‘Exhibitions give ammunition to think about things’, curator Paola Antonelli of New York’s Museum of Modern Art stated in a recent interview with WDCD, over on our Instagram page. And right she is. That’s why, in these confusing times, we’re longing so much to dwell through museums again. And why museums are working like crazy to go digital.
Cultural scenes all around the globe adapt, and more and more spaces and organizations have come up with digital alternatives. A lot of art is brought to us through the screen. Most museums start by digitizing their collections – if they hadn’t done this already –, or highlighting one of the artefacts in their stock online and through social media.
Meanwhile, creative initiatives make us realize even better how inspiring looking at art can be. For example, take a look at the Instagram account @tussenkunstenquarantaine (with 232.000 followers in less than two months!) or search Insta using #museumandchill.
It gets even more interesting if the digital space is used to show art in another context, in a way that is not possible in the physical world. This enables you to experience art in non-traditional ways. When the ‘making of’ is made visible, for instance, or when the journey through an online collection is turned into an exciting adventure trip full of unexpected discoveries. 3D techniques and comments from experts can make an online museum visit even more entertaining and educational.
We’ve picked some online art experiences that can keep you roaming at art and culture for a very, very long time.
The Museum of the World
An amazing result of a collaboration between the British Museum and Google Cultural Institute interconnects the art from all continents and the era’s in one timeline grid.
britishmuseum.withgoogle.com
Google Arts & Culture
Arts and Culture
Explore, explore, explore! Google Arts and Culture helps you wander through art in high definition and storytelling ways.
artsandculture.google.com
George Korsmit, Hommage to the Soul, Schunck Heerlen
Short video of the making off a wall painting by George Korsmit in the staircase of SCHUNK Glass palace in Heerlen. Korsmit’s assistants chose blind 223 colors from 1114 Pantone colors. The size and grid were determined using dice.
Watch this video on YouTube.
Thuismuseum
Vlogs on all kinds of exhibitions and artworks by cultural vlogger Jip Heijmerlink (in Dutch).
thuismuseum.mydailyshotofculture.com
Getty Museum
A huge collection of guided tours through exhibitions and peaks behind the scenes at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
www.facebook.com/watch/gettymuseum
Guggenhein books
Guggenheim: 200 Art Books
Apart from virtual tours, access tot the collection, short interviews with artists and online programs (www.guggenheim.org), the Guggenheim Museum in New York put 200 art books online for free. Catalogues and monographs from between 1936 and 2003.
archive.org/details/guggenheimmuseum