Web and mobile
We review the latest websites and apps
Virtual reality
Space Descent VR with Tim Peake, Science Museum, London
Jonathan Knott goes on a hair-raising journey from outer space to Earth
Objects offer visitors a direct encounter with the past, but one of the challenges for museums is how to convey a real sense of the vivid worlds that those artefacts were once part of.
One interpretive tool that venues are increasingly experimenting with is virtual reality (VR). A new VR project at the Science Museum in London takes visitors on the journey undertaken by British astronaut Tim Peake last year when he travelled back to Earth from the International Space Station.
The 12-minute show has been launched to accompany the museum’s recent display of the small Soyuz TMA-19M descent module used by Peake and two colleagues. The museum says the spacecraft is one of its most important acquisitions ever.
The experience, which uses Samsung Gear headsets, begins while the capsule is connected to the space station and ends with a bumpy landing on the Kazakhstan steppe. The genial Peake is present throughout on a screen in front of you, talking through the process and offering insights and recollections.
The most striking part was the craft’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The experience makes clear how intense it must have been for the astronauts to be cut off from outside communication and see fire outside the window as the insulation layer burned.
Being able to turn your head to view the video from different angles helps make the show immersive. Of course, part of you is always aware that you’re sitting in a chair. Nonetheless, when you remove the headset afterwards, it does feel a little like you really are returning to Earth.
The experience gives a flavour of what the descent must have been like and explains various aspects of it in an engaging way. VR is still relatively new for museums, but this show demonstrates that it has a lot of potential.
Website
National Army Museum, London
The National Army Museum has launched a new website with a brightly coloured design to accompany its reopening after a three-year redevelopment.
The site caters well for a range of audiences. Opening times and details of exhibitions and events are clearly shown, as is information for families and schools. It also features a “growing selection” of digitised objects from the museum’s collection, which can be searched using keywords and categories. It is also possible to select broad themes such as animals and medicine.
There are a large number of articles that convey the scope of the museum’s content. Subjects include the army’s influence on anti-establishment culture, soldiers’ pets and the birth of plastic surgery, as well as explanations of major military campaigns. There are also accounts of the restoration of key objects, such as the skeleton of Napoleon’s horse, Marengo. Some are accompanied by short videos that bring the process to life.
The site takes an eclectic approach to the army’s history. But thankfully, depth has not been sacrificed in the pursuit of breadth. JK
Website
The Museums Map – Nesta
The arts innovation charity Nesta has created an interactive map that provides an accessible visual presentation of how different parts of England are served by museums.
Visitors to the map can switch between three “layers”, each of which provides information on access to England’s 1,304 Accredited museums, using different criteria.
The visualisations can be customised, for example, by filtering for levels of economic deprivation or by using different distances.
The website is a rich resource and highlights some illuminating facts. For example, it shows that Cornwall is the council with the largest number of Accredited museums (31), followed by the London boroughs of Westminster (23) and Camden (22), with Northumberland (21) in fourth place. And more than 90% of England’s population have at least 25 museums within 40km. One positive finding is that 55% of people live within walking distance (4km) of at least one museum. And this rises to 70% for deprived areas.
This map makes clear the strength of the museum sector in England. And, as many institutions come under increasing financial pressure, it could also help to inform debate about its future. JK
Space Descent VR with Tim Peake, Science Museum, London
Jonathan Knott goes on a hair-raising journey from outer space to Earth
Objects offer visitors a direct encounter with the past, but one of the challenges for museums is how to convey a real sense of the vivid worlds that those artefacts were once part of.
One interpretive tool that venues are increasingly experimenting with is virtual reality (VR). A new VR project at the Science Museum in London takes visitors on the journey undertaken by British astronaut Tim Peake last year when he travelled back to Earth from the International Space Station.
The 12-minute show has been launched to accompany the museum’s recent display of the small Soyuz TMA-19M descent module used by Peake and two colleagues. The museum says the spacecraft is one of its most important acquisitions ever.
The experience, which uses Samsung Gear headsets, begins while the capsule is connected to the space station and ends with a bumpy landing on the Kazakhstan steppe. The genial Peake is present throughout on a screen in front of you, talking through the process and offering insights and recollections.
The most striking part was the craft’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The experience makes clear how intense it must have been for the astronauts to be cut off from outside communication and see fire outside the window as the insulation layer burned.
Being able to turn your head to view the video from different angles helps make the show immersive. Of course, part of you is always aware that you’re sitting in a chair. Nonetheless, when you remove the headset afterwards, it does feel a little like you really are returning to Earth.
The experience gives a flavour of what the descent must have been like and explains various aspects of it in an engaging way. VR is still relatively new for museums, but this show demonstrates that it has a lot of potential.
Website
National Army Museum, London
The National Army Museum has launched a new website with a brightly coloured design to accompany its reopening after a three-year redevelopment.
The site caters well for a range of audiences. Opening times and details of exhibitions and events are clearly shown, as is information for families and schools. It also features a “growing selection” of digitised objects from the museum’s collection, which can be searched using keywords and categories. It is also possible to select broad themes such as animals and medicine.
There are a large number of articles that convey the scope of the museum’s content. Subjects include the army’s influence on anti-establishment culture, soldiers’ pets and the birth of plastic surgery, as well as explanations of major military campaigns. There are also accounts of the restoration of key objects, such as the skeleton of Napoleon’s horse, Marengo. Some are accompanied by short videos that bring the process to life.
The site takes an eclectic approach to the army’s history. But thankfully, depth has not been sacrificed in the pursuit of breadth. JK
Website
The Museums Map – Nesta
The arts innovation charity Nesta has created an interactive map that provides an accessible visual presentation of how different parts of England are served by museums.
Visitors to the map can switch between three “layers”, each of which provides information on access to England’s 1,304 Accredited museums, using different criteria.
The visualisations can be customised, for example, by filtering for levels of economic deprivation or by using different distances.
The website is a rich resource and highlights some illuminating facts. For example, it shows that Cornwall is the council with the largest number of Accredited museums (31), followed by the London boroughs of Westminster (23) and Camden (22), with Northumberland (21) in fourth place. And more than 90% of England’s population have at least 25 museums within 40km. One positive finding is that 55% of people live within walking distance (4km) of at least one museum. And this rises to 70% for deprived areas.
This map makes clear the strength of the museum sector in England. And, as many institutions come under increasing financial pressure, it could also help to inform debate about its future. JK