PRESS RELEASE
The BBC today launched its first augmented reality app, Civilisations AR. Developed by BBC Research & Development, BBC Arts and Nexus Studios, the app features over 30 fascinating artefacts from museums across the UK that have been digitally scanned and are now available to view in 3D as part of a new virtual exhibition.
Civilisations AR is available to download for free for iOS and Android now. It was developed as part of a major collaboration between the BBC and more than 30 museums and galleries as part of the Civilisations Festival.
The app’s launch marks the beginning of new landmark arts and culture series, Civilisations. which begins on BBC Two tonight, following which the full series will be available to view on BBC iPlayer. The series follows presenters Simon Schama, Mary Beard and David Olusoga as they travel far and wide across six continents to find answers to fundamental questions about human creativity.
The app features a range of exhibits, including a fourteenth century Italian sculpture of Madonna and Child from the National Museum of Scotland, Turner’s painting Bridge over the Moselle from the Oldham Museum and Art Gallery, an ancient Egyptian mummy from the Torquay Museum and the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum. It highlights the treasures of a diverse range of UK museums and galleries and allows people across the globe to discover these remarkable objects and explore them “out of the display case”, no matter where they may live.
At the heart of the Civilisations AR experience is a core ‘magic spotlight’ feature, which allows users to uncover annotations, audio and imagery that enrich to the story of each exhibit. An X-ray function lets users see through or inside an object, while a restoration feature can be used to rub through the layers of history. Users can browse the exhibition geographically, using an AR globe, or via the themes of the series, as new exhibits will be added as the series progresses.
Eleni Sharp, executive product manager for BBC R&D, says: "We're thrilled to have started our augmented reality journey with Civilisations AR. The app enables users to explore an amazing range of exhibits, while enabling the BBC R&D team to experiment with a new technology and test how a new format can complement a linear show. However, this is just the first outing for the app. We've designed and built it to be a totally reusable product, and we will be looking to use develop more AR projects in the future once we have had the chance to analyse the data from this one."
Exhibits included in Civilisations AR
|
Artefact |
Museum |
Location Origin |
Year |
|
The Clonmore Shrine
|
Ulster Museum, Belfast |
United Kingdom |
650 |
|
Tea Pot
|
Ulster Museum, Belfast |
United Kingdom |
1808 |
|
Carved Ivory Salt Cellar
|
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh |
Nigeria |
1550 |
|
Madonna and Child
|
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh |
Italy |
1350 |
|
The Kiss by Rodin
|
National Museum Wales, Cardiff |
France |
1898 |
|
Crested Firedog
|
National Museum Wales, Cardiff |
United Kingdom |
50 |
|
Hippo Bowl
|
Manchester Museum, Manchester |
Egypt |
3500 BCE |
|
Sundial from first railway station
|
Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester |
United Kingdom |
1830 |
|
Bridge over the Ticino by Turner
|
Gallery Oldham, Oldham |
Switzerland |
1842 |
|
Tang Dynasty Horse
|
Gallery Oldham, Oldham |
China |
|
|
Ebenezer Elliot bust
|
Barnsley Museum, Barnsley |
United Kingdom |
1800 |
|
Zeus Ammon
|
World Museum, Liverpool |
Egypt |
100 |
|
Statuette of Horus the Child
|
World Museum, Liverpool |
Egypt |
300 BCE |
|
Lady Emma Hamilton as a Bacchante by Vigée-Le Brun
|
Lady Lever Art Gallery, Wirral |
United Kingdom |
1782 |
|
Gandahar Sculpture
|
Oriental Museum, Durham |
Pakistan |
200 |
|
Roman Statue of Mars
|
The Yorkshire Museum, York |
United Kingdom |
|
|
Open Work Head by Moore
|
The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield |
United Kingdom |
1936 |
|
Reclining Figure by Moore
|
The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield |
United Kingdom |
1934 |
|
Mother & Child by Hepworth
|
The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield |
United Kingdom |
1963 |
|
Christ Washing Disciple’s Feet by Tintoretto
|
Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead |
Italy |
1547 |
|
Ogoni Mask
|
Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby |
Nigeria |
1900 |
|
Oak Samson Statue
|
Norfolk Museum, Norwich |
United Kingdom |
c.1600 |
|
Corinthian Helmet
|
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter |
Greece |
1000 BCE |
|
Gelede Mask
|
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter |
Nigeria |
1850 |
|
Peruvian Stirrup Stout Pot
|
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter |
Peru |
1450 |
|
Roundway Beaker
|
Wiltshire Museum, Wiltshire |
United Kingdom |
2000 BCE |
|
Divination Bowl
|
Bristol Museum, Bristol |
Nigeria |
c.1860 |
|
Corinium Cockeral
|
Corinium Museum, Cirencester |
United Kingdom |
150 |
|
Mummy in Egyptian Coffin
|
Torquay Museum, Torquay |
Egypt |
|
|
The Rosetta Stone
|
The British Museum, London |
Egypt |
196 BCE |
|
Roman Hunter God
|
Cumming Museum, London |
United Kingdom |
150 |
|
Gold Trophy Head
|
The Wallace Collection, London |
Ghana |
1850 |
|
The Blood of the Redeemer by Bellini
|
National Gallery, London |
Italy |
c.1460 |
|
Japanese Gun Powder Flask
|
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
Japan |
1640 |
|
Octopus Storage Jar
|
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
Greece |
1400 BCE |
|
Reliquary Casket of St Thomas Beckett
|
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
France |
1200 |
|
Red Figure Neck Amphora
|
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge |
Greece |
470 BCE |
|
Iznik Jug
|
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge |
Turkey |
1592 |
|
Māori ‘God Stick’ Tiki Wanaga
|
Colchester and Ipswich Museums, Colchester |
New Zealand |
|
|
Titus Flavius Demetrius
|
Colchester and Ipswich Museums, Colchester |
Egypt |
|
|
Native American Mask
|
Colchester and Ipswich Museums, Colchester |
USA |
|
