Five museum technologies ahead of their time
What do museums of the future look like?
In the minds of many people, museums are gradually ceasing to be associated with an inanimate, static place where hundreds and thousands of different exhibits are simply collected. And a visit to a museum - with a thoughtful and silent transition from one object to another. Digital technologies are penetrating the cultural sphere and turning museums and exhibitions into bright, engaging spaces that visitors can interact with. They can touch objects, listen to them, look inside, and immerse themselves in history for a more emotional and multifaceted experience. We tell you what the museum of the future will be like and what technologies will soon become commonplace for visitors.
Virtual and augmented reality
Even in the most traditional museums, which strive to preserve the spirit of old times and classics, AR and VR - augmented and virtual reality technologies - are gradually appearing. They can become a part of almost any object of the exposition: from paintings and sculptures to the entire hall.
For example, with the help of AR, an exhibition visitor, pointing his smartphone at a painting, will see how it is created or how the plot depicted by the artist develops before his eyes. And VR can make some exhibitions entirely virtual, as in the Mars Center. But with the implementation of VR is a little more difficult than with AR, because the implementation often requires special headsets, and they are not cheap. Therefore, not every museum can afford them yet, but there are already examples, and not only abroad.
Now the Museum of Russian Railways in St. Petersburg offers, thanks to VR, to explore the imperial train that ran between St. Petersburg and Helsinki, and go on a quest to find lost items in it. And the Tretyakov Gallery allowed using VR-technologies to be in the studios of Kazimir Malevich and Natalia Goncharova. And not just to see the interior, but to touch it and even paint your own canvas based on the existing ones.
“Together with local residents and local historians, we create free digital audio guides to the country's cities and national places, show the diversity and brightness of the country's natural riches in VR-movies, and through augmented reality (AR) help to touch the iconic events of the places. In autumn, we created a VR-film about the Oglakhty section of the Khakassky Reserve, which gave everyone a unique opportunity to see a cluster of rock paintings, as well as a stylized sculpture “Dinosaur's Nest” consisting of a clutch of eggs of large theropods. On Elbrus, we provided rescuers with smart GPS trackers that help them stay in touch with tourists during the ascent. And with the help of audio excursions with augmented reality (AR) elements, created in the Aptekarsky Goryard and Sochi Arboretum, adults and children will “bring to life” historical events and characters of interactive stories,” shares Olga Yurkova, Head of Ecosystem Product Development Department of MTS Live.
Interactive installations
Moving pictures and changing maps immerse the visitor deeper into what the exposition is about. Such technologies can be not only visual - they are supplemented with sensory elements, which, for example, allow you to interact with the same map and see in detail what exactly changed in the process of movement of continents.
Interactive installations can be used in different ways. For example, the Gilyarovsky Center, a branch of the Museum of Moscow, opened an exposition “Project 1812” dedicated to the 210th anniversary of the Patriotic War. On interactive screens visitors can see how the events of 1812 began, how the fire happened in Moscow and how it was rebuilt anew. Bright dynamic pictures are complemented by an immersive audio play.
Also in museums there are game installations: touch tables and interactive maps, with which you can interact and watch how history develops with each touch. Thanks to such technologies, going to a museum or exhibition becomes an adventure. For example, the Kursk Museum has an installation and a quiz game on the subject of the Battle of Kursk. And the Museum of Local History in Surgut has an installation that allows you to learn about the history of the region.
And besides that, installations can turn almost any space into a museum - all it takes is flat walls and floors, and a small amount of equipment. Artplay proved it: the exhibition “French Impressionism” opened in the Digital Art Center. Visitors get acquainted with copies of works by the best artists of France, but not in the classic format of “walls and paintings in frames”. Canvases by Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Monet and others cover the walls and floors, allowing you to examine these works in detail and immerse yourself in them almost literally with your head. Projectors and special screens are all that is needed to create a museum in any space and give the visitor a new emotional experience.
For example, Artplay is currently hosting an interactive exhibition “The Art of Japan: from Hokusai to the present day”. During the show, objects from paintings and characters come to life on screens, giving visitors a complete immersion in the world of Japanese culture.
The press service of Rostec State Corporation shares the application of modern technologies in the exposition of the museum of the Kaliningrad Combine. The main task for the designers and engineers of the Amber Chamber Museum is to maximize the possibilities of 3D video-visualization to convey the entire color palette of the “sun” stone. The Amber Chamber Museum is equipped with 24 multimedia stands. Each stand is dedicated to a separate subject. Educational videos and popular science movies about amber are loaded on the media player, which automatically broadcasts information to the stand. Touch screens that respond to hand movements are used to operate the stands. Thanks to infrared frame technology, visitors can manually select any nugget from the digital collection and learn more about its unique properties.
