Earlier this year, Google expanded Art Project, a vast collection of artwork curated into exhibits by real museums around the world and by regular folks like you and me. (See our original post here.) Not much later the Nelson Mandela Archive went online, featuring rare photos, manuscripts and videos related to the civil rights leader. And, more recently we brought you news about Google’s World Wonders Project, which includes amazing panoramic shots of coral reefs produced in collaboration with a major oceanic study.
Turns out that these projects were just a taste of what was to come. With 17 different cultural institutions as partners, Google has built a robust, umbrella Cultural Institute to house 42 new online exhibitions. Each exhibit features, in Google’s words, ”a narrative which links the archive material together to unlock the different perspectives, nuances and tales behind these events.” The exhibits also benefit from an abundance of poignant human stories.
The Auschwitz-Birkeneau State Museum, for example, provided materials for the exhibit Tragic Love at Auschwitz, which follows the relationship between a Jewish woman and a Polish man, both prisoners of the Nazis. You can also watch the only existing film images of Anne Frank, part of the thoughtful and touching Anne Frank exhibit. Or experience an entirely different exhibit, Years of Dolce Vita, which revels in the sensuality of Italian film from the mid-century. Created in partnership with an Italian government film institute, Google’s exhibit is a sunny romp through the architecture, fashion and food of post-Cold War Italy.
Other exhibits focus on Steve Biko, The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and D-Day. Enter the full collection here.
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Kate Rix writes about digital culture, teaching and higher education. Visit her work online at katerixwriter.com.
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