January 8th, 2009 §
Here’s one more reason I have to go to Tokyo, and soon. The Museum Lab, a joint project between the Louvre and Dai Nippon Printing, is an experimental space in Tokyo, Japan that combines the high art of the Louvre with brand new technology. Exhibitions change every four to five months, and focus on one sole artwork, surrounded by multimedia setups that present extensive research on the painting or sculpture by the Louvre art historians.
The current exhibition is on The Slippers by Samuel von Hoogstraten. Because you have to pay to get into the Museum Lab “museum” area, the descriptions on the websites are teasers rather than thorough, but are nonetheless quite intriguing… You can learn about the Dutch Golden Age and its painting style, step into the room van Hoogstraten presents–exploring the importance of perspective for the artist (see above image), and even a space where you can share your own interpretations of the symbols/objects within the work.
I’m completely fascinated by these creative blends between art and technology–so I really wish I had the extra cash to take a trip to Tokyo and check out this museum! Hopefully this experiment will continue for a while (there have been four previous exhibitions, including a Gericault and a Titian) so we can all continue to see what new innovations this space can create. I’ll certainly have my eye on it–I wonder if any of these technologies will be offered or will catch on and be developed for other museums around the world?
Museum Lab website
December 29th, 2008 §
Here’s the best Christmas present a museum nerd could ever ask for. NPR is releasing a series of programs on today’s museums. Each one presents an in-depth but easy-to-understand summary of the challenges facing museums in the U.S.–everything from art crime to experimental architecture to education. Thoroughly researched, with quotes from all the great players in the field, each is a fascinating gem.
Listen at NPR’s ‘Museums in the 21st Century’ series webpage.
Via Museum Blogging.
November 19th, 2008 §
“If you were to say, ‘What is a transforming work of art?’ I would say it’s this: you seem to be aware of something intangible that you need to be in touch with.”
—Keith Christiansen
Sometimes, it’s nice to be reminded of the magic that comes from standing in front of a work of art in person. The Met’s latest podcast, a discussion worth listening to between two greats–Philippe de Montebello and curator Keith Christiansen–on the famous Duccio acquisition did just that for me tonight.
October 23rd, 2008 §
This tiny “street art” installation has been making the rounds across the internet lately. Its whimsical concept is a fun and clever take on installation art by an artist named Slinkachu — I only wish I lived in London so I could run into (or perhaps more accurately, try not to step on!) one of these little installations one day.
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| A view of the street… |
…and a closeup. |
View more, read the blog, and buy the book at the Little People blog.
December 9th, 2007 §
Oh my goodness! I’ve just found the most amazing art history website I’ve seen in a while, and I’m pretty picky, I have to say. Plus, if it’s related to something you’re supposed to be writing a 20-page paper on, it’s not procrastinating, right? Anyway, the website is EssentialVermeer.com, and though it doesn’t seem to have been updated in a while, it’s absolutely a treasure trove of Vermeer goodies. My favorite part is the virtual museum (although they don’t call it that) of all of Vermeer’s works of art in scale with each other. A truly wonderful use of the internet—most of Vermeer’s works are much too fragile to travel far, and most will probably never travel out of their home museums, so being able to see them all like this is just awesome. (Almost as good as the real thing, though there is nothing like seeing an actual Vermeer!)
