Spotlight: Ever Wanted To Be An Exhibition Designer? Now Is Your Chance in VR!

Virtual Reality Experience: “Grayson Perry: Provincial Punk“ at Turner Contemporary: Installation shot.

Think the pink wall color is too extreme, you can change it.  Prefer different lighting? – that’s up to you.

Boulevard’s VR experience “Grayson Perry: Provincial Punk” not only offers an immersive encounter with several important works from this 2015 exhibition held at Turner Contemporary, but actually let’s you have a hand in shaping the environment in which these works are viewed. In effect, you get to be the show’s exhibition designer!

British artist and media figure Grayson Perry, who came of age in the fashionable post-punk London scene during the early 1980s, is often described as the “great chronicler of contemporary life.“ He is best known for compelling and beautifully crafted artworks that combine provocative imagination and autobiographical reference with wry social commentary on themes ranging from class, taste, consumerism, and war.

“Grayson Perry: Provincial Punk” allows users to explore three of the artist’s tapestries, four ceramics, and one bronze sculpture in virtual reality. You can move around the Turner Contemporary space to look at any object and zoom in on sections of the tapestries. 3-D objects can also be rotated to be seen in the round. A pop-up tablet provides textual information about the pieces and audio is narrated by one of Turner Contemporary’s curators.

The most unique feature within the experience, however, is a customizable panel allowing the user the opportunity to design aspects of the gallery environment. You can add your own aesthetic to the experience by selecting the floor treatment, wall color, lighting, sound, exterior time of day, and props, such as a disco ball.

According to Perry, “Provincial Punk is a very creative force. It is a willingness to turn things over, to not accept the fashion and to have a bit of fun.” It’s in that playful spirit that you are invited to interact with these objects and transform the gallery they are in. Have fun!

*Download the Boulevard app for free from the Oculus Store. Available for use with Oculus Go and the Oculus Rift. Coming soon to Quest.

Spotlight: AR Suggestions Based On Your Movie and TV Preferences

If you are anything like us, you’ve been bingeing on Netflix during the last several weeks of this COVID-19 crisis. Did you know that Forbes Magazine once called Boulevard Arts the “Netflix for the Arts?” So, it got us thinking. You know how Netflix suggests shows or movies based on your previous picks and preferences, well, we could do the same with our augmented reality (AR) experiences…

These are our Boulevard AR recommendations: 

If you enjoyed Hidden Figures or The Theory of Everything, you will really like our Dorothy Hodgkin experience. Hodgkin was a pioneering figure in the realm of chemistry/crystollagraphy, who, despite facing constant sexism and limited technology (in a pre-computer era), managed to decode insulin and make other globally-important discoveries.

If you liked watching The Tudors or Wolf Hall TV series, you will be intrigued by Sir Henry Unton, the engaging story of a well-traveled diplomat from Queen Elizabeth I’s court, who attended Oxford, threw lavish parties at his manor, battled in the Netherlands, and was given a spectacular sendoff after he passed.

 Or, if Angels and Insects, Desperate Romantics, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, is more your style, you will truly appreciate Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Theodore Watts-Dunton. This slightly creepy experience explores the friendship between a famous Pre-Raphaelite artist and a poet, at the nexus of a creative and eccentric group living in London during the Victorian era.

Each augmented reality experience offers a window onto a very different time and place in history, and includes special effects enhanced through AR.

Fortunately, you don’t have to choose just one. Our app includes all three AR experiences. Download Boulevard AR today from the app store, for free. Place art in your own space, and get your exploration on!

Spotlight: Boulevard Arts Has Made Its Immersive Content Free Of Charge

In response to the unprecedented current global situation, we have removed the paywall to Boulevard AR, our premium augmented reality app. We are making it available to anyone for free in the Apple App Store.  (The rest of our VR and AR content is also free of charge. Go to Blvrd.com, to learn more about our offerings ).

Boulevard AR includes three immersive experiences which bring to life the stories of an Elizabethan-era diplomat, a pioneering 20th-century noble-prize winning scientist, and an artist-and-poet duo at the center of a creative Victorian hub.

Where ever you are, whomever you are, Boulevard hopes you will enjoy these fulsome and compelling augmented reality encounters with history. 

Know that we are creating more free AR content in the weeks and months to come - especially through our BLVRD Features app, and we will do what we can to further Boulevard’s ongoing mission to deliver “art where you are."

