Room with a Virtual View
This week, over on our Facebook page, I put up a link to a New York Times article about Google’s Art Project which offers access to “some of the art treasures and interiors of 17 museums in the United States and Europe.” As the article points out, the project is in its infancy, and not without its technical flaws. However, it seems to indicate the direction we (collectively) are going with the ever-encroaching virtual world. I have mixed feelings about this in the same way I have mixed feelings about DVDs. I believe films were meant to be viewed on large screens and as a community, just as I believe a piece of art by a master should be viewed in person, in breathtaking 3-dimensionality, in a place where you can sit alongside other patrons to study, ponder and discuss. That being said, I sure do appreciate popping in a DVD at the end of a long day, particularly when I may not have the extra time or money to get to the theater. So, for the same reason, I can appreciate Google’s Art Project. There is something to be said for giving museum access to a wider, more economically diverse global audience. I only hope the virtual view will remain a tool to be used under certain circumstances and not a replacement for the real thing.
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