Met Unframed,” it is a digitally rendered exploration of more than a dozen of the Met’s galleries, with 46 works of art that can be explored in detail, including information about their context and history.
“‘The Met Unframed’ brings the museum to audiences wherever they are in an innovative viewing experience in which users can virtually visit iconic spaces and engage with The Met’s masterpieces, learn more about the works in a playful way through AR, and enjoy bringing the art into one’s own surroundings,” said Max Hollein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
On a mobile device (the site does not work on a desktop), viewers can navigate through the Museum in a way similar to Google Street View. At each site, one can move their phone around to look through it like a window at the galleries. Some artworks open small games or quizzes, and these unlock small augmented reality features such as ‘hanging’ the artwork on your own home walls.
The AR experience was made possible through a partnership between the Met and Verizon, and a few perks are available to select Verizon customers, like paintings which come to life.
“The Met Unframed” is free to experience, but the Met lost an estimated $40 million in revenue in 2020 due to closures and restrictions. If you wish to support them, please take a look at their gift shop or consider a donation.
Source: SI Live
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