Virtual Reality

Google puts you on stage at the Sydney Opera House

Google puts you on stage at the Sydney Opera House
A schematic of the Sydney Opera House on the Google Cultural Institute
A schematic of the Sydney Opera House on the Google Cultural Institute
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A schematic of the Sydney Opera House on the Google Cultural Institute
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A schematic of the Sydney Opera House on the Google Cultural Institute
The collection includes a new 360-degree VR experience
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The collection includes a new 360-degree VR experience
Students check out the new collection
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Students check out the new collection
Archival images of a performance by the band Kraftwerk
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Archival images of a performance by the band Kraftwerk
New Street View images of the Opera House
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New Street View images of the Opera House
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Google has created one of the most comprehensive tours of the Sydney Opera House, that can be accessed without ever setting foot in Australia. On Wednesday the Google Cultural Institute launched its Sydney Opera House experience, including a 360-degree virtual tour for Google Cardboard and over 1,000 digital artifacts that tell the story behind the iconic structure.

The new online museum of sorts includes a collection of 50 digital exhibits with rare archival photos, architectural drawings, historical documents, interviews and even some performances from the opera house.

A virtual reality version of a performance, starring Australian soprano Nicole Car and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, that was designed to be viewed with a smartphone using Google Cardboard, also provides a taste of the experience of being inside the landmark building.

The collection includes a new 360-degree VR experience
The collection includes a new 360-degree VR experience

Google incorporated its Street View imagery to tell the story of the Opera House, inside and out, as well.

"Innovation is part of the Opera House's DNA and it is wonderful that our partnership with the Google Cultural Institute has enabled us to weave together the many strands of the Opera House story," said Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron.

Drawing on the collections of several museums, the Australian Broadcasting Company, and other institutions, the online exhibit took six months to create.

The entire digital tour and exhibits can be accessed on the Google Cultural Institute website, and you can get a flavor of what's available from the promotional video below.

Source: Google, Google Cultural Institute

The Story Begins Here - Sydney Opera House on the Google Cultural Institute

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1 comment
1 comment
noteugene
Opera houses are built for the acoustics, not the aesthetics. I'm sure that looking at a cardboard model of it on your cell phone is just great but that's not really what the designers had in mind.