Google Arts & Culture is inviting people to an interactive, dynamic and immersive discovery experience of the diversity and fragility of nature.
Opening today are a set of online exhibitions which is a partnership between Google and some of the world’s most emblematic Natural History institutions — which will enable web users to discover Natural History treasures. The new collection uses state-of-the-art technology to give a new virtual life to extinct animals, and enables people to browse over a hundred fascinating stories related to the world’s most known fossils, and learn about plants, insects and minerals, as stated by Google in its press statement.
For this project, more than 50 leading natural history institutions from 16 countries — including the Smithsonian, London’s Natural History Museum and the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) one of India’s top museums — created over a hundred interactive stories, sharing a total of 300,000 photos, videos and other documents online in collaboration with Google. The latest innovations in technology help bring the magic of these legendary venues to life, and give everyone a chance to reconnect with our evolution story and the richness of our planet, adds the statement of Google.
The new online exhibition opens today at g.co/naturalhistory and is open for all online, for free on the web and through the newGoogle Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS and Android. You can watch all the 360 degree videos on YouTube.
For the Indian context, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya has created two virtual exhibits. “Fauna of Indian Subcontinent, curated by Mr. Manoj Chaudhari, Assistant Curator (Natural History), draws attention to some of the endangered native Indian species. “The Animal in Indian Art” explores the representation of animals in paintings, literature and as stylized motifs in sculptures from India over the years. It includes the famous, “Peregrine Falcon on Perch”, a favourite of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and painted by Manohar and Ustad Mansur.
