Monday, July 27, 2009

Just a lift of the finger....

is all you'll need for access to over 250 works in London's National Gallery. Last month, the Gallery launched a new iphone application, called Love Art, that allows iphone and iTouch users to explore 250 of the Gallery's best and well-known paintings right from their phone. In addition to zoom features to take an even closer look at the fine details, Love Art users can enjoy over three hours of video and audio commentary with stories behind all their masterpieces. Some of the works featured are by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Jan van Eyck. The application is designed to appeal to art enthusiasts and novices alike, giving peaks and hints into these works the eye might not have noticed on its own.

If you don't have an iPhone (like myself), you're not out of luck. The NG has also relaunched its website to offer a full-screen zoom function for the first time and allow users to browse the gallery room by room. The National Gallery is the first major art gallery in the world to offer a mini-tour using an iPhone application.

Love Art can be downloaded from Apple’s online iTunes Store, one of the world’s leading sites for downloading audio content. You can also read more about the app itself an Antennae Audio who was a partner in the project, here.

It's becoming more and more crucial for Museums to incorporate technology into their sphere to stay accessible, relevant and up to date with their audiences. (I finally got the Biggs on facebook about a month ago, so if you're perusing the site, be sure to become out fan!) Love Art is a huge step for Museums in general to expand their global audience. London's National Gallery is a free museum anyways, so why should we have to visit it physically to enjoy all the treasures.

No comments: