Fast internet access and the rapid evolution of smart devices have enabled people to engage with information like never before. Younger people in particular—this “always on” generation—have choices to consume information and other forms of new media in volumes and varieties never experienced before by previous generations. Museums and other cultural institutions that preserve and impart the relevance of our history and culture now face the challenge of catching the younger generation’s attention.
Samsung Electronics Philippines (SEPCO) has tied up with Yuchengco Museum in a long-term partnership to launch a permanent digital gallery on the third floor of the museum. Named the Samsung Digital Gallery, the space allows visitors to interact with digitized artworks by Filipinos masters and contemporary artists through the use of Samsung tablets and augmented reality technology. Now open to the public, the Samsung Digital Gallery provides the new generation of museum visitors a new way of further engaging and interacting with Filipino art. This also enables Yuchengco Museum to further its mission to promote the appreciation of art, culture, and history amongst its various audiences.
As a technology leader, SEPCO recognizes the challenge of attracting younger generations of museum goers. The Samsung Digital Gallery uses technology to bring back the passion for visiting museums and appreciating the joy of viewing art, as well as augments artists’ tools with new ones that provide platforms for art to be more engaging and interactive. This innovative collaboration to create a permanent space germinated after the successful mounting of Relative Realities, an exhibit of select works of Filipino contemporary artists who worked with app developers with the aid of leveraging technology, smart devices, and the Internet. Succeeding museum-led exhibits will be complemented by the gallery. The Samsung Digital Gallery hopes to evolve with the audiences’ rapid adoption of new technologies. The gallery is dedicated to the digital generation, to whom our cultural heritage will be passed on to.
The Samsung Digital Gallery is located at Yuchengco Museum beginning mid-September 2014. The museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati. Museum hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (632) 889-1234 or visit www.yuchengcomuseum.org.
