Museums embrace latest technology with virtual app launch

The Humber Museum Partnership has adopted has launched its first virtual museum app as it experiments with ways to embrace latest technology and attract a wider audience.

The move comes as part of a project last year called ‘Framed’, which selected 100 objects from museums across the Humber region and presented them using a variety of
media including virtual reality, billboards, buses and social platforms.

Framed aims to encourage people to learn about the Humber region’s contribution to art, history and heritage.

Out of the 100 objects in the Framed collection, 10 items were selected by museum
curators to be included in the virtual reality experience.

The Virtual Museum, which is accessed using a cardboard headset and a mobile phone app, allows users to explore the virtual space, interact with the selected items and discover more about each piece.

The app, built in collaboration with northern advertising agency yesyesBD, brings
together objects from across East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and Hull and allows them to be viewed in one space.

It is hoped that the development of an innovative museum experience will encourage a younger, more diverse audience to visit the region’s museum sites.

Simon Green, director at the Humber Museum Partnership, said: “As we continue to see an increase in the use of smartphones and emerging technologies, we will grasp
at new and immersive ways to share collections digitally in the hope to reach a much wider audience.”

Pete Massey, director North, Arts Council England, said: “Our mission at the Arts Council is to achieve great art and culture for everyone – and this innovative use of
virtual reality to connect more people with important objects in the Humber Museum Partnership collections is very exciting. It provides a fantastic new way for
people to connect with their history and heritage and shows how museums are at the forefront of exploiting new technologies to achieve cultural outcomes.”