The museum that isn’t there
The virtual museum of the De Fornaris Foundation.
A collection without a museum
Guaranteeing a digital experience that is as close as possible to reality is a challenge faced by many museums and organisations in the world of art, even more so in times when physical visits are impossible.
The goal that prompted the De Fornaris Foundation to create “Il Museo che non c’è” (“the museum that isn’t there”), with the support of Infinity Reply, was to provide art enthusiasts worldwide with the opportunity to discover and closely appreciate the works of art in its collection, while staying at home.
Although the Foundation owns a rich collection of artwork, all visible on the new website, it did not own a physical or digital museum in which the entire collection could be permanently exhibited. Only a few works of art were on display at the GAM - the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Turin, but on a rotational basis and for limited periods of time.
A virtual museum that seems real
Thus, the idea of “Il Museo che non c’è” was born, a virtual museum created by Infinity Reply with the help of latest generation technology, while keeping in mind the real experiences of visitors.
While virtually visiting the museum, the user is guided through an environment that’s architecture closely resembles that of the GAM in Turin, in an attempt to maintain a strong sense of continuity with the spaces that physically house the works.
Visitors are able to move around the virtual museum’s rooms and stand in front of the artwork, as if they were in the physical museum. The hot-spots and interactive captions offer visitors key information about the work displayed and, as per the real experience, it is possible to approach the work of art almost to the point where you can touch it, to enjoy and appreciate all of the minute details such as brushstrokes and lines. This is thanks to the high definition image capture of the artwork.
The technology behind the experience
The immersion capabilities of the Oculus experience
In the alternative experience created for 3D viewers, users virtually find themselves inside a digital museum, within which they can move by exploiting the 6 degrees of freedom offered by the technology. Relying on the teleportation functionality, users can position themselves near a work of art and approach it by physically moving (walking, leaning forward), just as though they were in a real museum.
To create this version, Infinity Reply took full advantage of its know-how in the design and development of VR experiences, ensuring adequate positioning of the rooms and a user experience that made it possible to avoid all camera movements that could potentially induce a feeling of nausea for the user.
,allowExpansion)
)
)
)
)
)
De Fornaris Foundation
)
The Guido and Ettore De Fornaris Foundation was founded in Turin in 1982 by the will of the patron and collector Ettore De Fornaris. Since then, it has been active with numerous initiatives in the art scene: it acquires 19th and 20th century and contemporary works of art, it organises exhibitions of its collections and series of meetings, it publishes catalogues, studies and research. In the landscape of Italian art foundations, the De Fornaris Foundation represents a rare example of an institution that works closely with museums such as the GAM - the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Turin, with the specific purpose of expanding the collections. The Foundation owns thousands of paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and graphics collections (drawings, watercolours, engravings and architectural projects) which, following an agreement with the City of Turin, are kept at the GAM.
Infinity Reply is a professional services company specialising in innovative XR solutions and is part of the Reply Group. Infinity Reply acts independently of technologies and industries and offers its clients specific XR solutions optimised for the relevant use case and the relevant framework conditions. The portfolio includes consultancy, design and development, content production and rollout and support of XR solutions.