Proposal for paper Museums and the Web 2011

 Authors: Margriet Schavemaker (Stedelijk Museum) en Hein Wils (Stedelijk Museum), Paul Stork en Ebelien Pondaag (Fabrique)

 In 2009 Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam started the project ARtours. This project aims at investigating and producing augmented reality tours around the collection of the Stedelijk and modern art in general. The project aims at both indoor and outdoor applications:

-          Indoor as a replacement or addition to the classic audio tour.

-          Outdoor as a new experience and new interactions with modern art

In both instances not only the current collection is used but also new developed art forms and new narratives will be incorporated in the project.

The paper will describe the project in all its aspects. Ranging from AR technologies and AR mobile browsers to storytelling and enhancing the user experience inside and outside the museum. The two year project is halfway. Several pilots and its conclusions from this first period will be described. One of the pilots is 'Ik op het museumplein' (myself on the museum square). Virtual three dimensional art is presented on specific locations and accessible through the augmented reality browser Layar. Outside on de museum square in Amsterdam people with an Iphone or Adroid smart phone with Layar can walk around and engage with virtual art (virtual 3D objects and sound). Another pilot is a virtual art library. Again with the use of Layar users can borrow art objects from the museum and place these objects in de space around them. This pilot was conducted during the Lowlands music festival in the summer. A third pilot is the design tour. In an walk through the city of Amsterdam users can experience (interior, product, graphic) design in it's context. Users can walk from one virtual object to another and learn more about the object and the place it is linked to.

The project focuses on a wide range of aspects such as technical, user experience, creation and management of information, indoor and outdoor, young and older audiences.