As the government urges the public to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, staying indoors has become the new norm, as aptly put by HMC doctors: “Stay Home, Save Lives.”
But hanging around the house all day can stimulate feelings of boredom, anxiety and stress brought about by uncertainty and fear amid reports of the swelling number of people infected by COVID-19 around the world.
When stuck at home in this challenging times, what do you do as pastime? Read books, watch movies, or play video games? While there are quite a number of options available to while away time, there’s one effective way to get entertained and at the same time stay calm, that is by viewing beautiful works of art.
Studies have shown looking at artworks is one of the proven ways to de-stress and stay calm as well as get focused and improve brain function, in addition to achieving normal heart rate and blood pressure.
Yes, museums are currently closed as part of the preventive measures against COVID-19, but you can still visit them any time. They are just a click, press or swipe away, thanks to virtual museums, many of which are made accessible for free by Google Arts and Culture.
Started in 2011 as Google Art Project with 17 partner museums, this digital platform has grown exponentially over the years, having forged partnerships with over 1,200 leading museums, galleries and institutions in 70 countries around the world.
From The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg to The British Museum in London, one can just hop from one museum to another halfway across the world without even leaving his home using only desktop computer, laptop or mobile phone since the platform has also an app downloadable both on Android and iOS.
Ever wondered how the tiny mosaics on the ceiling of St Paul’s Cathedral in London look like up close, or the swirling blue, yellow and green hues on Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night masterpiece appears in an image of seven billion pixels?
Using high-resolution image technology, tens of thousands of photos of artworks can be zoomed in and viewed in astonishing detail, which is not possible with actual museum visit as physical distance render it impossible to achieve. Important information such as what the artwork is made of and the size of the piece, the history of the object and the artist who created it are also provided.
Searching for images of one’s choice has never been easy with categories such as artist, museum, type of work, date, and country.
Visitors to the platform can also see exhibitions and tour galleries as the platform has a walk-through feature developed using Google Street View technology.
Virtual reality tour is also available using the Google Cardboard viewer. One cool feature of the platform is the Art Selfie in which one can take his selfie which is then matched to ancient art museum portraits from the database.
In addition, it also contains an immense archive of photos, stories, manuscripts and videos further enriching one’s experience and knowledge about the museums and their collections and art in general.
Do you miss visiting the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)? Well, you can using Google Arts and Culture since MIA is one of the project’s partner museums.
Through this platform, you can step inside the museum’s atrium and appreciate its spectacular interiors, from the double curved staircase to the elaborate chandelier to the geometric patterns on the floor, ceiling and the walls.
From there, one can walk through the galleries and have an intimate look at some of the pieces on display such as a 16th Century Schwarzeberg carpet, lobed Iznik tiles from Turkey, an ivory-inlaid games board dating back 15th Century and a brass planispheric astrolabe from Spain.
A total of 175 items from the MIA’s permanent collection including metalwork, ceramics, jewellery, textile, glass, manuscripts and woodwork dating back centuries can be viewed closely in incredible detail by visiting the platform. And what’s more, the items can be organised based on popularity, colour, and time period.
The oldest in the collection is an “enigmatic and imposing” carpet with animal design dating back as early as 11th century. Zooming in, one can see the animal figures and geometric patterns made of threads of blue, white, green and red faded and tattered by time. Aside from details such as material, date created, type and physical dimensions; the background and history behind the piece is also explained, providing visitors wealth of information and more knowledge about the item; how it was made, its uses and the prevailing circumstances during the period when it was created.
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) are also among the museums included in the platform though compared to MIA, only a few items from Mathaf and NMoQ’s vast collection are currently on view at the site.
Eighty-six items from the Mathaf collection are on showcase including, among others, an oil-on-canvas painting titled “Arab Motherhood” by Georges Hanna Sabbagh, a watercolour painting called “Festival Scene” which was created by Muhammad Ben Ali Ribati in 1800, Dia Azzawi’s 1981 painting “Red Sky with Birds,” and “Features from Qatar” by Jassim Zainy, one of the pioneers of modern Qatari art. “From Modern to Contemporary” exhibition highlights are also featured with focus on works of artists Adham Wanly, Gazbia Sirry, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Paul Guiragossian, Farid Belkahia, Mohanna Durra, Yousef Ahmad, Sliman Mansour, Suad Al Attar, Dia Al Azzawi, Adam Henein, and Salim Al Dabbagh.
Among the NMoQ objects viewable at the site are a 9th Century Abbasid cup excavated in Murwab northwest of Qatar, a small 17th Century glass vessel discovered in Mezruah in 1961, a stylized Abbasid lion figurine from the 9th Century, and an 18th Century pearl brooch once owned by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
Two NMoQ online exhibitions are currently on view including “The History of Trade in Qatar” and “Gems from the Collection of the National Museum of Qatar and their Global Connections.” With millions of photos, videos and documents on culture and the arts accessible to every desktop, laptop and mobile user through Google Arts and Culture; a visit to a museum or a gallery is literally just at one’s fingertips.
