Virtually visit the currently closed Smithsonian in a totally new way: with augmented reality. On Wednesday the institution released ten AR filters on Instagram that viewers can use to see museum objects up-close using the app’s camera. You can try placing a life-sized virtual triceratops on your dinner table or zoom in to see a space shuttle. The new interactive tool walks through fun facts about the artifact and encourages people to take photos with the 3-D image. Considering Smithsonian museums recently closed again due to the pandemic, this could be a fun way to keep exploring the vast collections.
The handful of items includes a green hat by milliner Vanilla Beane from the National Museum of African American History & Culture and a skeletal mammoth courtesy of the National Museum of Natural History. Using AR, viewers get an intimate look at objects like the elaborate “Cosmic Buddha” of the National Museum of Asian Art’s collection, which features detailed Buddhist scenes you might not catch in person. Platform boots from The Wiz actually dance in front of you.
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Instagram partnered with the Smithsonian as well as other museums to expand its educational AR offerings on its platform, Spark AR. Eager art enthusiasts can virtually travel and see works from France’s Palace of Versailles and Le Grand Palais.
Click through the descriptions to see where the item comes from and learn about its history. It’s just one way that arts institutions are trying to keep museum-goers engaged while people stay home, and it’s part of a greater expansion into digital archiving that makes these fascinating objects more accessible to everyone.
Rosa is a senior editor at Bitch Magazine. She’s written for Washingtonian and Smithsonian magazine.