*For teachers, students, and learners of all ages: we have created various resources around these Boulevard AR experiences. If you are interested in receiving materials, such as timelines, discussion topics, lessons plans, and projects around any/or all of these 3 experiences, please reach out to us at:  hello@blvrd.com  We would be happy to share these with you. 

And if you have any great ideas around these experiences, by all means, please share them with us!

Spotlight: Gateway To Himalayan Art: A Virtual Visit To The Rubin Museum of Art

One of our favorite New York institutions is the Rubin Museum of Art, which features a preeminent collection of artworks from the Himalayas and neighboring regions, including India. Located in the Chelsea district, it’s mere blocks from our Boulevard offices. For us, visiting the RMA’s unique galleries and stunningly-displayed objects and artworks (which run the gamut from ancient to full-blown contemporary) has always been a transformative and often contemplative experience, taking us worlds away from our day-to-day lives.  (Unfortunately out of precaution for everyone, the Rubin is currently closed.)

A few years ago, Boulevard had the pleasure of working with the Rubin to develop a virtual reality experience based on an installation of permanent collection works – the result is: Gateway to Himalayan Art: The Rubin Museum of Art. 

Spanning the 13th -19th centuries, this dynamic micro-exhibition introduces visitors to key figures, symbols, and concepts found within the rich traditions of Himalayan art through an exploration of seven exemplary works. 

Gateway to Himalayan Art also offers something not possible within the gallery (or in reality) - a spectacular visualization of the Buddhist concept of creating a Mandala (or sacred palace) in one’s mind’s eye.  We will leave you to discover what that means.

Download the free Boulevard app (for Gear VR and the Oculus Go) in the Oculus Store to gain access to Gateway to Himalayan Art and several other art & culture virtual reality experiences we have produced. We hope that you will take this opportunity to “visit” one of our favorite places, engage with these incredible objects, and enjoy some time “away” from it all.

Spotlight: Keeping “Immersed” Right Now: “Boulevard Presents: American Experience”- A VR App You Should Know About

Clearly nothing is status quo right now. Throughout the country, most K-12 schools have closed their doors for the foreseeable future, as have universities, libraries, museums, and cultural sites like the U.S. Capitol here. Even in the best of situations, parents and caretakers are having to make it up as they go, figuring out new schedules, seeking creative outlets, and assessing educational options - not to mention practicing “social distancing” at a time when we need our “villages” the most. As parents ourselves, we get it. Oh, we get it.

 With actual travel nixed for the time being, we want to remind you about our free virtual reality app “Boulevard presents: American Experience: Revolution, Perseverance, Innovation.” You can download the app from the Oculus Store (for Gear VR and the Oculus Go).  

Whether you are 8 or 88 – this VR app is a pretty awesome way to explore some of D.C.’s most important national treasures and sites. “American Experience” allows visitors (users in virtual reality parlance) to experience the underpinnings of democracy and the hopes and struggles that have shaped America from the Age of Exploration to the current day through a presentation of 76 objects, including paintings, photographs, pamphlets, maps, and other historic documents drawn from the collections of: the U.S. Capitol, the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, and the White House.  

Our immersive experience starts inside the U.S. Capitol Building Rotunda and includes a holographic map of D.C. with portals to three other cultural sites. Because the experience is self-directed (and not “on the rails” as most VR experiences are today), Boulevard users can examine the objects they want to, get really close to them, listen to audio narration – or not, and engage with whatever interests them. You will definitely feel present in these spaces – like an IRL field trip (wait until you see how high the Rotunda ceiling is!) + you can get there in mere seconds, any time you want. 

 If you are starting to go stir crazy, or need somewhere to “take” the kids, we highly recommend a virtual trip to D.C.! It’s only an app away, and it’s free.

*Boulevard Arts has also developed a bunch of educational resources around the “American Experience” app. We would be happy to share any of these materials in pdf. form with teachers, parents/caregivers, students, life-long learners, or anyone else who is just interested in deeper engagement. 

 In fact, we have basic lesson plans, talking points, project suggestions, and other resources available for almost all of our virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. So, just reach out to us at Hello@blvrd.com and we will email them to you.

