Holographic exhibitions are helping to enhance museums’ digital estates and giving them a gateway into the metaverse
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed digital technologies to the fore and accelerated museums’ growth into the digital space. After two challenging years in which many institutions have faced long closures and lost revenue, the potential for online engagement and digital accessibility has been one of the few shining lights and sources of comfort for museums and heritage organisations.
Now, a new partnership between immersive technology specialist Perception and consulting firm GT Advisory Services is set to help museums to grow further into the world of digital exhibitions with the launch of Holo-Museum into the African continent.
Already being used by the Imperial War Museums and Science Museums in the UK to develop holographic exhibitions for schools and universities, Perception’s unique Desktop AR technology – the innovation behind the Holo-Museum – represents an exciting and cost effective solution for museums and heritage organisations.
Once digitised, artworks and artefacts can be converted into 3D representations that leap from the screen, requiring nothing more than the Desktop AR app and a pair of cheap 3D glasses. The ease of accessibility offered by Holo-Museum provides a stark contrast to costly Virtual Reality headsets and other 3D immersive platforms.
Other notable museums to have already showcased exhibitions on Holo-Museum include The Hunt Museum, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, the Anglo-Boer War Museum and Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography. It is now estimated that more than 7,000 students across more than 150 schools in 24 countries have now explored Holo-Museum.
In addition to the benefits of having a dedicated digital space for immersive exhibitions on Holo-Museum, Perception’s 3D representations are also created as Holo-NFTs – stored on the blockchain in The Morpheus Project Metaverse and with the ability to be sold or licensed. This, as Perception’s CEO, Dr Sirisilp Kongsilp explains, represents a valuable revenue stream during a difficult financial period for cultural institutions:
“We have already seen phenomenal interest in our Holo-Museum platform since its launch, with museums able to exhibit works holographically and reach engaged audiences around the world. But the ability to create Holo-NFTs has also gained real interest from cultural organisations because it allows them to raise funds from their assets.
“One of the many benefits of the NFT format is that it is so easy to manage rights and intellectual property on the blockchain, which is an important consideration for museums and heritage sites concerned about their assets being reproduced illegally.
“Holo-Museum and Holo-NFTs also enable museums to take their first steps into the Metaverse and grow a digital footprint that will serve them long into the future. Not only that but the ability to generate revenue from NFTs makes it possible to make this digitisation financially sustainable.”
The launch of Holo-Museum into the African market began in January 2022, with a webinar hosted jointly by Perception and GT Advisory Services to introduce the platform to educators and organisations. Attended by museum professionals, government representatives and financial institutions, the successful webinar represents the first step in a process that will see GT Advisory Services attract further cultural organisations onto the platform to appeal to students of all ages in a creative digital space.
Speaking at the launch, GT Advisory Services’ Abdul-Moutie Abrahams, said,
“We are passionate about supporting organisations in the arts and culture to navigate their digital transformations. Museums, galleries and heritage institutions have so much to offer in the metaverse and we believe that, in partnership with Perception, we can help tell their stories through immersive experiences, reaching a diverse audience of people who may not be able to reach a physical museum space.”
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