When Queen’s House reopened in
October last year following a 15-month refurbishment its art and architecture
had been restored, new exhibitions and commissions unveiled and the Armada
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, saved for the nation earlier this year, taking
pride of place. Not only was the 400-year-old building, brought back to its
former glory but he and other historic characters were also brought back to
life in a new interpretation project using the latest augmented reality (AR)
technology to bring back to life characters associated with the house including
the architect himself. Spirited: A digital adventure is a ground-breaking AR
experience that allows history to come alive in visitors’ hands.
Project Tango technology gives any
mobile device the ability to navigate the physical world in a similar way to
humans. The Queen’s House is one of the world’s first cultural places to trial
this revolutionary technology alongside the Detroit Museum of Art, USA and the
Art Science Museum, Singapore. As part of the experience, users will discover
21 historical characters and the original Gentileschi painting on the ceiling.
The list of spirits in the Great Hall includes: Anne of Denmark,
Henrietta-Maria of France and Inigo Jones. All characters are real models
wearing historical costumes, props, jewels, wigs and make-up and they are using
the Lenovo Phab2Pro phablets. All devices are in a charging deck handed to
visitors by trained museum staff.
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