Spotlight: Celebrating Pioneering Scientist Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin During International Women’s Month

Maggi Hambling, Dorothy Hodgkin, 1985, Oil on canvas, 36 3/4 x 30 in. (932 x 760 mm) , National Portrait Gallery, London Collection

This portrait of chemist and crystallographer Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910 - 1994) was painted by artist Maggi Hambling in 1985, when the sitter was seventy-five years old. Commissioned by London’s National Portrait Gallery, the work was first exhibited that year alongside a portrait of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

Hodgkin is depicted at her desk, in her Warwickshire home, absorbed in research, almost buried among her papers and books, her hands a flurry with movement. Four bonded molecules of insulin make up the dynamic multi-colored balsa wood model in the painting’s left foreground; nearby is a black wireframe structure representing Vitamin B12. Dorothy’s shapeless, loose-fitting cardigan, unkempt hair, and the general disorder of her space offer little indication of the scientist’s stature as “the Darwin of the 20th century,” as one colleague described her. 

Dorothy’s work as a chemist began in the 1930s with x-ray crystallography, a relatively new scientific field. Demonstrating unbounded determination and curiosity over a sixty-year span, she pioneered the imaging of atomic and molecular structures, producing key findings on vitamins, proteins, and hormones. Her process required thousands of calculations, mostly done on paper, in a pre-computing era. Known as the unparalleled authority on mapping previously unsolved molecules, she took on challenges that others considered impossible. Her groundbreaking work bridged crystallography and biological chemistry, leading to wide-ranging discoveries that continue to be built upon to this day.  

In 1964, Hodgkin became the third woman to receive the Nobel Prize in chemistry for her extensive research on Vitamin B12, and, in 1969, after concentrating on the compound for thirty-four years, she uncovered the structure of insulin. Throughout her extensive career, Dorothy also taught and mentored generations of young chemists. She was especially known for her support of female students and colleagues because of her own experiences dealing with gender discrimination.

*If you want to learn more about Dorothy Hodgkin and examine an insulin model in 3-D in your own space, download Boulevard AR from the Apple App Store.

Spotlight: BLVRD Features presents its newest AR Episode: “AD: Artist as Brand”

Albrecht Dürer, The Rhinoceros, 1515, Woodblock print, 8 3/8 x 11 5/8 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Collection.

Did you know that 16th-century German artist Albrecht Dürer was obsessed with different fonts? Or that he crafted his own monogram “AD” into a slick design used to mark his work and promote “his brand”? Dürer put that identifiable AD logo everywhere!!!! He was not only an extremely talented painter and printmaker, but way ahead of the game at marketing his art and himself – at a time when artists weren’t always highly regarded. Lucky for Dürer, he came of age with the invention of the printing press and benefited enormously from the subsequent print explosion of the 1500s.

His remarkable and highly-detailed (but not quite anatomically correct) image of a famous rhinoceros, for instance, was printed over 4,000 times during the artist’s own lifetime. We are talking going viral like a Renaissance Period meme, making Dürer even more of a celebrity than he already was.

Download BLVRD Features’ fourth episode to learn more about Albrecht Dürer’s mad skills, his marketing savvy, and his continued connections to today’s world.

Spotlight: Helen Frankenthaler, Saturn, 1963

Helen Frankenthaler, Saturn, 1963, Acrylic on canvas, 104 x 47 3/4 in, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Collection © 2016 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc./ARSNY

A fiery, burnt orange glow dominates Saturn.  In this painting, Frankenthaler is not rendering a literal depiction of the planet, but rather the essence of a celestial body through its compact forms and intense colors.  After 1962, Frankenthaler preferred using acrylic paint in her soak-stain technique as it dried more quickly than oil paint and provided brighter, more vivid colors on the surface.

Spotlight: BLVRD Features Releases Its Latest AR Episode: "Albrecht Dürer's Hands"

Albrecht Dürer, Praying Hands (Betende Hände), c. 1508, Brush, gray and white wash on blue prepared paper, 11 1/2 x 7 4/5 in. Vienna’s Albertina Collection

Today we released our third episode of BLVRD Features:“Albrecht Dürer’s Hands.” If you haven’t downloaded BLVRD Features yet, you are in for a treat. Available in the Apple App Store, BLVRD Features is a free app created to offer a steady-stream of bite-sized augmented reality (AR) experiences exploring fascinating stories of creativity, innovation and expression throughout human history - up through our own day.

