Rio’s Museum of Astronomy Launches Virtual Reality Exhibition

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – From Thursday, December 6th, 2018 until Sunday, January 27th, 2019, the ‘Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins’ (Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences – MAST) is hosting a special virtual reality exhibition entitled, ‘Experiências Virtuais em Realidades Digitais’ (Virtual Experiences in Digital Realities). The museum and this exhibition are both free to enter.

Combining the expertise of MAST and the design department at PUC-Rio, this new show will feature exhibits developed during an interdisciplinary study carried out by students from the ‘Design em Mídia Digital’ (Design in Digital Media) course at the university. The curators of the exhibition are Marcelo Pereira, Assistant Coordinator of Academic Technology at PUC-Rio, and João de Sá Bonelli, Deputy Coordinator of Digital Media at the university.

There are a total of eight featured exhibits, including ‘Zéfiro’ by Luciana Frazão dos Santos, which aims to improve the quality of air in urban centers by raising citizens’ awareness of this problem and possible solutions.

Another exhibit, ‘Monora,’ is designed by Ana Beatriz Lemos and is a virtual reality experience that simulates some of the symptoms that people with anxiety disorders suffer from.

There is also ‘Interregno,’ an installation created by Felipe Salazar that creates an environment of transition between layers of real and virtual spaces, allowing participants to see new connections between our bodies and the digital universe.

A further featured piece is LAR – ‘Livro em Realidade Aumentada’ (Book in Augmented Reality) an interactive experience by Caterina Brasil, which shows how technology can be used to augment the traditional practice of reading by overlapping content that amplifies the original material.

All of these exhibits will offer the public the opportunity to delve into alternative universes through the use of augmented and virtual reality, with the aim of encouraging the public to reflect on the interactive technologies that are becoming an increasing part of our everyday lives.

What: ‘Experiências Virtuais em Realidades Digitais’
When: December 6th 2018 – January 27th 2019 (Tuesdays – Fridays 9AM-5PM, Saturdays 2PM-7PM, Sundays and Public Holidays 2PM-6PM)
Where: Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins, Rua General Bruce, 586 – São Cristóvão, 20921-030 Rio de Janeiro
Entrance: Free