Three VR apps for museum visits: Art Heist, Virtual Sweden, and Smithsonian
Simona Caraceni reviews three virtual reality applications that allow users to explore museums and cultural heritage from home. Art Heist is a violent VR game set in the Valentine Museum of Art where players steal artworks and kill guards, inspired by Tobias Bernstrup and Palle Torsson's 1999 zombie invasion at Moderna Museet. Church Art of Sweden is part of the Virtual Sweden project, offering detailed 3D models of Swedish churches, compatible with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Valve Index. The Smithsonian American Art Museum's VR experience lets users explore the East Wing, interact with three unique pieces, view paintings, sculptures, and a video installation, and experience an Adams Memorial recreation at Rock Creek Park, a 360-degree 6K aurora borealis video, and a hologram of artist Alex Prager explaining her 2013 film Face in the Crowd. The apps are free on Steam and the Smithsonian website.
Key facts
- Art Heist is a VR game set in the Valentine Museum of Art.
- Players steal artworks and kill guards with a silenced pistol.
- Tobias Bernstrup and Palle Torsson created a zombie invasion at Moderna Museet in 1999.
- Church Art of Sweden is part of the Virtual Sweden project started in 1998.
- Virtual Sweden has collaborated with Second Life, Facebook via Oculus, and Ving.
- Smithsonian American Art Museum VR includes three interactive pieces.
- Users can view a dozen paintings, four sculptures, and a video installation.
- The VR experience features an Adams Memorial recreation at Rock Creek Park.
Entities
Artists
- Tobias Bernstrup
- Palle Torsson
- Alex Prager
Institutions
- Valentine Museum of Art
- Moderna Museet
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Virtual Sweden
- Oculus
- Ving
- Artribune
- Steam
Locations
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Washington
- Rock Creek Park