Sining Lakbay brings history to life
THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE WITH the latest addition at Gateway Gallery’s longterm exhibit on Philippine history.
On the second anniversary of Sining Saysay: Philippine History in Art, the Gallery launched recently a digital interface that utilizes augmented reality (AR) to make the collection more interesting to the younger, digitalsavvy generation.
Called “Sining Lakbay: Philippine History in Augmented Reality,” the project marries art and technology by transforming the exhibit into a multimedia platform, enabling users to experience history from a different perspective.
Using AR technology, visitors can learn more about history through videos that show accurate accounts of events depicted in the paintings.
The multimedia content are accessible to visitors using the Layar app, which can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android.
Through the app, users will be able to scan selected paintings on their devices to watch the video and hear the narration on chapters of Philippine history.
The videos – which run between three to four minutes each – are products of careful and creative implementation spearheaded by artists, filmmakers, historians, curators, editors and technology providers.
“Digital makes it much more exciting, more
interesting. It makes the exhibit more fun… because nowadays people use tablets, gadgets very heavily. They are very comfortable with it. So why not take advantage of that to connect with and engage them further?” museum curator Gari Apolonio said.
“The advantage of that is that it sees the exhibit as something that’s not from the past. We’re able to engage the viewers in a way that is much more significant,” he added.
Ten of the 30 large paintings that comprise the exhibit were made AR-enabled, with the people beto hind the exhibit baring plans to further expand the coverage to the entire collection.
“Basically, history really comes to life before your very eyes,” said Apolonio. “In the videos, visitors can get more information that the captions were not able say because it has limited space.”
The museum curator says the latest enhancement in their collection is the first in the Philippines, stressing that going digital is really the future, even in museums and exhibits.
“Even abroad, they use that, especially in science museums and natural history museums. It makes the objects more interesting,” he added.
Launched in 2015, SiningSaysay is a collection of 30 large history paintings made by esteemed artists, including the late National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Asia Imao.
The exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the University of the Philippines and the Araneta Center.
The Gallery said the introduction of AR to the SiningSaysay experience aims to create awareness of history among the youth by appealing to their interest in digital technology.
“Our target market is really the youth,” said Apolonio. “More than anything, it’s an educational tool for our younger people to know more about our history.”
Other projects lined up this year include the installation of a mini library, story-telling sessions for kids and Bravo Weekend that will showcase Filipino cu lture through music and dance.
The Gallery, located at the 5th level of the Gateway Tower at the Araneta Center, is free to the public and is open Mondays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is supported and managed by the J. Amado Araneta Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Araneta Group.