Aug 2, 2018
5 Tools To Enable Cultural Access Through Technology
Over the past decade we have seen a rise of cutting edge technology being used to enhance the cultural experiences at museums, art galleries, and cultural centres. Tech companies have been busy creating innovative ways for cultural institutions to share their slice of culture, both within their buildings and beyond the confines of the walls.
As Jane Alexander, chief information officer at the Cleveland Museum of Art , said “The best use of digital is to not make you aware of the technology, but to make you aware of the art.” We, here at Codex, love that quote. We think that the art and artifacts should be the focal point. It’s the technology companies job to help make the viewers experience even more amazing. There are many technologies out there doing just that. Let’s take a look at some of our favourite apps that are truly enhancing the cultural experience.
Pufferfish has upped the game in innovative digital displays. Created by Oliver Collier and Will Cavendish, they made their company the leader in spherical projection technology. These beautiful designs present data and stories that truly resonate with the audience. Their big break came when Coldplay commissioned Pufferfish to create multiple digital displays for the their ‘Viva la Vida’ World Tour allowing their displays to be seen across the world. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Pufferfish works with organizations to transform their stories and data into stunning spherical projection displays. They have different packages available with different features depending on budget and timeframe the display is needed.
The Gamar application was designed for museums to help engage the cell phone generation of museum visitors. Museum personnel can create online tours throughout their museum allowing visitors to interact with objects and spaces or play interactive games through their mobile device as they walk around. An example of what can be created is visitors can point their device at a museum artifact and watch it come alive, tell you a story, and encourage you to engage, think, and learn.
The software application is easy to use and they boast that anyone, no matter what level of technical skills, can create engaging visitor tours and games. Gamar takes traditional audio tours to the next level. To access these tours and games, visitors download the app, visit the museum, and start the tour.
EDM Studio created an innovative touchscreen software for exploring historical events. Timeline provides 'touch friendly' screens to present the historical events for a particular exhibition.
Timeline can be used on just one screen or multiple screens ensuring the desired visitor experience is achieved. In a single screen set up, Timeline acts like a portal of a digital chronology. On a multi-screen set up, each screen represents a particular segment of history. Put together, this selection of screens allows the visitor to explore an entire historical period.
Our friends over at Sketchfab have been making it easy for anyone to publish and find 3D content online. They already have millions of creators who have published millions of models.
The history of Sketchfab starts back in 2012. The founders, Alban Denoyel, Cedric Pinson, and Pierre-Antoine Passet noticed that people were making amazing 3D models, but then when they went to share images they were just boring screenshots that didn’t show how amazing they 3D models actually were. This lead to the start of Sketchfab. Fast forward to 2018, and they have artists, designers, architects, hobbyists, engineers, brands, museums, game studios, and schools all using their app. Their goal is to turn 3D into a mainstream media format.
Codex, our virtual museum, is a way for museums, art galleries, and cultural centres to extend their museum beyond the confines of their walls. A combined archival tool and exhibit platform, institutions can use this drag and drop templated system to created stunning exhibitions online. Codex can be integrated into your existing website so that it simply feels like the storytelling section of your website.
The beauty of Codex is that multiple people, including community members are able to contribute to the exhibits. If community members have artifacts or images that they don’t want to physically contribute but are willing to take photos, then these can be uploaded for the institution to share online immediately. Codex can help you reach new audience and draw them into your museum.
Whether your institution is small or large, there is a technology out there that can help your cultural content reach a new audience, enhance and refresh an existing exhibit or simply enhance the physical experience. Technology is here to help institutions with a breath of fresh air!
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