Augmented Reality Used to Expand Exhibit’s Information
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures debuted Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1978 exhibit, which showcases the struggles and triumphs of Black film artists as the medium was begin to grow.
This multi-media exhibit is a must-see for many reasons, but the main reason I want to acknowledge is its use of Augmented Reality (AR) within the exhibit.
Per Oxford Languages, AR is defined as “a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.”
An example of AR is the popular game Pokemon GO in which players can choose to see a 3D rendering of a pokémon through their cameras against the scene in front of them.
Another example are filters on social media that lay images on a face in the camera function of the apps.
AR in the Exhibit
The exhibit with the AR was an installment called Glamour Wall. There are 51 black-and-white headshots mounted on the wall—a perfect grid of three rows and 17 columns.
The vinyl plaque on the wall has a QR code and reads, “Scan the QR code to learn more about these Black film stars and icons, their stories, relationships, struggles, and achievements.”
The QR code, after scanned with a smartphone camera, opens a website created for the exhibit. When the camera is pointed to the wall of headshots, a yellow dot appears on the lower left corner of the headshots on the screen.
The yellow dot, when touched, opens a modal with more information about the artist. The model can be closed and another dot can be selected.
When I came across this installation I was excited. Although something like this won’t be difficult to achieve for a prestigious institution like the Academy, it’s exciting to see how simple technology can expand the museum experience.
There’s a couple reasons why incorporating tech-based installations could be beneficial to institutions.
For one, more information could be added to exhibits without having to create full displays that could take up space. These kinds of AR installations could also minimize budget without omitting information from the exhibit.
Another reason is guest engagement. Studies have shown that out of the four factors museum visitors were tested on—Engagement, Knowledge/Learning, Meaningful Experience and Emotional Connection—visitors who used multimedia guides reported being more engaged than visitors who did not use them.
