Museums rethink virtual visits with human connection in lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced museums to accelerate digitalization, but many virtual experiences lack human interaction. InvisibleStudio founders Giuliano Gaia and Stefania Boiano argue that social connection is key to successful online museum visits. They highlight the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, which used a 'Skype on wheels' robot for remote visits, and their own experiments with Google Arts & Culture combined with Zoom or Google Meet for guided virtual tours. The first test was at Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan for RCS Academy students, led by communications manager Stefania Rossi. The museum later ran free public virtual tours via its Gruppo Giovani. Further projects included creative writing workshops at Museo della Bora in Trieste and virtual field trips for students at Scuola Media Leonardo da Vinci in Bergamo, organized with Italian museum professionals in London. The authors emphasize that digital tools should complement, not replace, in-person visits, especially for disabled and geographically distant audiences.