Bringing sculptures to life
Looking at a statue of David or a bust of Nefertiti is a pleasure, especially for connoisseurs of antiquity and ancient culture. But if the stone “comes to life”: it shows facial expressions, the movement of tissues on the body or is even able to speak - the acquaintance with art becomes much more fascinating. Museums achieve this effect with the help of 3D projections.
One example of such technology is the monument to physicist and Nobel Prize winner Nikolai Basov by IT GROUP OPEN, installed in the town of Usman in the Lipetsk region. In the daytime, it is no different from classic sculptures: a standard bust on a pedestal, except that next to it there are touch panels with the scientist's biography. But in the evening he talks to people passing by.
Projectors installed next to the bust of Basov transmit his dynamic 3D-portrait, thanks to which facial expressions, including lip movement, and emotions are displayed on the face. “Even details of his clothes come to life: medals on his chest, jacket. And after the welcoming speech is replaced by a light show, which starts on schedule. The duration of the show and the content can be changed in the system. The bust of Basov was included in the list of the best multimedia monuments of the world.
Sensor technologies
The ability to control everything in a museum or exhibition creates the ultimate immersive experience. For this purpose, touch elements are used that react to the slightest movement of the visitor, often without even touching anything. For example, it is enough to make a movement of hands in the air, so that the colors on the picture with the northern lights begin to mix. Touch elements are often combined with interactive installations.
For example, in the Gallery of Modern Art in Kazan in December 2021 opened the exhibition “Nicholas Roerich”. The base were paintings from the Russian Museum, and the organizers added interactive elements to them. Visitors can fly over the mountains that Roerich painted, control the northern lights or paint their own picture based on Roerich's work by simply moving their hands and body.
“In the museum and exhibition center “Mikula” in 2023 it is planned to update the exposition in the historical hall of the museum and refine the exposition in the hall of Soviet life. The museum has purchased equipment to place sound installations in the exposition. In the perspective plans for the next years - inclusion in the updated expositions of sensory technologies”, - says the director of the museum and exhibition center ‘Mikula’ Olga Obidor Olga Obidor.
Another project implemented by Moscow IT GROUP OPEN affects hearing, vision and skin receptors at the Diana Gurtskaya Sociocultural Rehabilitation Center in Moscow. The main object is a huge screen, which is illuminated by two stitched projectors. The wide picture creates the impression of infinite space. This is complemented by surround sound, which spreads evenly in every point of the room thanks to the ceiling placement of its sources. In the sensory room you can create sounds yourself, play with the light with drum beats. In addition, hand movements create music, children's drawings turn into real paintings and much more.
Smart Space
Touch a magnifying glass and examine the details of any museum exhibit, open a book, place a bookmark on a favorite place and listen to the story, touch a belt worn by soldiers and find yourself in a fortified camp in the Italian Alps - all this becomes possible thanks to smart things. And it is an interesting substitute for classic audio guides, which simply narrate the object sequentially from the visitor's headphones or smartphone speaker.
Such smart things, which are embedded in the museum's exposition, are created by meSch. Sensors are built into the exposition space that react to the visitor's interaction with the smart thing. There are similar examples in Russia: for example, a multimedia book in the Museum of History of Yekaterinburg, on the pages of which dynamic old maps and stories about the past appear as if by magic.
The Museum of Russian Railroads was opened only 5 years ago, to coincide with its 180th anniversary. Already at the design stage the authors thought over the use of smart space technologies in the exposition. The basis of the museum collection is a unique collection of original rolling stock: cars, steam locomotives, electric locomotives, diesel locomotives and other railway equipment. Next to each exhibit there is a touch screen kiosk with basic information, detailed characteristics, drawings and photos. For example, a detailed model of Vladivostok station gives an opportunity not only to see a bird's-eye view of a major railway junction during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), but also to click on the objects of interest and learn more details by moving the touch screen along the model on the monorail.
A representative of the Railroad Museum, Alisa Kartoshkina, tells us: “Our goal is to create a digital ecosystem. Every visitor - regardless of where he or she is, how old he or she is, what level of knowledge he or she has - will find an interesting angle for studying the railroad history of our country. And this journey through time and space will become not only fascinating, but also intuitive and comfortable for him”.
