On May 22 at the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia, Italy, the INQUADRA project was presented to the public and to the press. INQUADRA is based on a new vision of how the unique pieces of art in the Museum can be experienced and communicated.
The trigger of the project was a new iconographic interpretation of room 18 of the gallery, which for years -thanks to its sumptuous frescos-has been intended to tell the story of the Perugia leader par excellence “Braccio da Montone”. After a careful re-interpretation of the whole cycle, a new attribution of roles and meanings has been proposed by researchers, especially for what concerns the role of the “Farnese” family and leaders. This new interpretation has inspired the creation of an innovative approach -based on a great practical use of Augmented Reality technology- that could better communicate the findings to the visitors. The INQUADRA project got born this way, thus allowing to apply AR to one of the jewels of the National Gallery of Umbria.
The project has disclosed a new horizon for the most important Museum in the region. INQUADRA allows the immediate interaction between the piece of art and the public: without human intermediaries or experts visitors can get an in-depth understanding of the meaning of the frescoes. The project also provides a unique tool in the national museum landscape by allowing, through the associated APP, to deepen the various scientific aspects of the room and by enabling a unique learning experience, which is thrilling and exciting at the same time.
With this operation, the Gallery plays one more card: by anticipating the use of Augmented Reality for the valorization of cultural heritage, the Gallery gets on top of what will be the future “Polo Museale Umbro” in which these innovations will be considered the milestones that make a place of culture and history a strategic point of contact between the past and the future. In this way, visitors will live exciting experiences while the desire for a deeper knowledge of history is stimulated.
The App “INQUADRA”, carried out as a collaboration between Promovideo and Inglobe Technologies for the National Gallery of Umbria, is now available as a free download for smartphones and tablets. This APP makes it possible to literally “enter” the frescoes in the Farnese Room and discover the history of the people represented in the works, as well as anecdotes and interesting information about the scenic and decorative elements. Even if some contents are accessible remotely, users are granted access to all the information in the App just inside the museum. One more reason to book a visit to this fantastic Museum.