INSIDDE (English)

Augmented reality application for the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias (Spain)

This application is intended to be used in museums exhibiting paintings as a means of providing additional information to what is typically seen in these sites, unveiling hidden details and using augmented reality as a mechanism for bringing art closer to the general public, paying special attention to the younger public.

The application features three Spanish paintings: “Jovellanos in the sands of San Lorenzo” (XVIII century) by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, “The adoration of the Magi” (XV century) by Fernando Gallego and a still life painting (XX century), whose author is unknown. Consequently, the application is envisioned for the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias.

Among the functionalities provided, it enables the automatic identification and the overlapping of digital images just by aiming the camera of the device at the painting. The images to be overlapped have the main purpose of pointing out hidden details beneath the outer layers the painting, reason for which THz-, X-ray- and infrared-imaging are used due to the known properties of these waves to penetrate inside some materials.

Once the painting is recognised, the user can access additional insights provided by art experts and not commonly included in the guides, pointing out important parts and areas of the work of art. Users are also allowed to modify the transparency of the overlapped images in order to see both the painting and the digitised photographs at the same time.

Furthermore, the developed application includes also audio guides to facilitate the access to art for users with visual impairments and additional menus with the following information about the artwork:

• Fiche with dimensions, style or technique used.

• Chronology.

• Author.

• History.

• Other works of art.

• Description.

• Scientific studies.

• Acquisition.

• Points of interest.

It has the advantage of not relying on the data connection for the correct functioning thanks to installing the database with the different images on the device.