What do museums of the future look like?
In the minds of many people, museums are gradually ceasing to be associated with an inanimate, static place where hundreds and thousands of different exhibits are simply collected. And a visit to a museum - with a thoughtful and silent transition from one object to another. Digital technologies are penetrating the cultural sphere and turning museums and exhibitions into bright, engaging spaces that visitors can interact with. They can touch objects, listen to them, look inside, and immerse themselves in history for a more emotional and multifaceted experience. We tell you what the museum of the future will be like and what technologies will soon become commonplace for visitors.
Virtual and augmented reality
Even in the most traditional museums, which strive to preserve the spirit of old times and classics, AR and VR - augmented and virtual reality technologies - are gradually appearing. They can become a part of almost any object of the exposition: from paintings and sculptures to the entire hall.
For example, with the help of AR, an exhibition visitor, pointing his smartphone at a painting, will see how it is created or how the plot depicted by the artist develops before his eyes. And VR can make some exhibitions entirely virtual, as in the Mars Center. But with the implementation of VR is a little more difficult than with AR, because the implementation often requires special headsets, and they are not cheap. Therefore, not every museum can afford them yet, but there are already examples, and not only abroad.
Now the Museum of Russian Railways in St. Petersburg offers, thanks to VR, to explore the imperial train that ran between St. Petersburg and Helsinki, and go on a quest to find lost items in it. And the Tretyakov Gallery allowed using VR-technologies to be in the studios of Kazimir Malevich and Natalia Goncharova. And not just to see the interior, but to touch it and even paint your own canvas based on the existing ones.
“Together with local residents and local historians, we create free digital audio guides to the country's cities and national places, show the diversity and brightness of the country's natural riches in VR-movies, and through augmented reality (AR) help to touch the iconic events of the places. In autumn, we created a VR-film about the Oglakhty section of the Khakassky Reserve, which gave everyone a unique opportunity to see a cluster of rock paintings, as well as a stylized sculpture “Dinosaur's Nest” consisting of a clutch of eggs of large theropods. On Elbrus, we provided rescuers with smart GPS trackers that help them stay in touch with tourists during the ascent. And with the help of audio excursions with augmented reality (AR) elements, created in the Aptekarsky Goryard and Sochi Arboretum, adults and children will “bring to life” historical events and characters of interactive stories,” shares Olga Yurkova, Head of Ecosystem Product Development Department of MTS Live.
Interactive installations
Moving pictures and changing maps immerse the visitor deeper into what the exposition is about. Such technologies can be not only visual - they are supplemented with sensory elements, which, for example, allow you to interact with the same map and see in detail what exactly changed in the process of movement of continents.
Interactive installations can be used in different ways. For example, the Gilyarovsky Center, a branch of the Museum of Moscow, opened an exposition “Project 1812” dedicated to the 210th anniversary of the Patriotic War. On interactive screens visitors can see how the events of 1812 began, how the fire happened in Moscow and how it was rebuilt anew. Bright dynamic pictures are complemented by an immersive audio play.
Also in museums there are game installations: touch tables and interactive maps, with which you can interact and watch how history develops with each touch. Thanks to such technologies, going to a museum or exhibition becomes an adventure. For example, the Kursk Museum has an installation and a quiz game on the subject of the Battle of Kursk. And the Museum of Local History in Surgut has an installation that allows you to learn about the history of the region.
And besides that, installations can turn almost any space into a museum - all it takes is flat walls and floors, and a small amount of equipment. Artplay proved it: the exhibition “French Impressionism” opened in the Digital Art Center. Visitors get acquainted with copies of works by the best artists of France, but not in the classic format of “walls and paintings in frames”. Canvases by Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Monet and others cover the walls and floors, allowing you to examine these works in detail and immerse yourself in them almost literally with your head. Projectors and special screens are all that is needed to create a museum in any space and give the visitor a new emotional experience.
For example, Artplay is currently hosting an interactive exhibition “The Art of Japan: from Hokusai to the present day”. During the show, objects from paintings and characters come to life on screens, giving visitors a complete immersion in the world of Japanese culture.
The press service of Rostec State Corporation shares the application of modern technologies in the exposition of the museum of the Kaliningrad Combine. The main task for the designers and engineers of the Amber Chamber Museum is to maximize the possibilities of 3D video-visualization to convey the entire color palette of the “sun” stone. The Amber Chamber Museum is equipped with 24 multimedia stands. Each stand is dedicated to a separate subject. Educational videos and popular science movies about amber are loaded on the media player, which automatically broadcasts information to the stand. Touch screens that respond to hand movements are used to operate the stands. Thanks to infrared frame technology, visitors can manually select any nugget from the digital collection and learn more about its unique properties.
