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Destroyed in September of this year by a major fire, the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro is one of the country's most important cultural institutions and an international research reference. A precious part of its collection was unfortunately destroyed by the flames; however, despite this immeasurable loss, the public can now visit some of the galleries through a 360-degree virtual tour released today by Google.
The initiative by Google Arts & Culture, in partnership with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the Ministry of Education, features images of 164 artifacts affected by the September 2 fire. These include the famous Luzia skull—the oldest human fossil in the Americas—a Titanosaur replica, and the Bendegó Meteorite, the largest meteorite ever found in Brazil, weighing 5,260 kilograms.
"In the months following the fire, a wave of support for the museum emerged, with many calling the incident a 'cultural tragedy.' What is clear is that this is not the end of the museum. 'The National Museum lives!'" said the institution's director, Alexander Kellner, on the virtual tour page.
The images for the virtual tour were captured in 2017 using Museum View, a tool that allows users to explore the interiors of museums worldwide. Visitors can explore the museum's spaces and artifacts on a computer screen, mobile device, or, for an even more immersive experience, with virtual reality headsets. The tour includes narration in Portuguese, English, or Spanish.
With the launch of the virtual tour, Google Arts & Culture demonstrates that the relationship between cultural institutions and the digital sphere does not necessarily threaten the former by reducing visitor numbers. Moreover, while time cannot be turned back, the public can now access a significant part of Brazil's human and natural history, which would otherwise remain reduced to ashes.
Access the virtual tour of the National Museum here.
Source: Google Arts & Culture and Gizmodo.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
