The Pros and Cons of Virtual Museums

I think nearly everyone would agree with the fact that 2020 as been a rough year even though it is only April. Activities have been suspended, schools canceled, relationships upended, lifestyles changed: this year has been tough for everyone. Personally, the measures that have been taken to stop the spread of Covid-19, while extremely important and helpful for all, have really impacted by senior year of college. More specifically, they have prevented me from going to Greece and Italy this summer on a graduation trip that we have been planning for four years. Despite losing my graduation ceremony, missing my teachers, not being able to say goodbye to my friends, not being able to see my boyfriend, and having to stay home for weeks on end, one of my biggest disappointments has to be not being able to see the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece.

Anyone that knows me knows that I would do just about anything to learn more about ancient Greek and Roman culture. I talk about it constantly and would love nothing more than to be a historian in Pompeii or in Athens. When I learned that our trip had been canceled, I was completely beside myself. However, thanks to my Bears Make History teachers, I soon learned that Google is sponsoring free virtual tours of museums all around the world. When I saw that one was the Acropolis Museum, I knew that I had to check it out.

The virtual tour, which is linked at the bottom of this post, starts by taking you to what I assume is the main floor of the museum. If you click on the top picture, you have the ability to take a 360 degree look at where you are and click around to move yourself down the halls or to take a closer look at the artifacts in the room. When you click the small photos at the bottom, as depicted in the screenshots below, your view switches to the exact location where the particular object is located in the museum. From there, you are able to explore the other exhibits that are in the room with the photographed object. In addition, clicking on the small photos provides you with a link to view the object’s details and zoom in on the object.

While these features do help the museum come to life virtually, there are a few setbacks. While people are able to take closer looks at objects and read object descriptions when visiting museums in person, this format only allows you to gain background information on certain objects. Similarly, there are some cases where the user is not able to get close to particular objects or parts of the room. Since the photographs are digital and the 360 degree experience is virtual, the images and process of going through the museum are not as crisp, clear, or smooth as when you go to a museum in person.

Overall, it was very interesting to see the Acropolis Museum in a digital/virtual way. While I may never get to see the museum in person, I think that Google did a really good job of capturing the breathtaking beauty of the exhibits and it was really interesting to be able to read some of the object descriptions. While this experience has proven that a person does not have to leave their home to see art and experience culture, it also makes my heart ache to see the exhibits in person. If anything, this experience makes me want to go to Greece so much more than I originally did. I want to able to look more closely at the exhibits, read the plaques, and take my time simply standing in the space. Even though I miss it more, I am blown away by how Google was able to bring such an amazing place to life and create something good in a time when everything is so terrible. Digital projects like this one have the power to expand our world for the better.

For more information on the virtual tour of the Acropolis Museum, please visit https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/acropolis-museum

For other virtual museum tours sponsored by Google, please visit https://artsandculture.google.com/partner