Bringing sculptures to life
Looking at a statue of David or a bust of Nefertiti is a pleasure, especially for connoisseurs of antiquity and ancient culture. But if the stone “comes to life”: it shows facial expressions, the movement of tissues on the body or is even able to speak - the acquaintance with art becomes much more fascinating. Museums achieve this effect with the help of 3D projections.
One example of such technology is the monument to physicist and Nobel Prize winner Nikolai Basov by IT GROUP OPEN, installed in the town of Usman in the Lipetsk region. In the daytime, it is no different from classic sculptures: a standard bust on a pedestal, except that next to it there are touch panels with the scientist's biography. But in the evening he talks to people passing by.
Projectors installed next to the bust of Basov transmit his dynamic 3D-portrait, thanks to which facial expressions, including lip movement, and emotions are displayed on the face. “Even details of his clothes come to life: medals on his chest, jacket. And after the welcoming speech is replaced by a light show, which starts on schedule. The duration of the show and the content can be changed in the system. The bust of Basov was included in the list of the best multimedia monuments of the world.
Sensor technologies
The ability to control everything in a museum or exhibition creates the ultimate immersive experience. For this purpose, touch elements are used that react to the slightest movement of the visitor, often without even touching anything. For example, it is enough to make a movement of hands in the air, so that the colors on the picture with the northern lights begin to mix. Touch elements are often combined with interactive installations.
For example, in the Gallery of Modern Art in Kazan in December 2021 opened the exhibition “Nicholas Roerich”. The base were paintings from the Russian Museum, and the organizers added interactive elements to them. Visitors can fly over the mountains that Roerich painted, control the northern lights or paint their own picture based on Roerich's work by simply moving their hands and body.
“In the museum and exhibition center “Mikula” in 2023 it is planned to update the exposition in the historical hall of the museum and refine the exposition in the hall of Soviet life. The museum has purchased equipment to place sound installations in the exposition. In the perspective plans for the next years - inclusion in the updated expositions of sensory technologies”, - says the director of the museum and exhibition center ‘Mikula’ Olga Obidor Olga Obidor.
Another project implemented by Moscow IT GROUP OPEN affects hearing, vision and skin receptors at the Diana Gurtskaya Sociocultural Rehabilitation Center in Moscow. The main object is a huge screen, which is illuminated by two stitched projectors. The wide picture creates the impression of infinite space. This is complemented by surround sound, which spreads evenly in every point of the room thanks to the ceiling placement of its sources. In the sensory room you can create sounds yourself, play with the light with drum beats. In addition, hand movements create music, children's drawings turn into real paintings and much more.
Smart Space
Touch a magnifying glass and examine the details of any museum exhibit, open a book, place a bookmark on a favorite place and listen to the story, touch a belt worn by soldiers and find yourself in a fortified camp in the Italian Alps - all this becomes possible thanks to smart things. And it is an interesting substitute for classic audio guides, which simply narrate the object sequentially from the visitor's headphones or smartphone speaker.
Such smart things, which are embedded in the museum's exposition, are created by meSch. Sensors are built into the exposition space that react to the visitor's interaction with the smart thing. There are similar examples in Russia: for example, a multimedia book in the Museum of History of Yekaterinburg, on the pages of which dynamic old maps and stories about the past appear as if by magic.
The Museum of Russian Railroads was opened only 5 years ago, to coincide with its 180th anniversary. Already at the design stage the authors thought over the use of smart space technologies in the exposition. The basis of the museum collection is a unique collection of original rolling stock: cars, steam locomotives, electric locomotives, diesel locomotives and other railway equipment. Next to each exhibit there is a touch screen kiosk with basic information, detailed characteristics, drawings and photos. For example, a detailed model of Vladivostok station gives an opportunity not only to see a bird's-eye view of a major railway junction during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), but also to click on the objects of interest and learn more details by moving the touch screen along the model on the monorail.
A representative of the Railroad Museum, Alisa Kartoshkina, tells us: “Our goal is to create a digital ecosystem. Every visitor - regardless of where he or she is, how old he or she is, what level of knowledge he or she has - will find an interesting angle for studying the railroad history of our country. And this journey through time and space will become not only fascinating, but also intuitive and comfortable for him”.