“Albrecht Dürer’s Hands,” which allows the user to place several “works of art” in their space, traces the origins of a popular tattoo design back to a drawing by 16th-century German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer. Truly a collaborative effort, this AR experience includes recent tattoo designs from 3 artists from around the globe: Ribas xvx (Brazil), Baron Feind (Germany) and Tyler Olson (U.S). It also brings to light another surprising iteration of Dürer’s “praying hands” illustration on the tombstone of a famous pop artist. (Can you guess who?)

So, delve into “Albrecht Dürer’s Hands",” and keep checking back regularly for new content, BLVRD Features is just getting started.

#prayinghands #tattoos #Dürer #BLVRDfeatures #AR

Spotlight: Boulevard Arts Awarded an Epic MegaGrant

Yep, after waiting on pins and needles for several months to hear about our application status, we finally received the awesome news – Boulevard Arts has been awarded a MegaGrant from Epic Games. Epic Games is the video and software company behind incredibly popular games like Fortnite (maybe you’ve heard of it?). 

In March 2019, Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney, announced a commitment over the next five years to give away $100 million dollars in MegaGants to support creativity and innovation within the 3D community. We are thrilled to be among the first cohort of award recipients.

Our MegaGrant will support the development of an exciting new virtual reality experience “America, Identity, Individualism” we are producing using the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) platform. Not only is our project’s content timely and important, but the immersive technology–and especially UE4s capabilities– will allow us to deliver an interactive experience that engages users in new and mesmerizing ways.  We will share more as we can.... But for now, a huge thank you to Epic Games for believing in our project and in Boulevard Arts!

Spotlight: Henry Treffry Dunn, Dante Gabriel Rossetti; Theodore Watts-Dunton, 1882

Henry Treffry Dunn, Dante Gabriel Rossetti; Theodore Watts-Dunton, 1882, Gouache and watercolor originally on paper, now on card, 21 3/8 x 32 1/4 in., London’s National Portrait Gallery Collection

This double portrait represents Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 -1882), a significant painter and poet of the Victorian era, with his friend, the critic, novelist, and poet, Theodore Watts-Dunton (1832 -1914). Rossetti is depicted reading the proofs of his Ballads and Sonnets to Watts-Dunton. They are sitting together in the ground-floor drawing-room of the house they shared in Cheyne Walk, a room which was described by the artist Treffry Dunn as ‘One of the prettiest and most curiously furnished old-fashioned parlours that I had ever seen. Mirrors and looking-glasses of all shapes, sizes and design lined the walls. Whichever way I looked I saw myself gazing at myself. What space there was left was filled up with pictures, chiefly old and of an interesting character.’ The picture above Watts-Dunton’s head is Rossetti’s double portrait of his mother Lavinia and his sister, the poet Christina, which is also in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

Spotlight: Warren K. Leffler, Civil rights leaders meet with President John F. Kennedy in the oval office of the White House after the March on Washington, D.C., 1963

Warren K. Leffler, Civil rights leaders meet with President John F. Kennedy in the oval office of the White House after the March on Washington, D.C., 1963, 35mm film, Library of Congress Collection

On August 28, 1963, an estimated 250,000 people gathered on the National Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. One of the largest civil rights rallies in U.S. history, the march was organized by an alliance of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations to advocate for the full equality and citizenship of African Americans under state and federal law.

Immediately after the momentous march, President John F. Kennedy met in the oval office with March leaders, including the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to discuss civil rights legislation.

Spotlight: David Ligare, Still Life with Grape Juice and Sandwiches (Xenia), 1994

David Ligare, Still Life with Grape Juice and Sandwiches (Xenia), 1994, Oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in., M.H. de Young Museum Collection

David Ligare’s classically inspired still lifes demonstrate his belief that art can reflect “not just aesthetic, but moral or ethical decisions.” Ligare has volunteered at a homeless shelter in his hometown of Salinas, California, where he served the grape juice and sandwiches depicted here–an act he views as a conceptual component of this work.

The painting’s title, Xenia, refers to the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, which included the practice of providing guests and strangers with baskets of food. According to Ligare, “the picture is truly complete if it inspires others to enjoy the privilege of serving those ‘strangers’ among us who are in such need.”

The presence of this contemporary work in a gallery of predominantly 19th-century trompe l’oeil paintings points to the persistent resonance of the still life genre, which can reflect both an artist’s mastery of technique and the philosophical, spiritual, or moral questions of an age.

Spotlight: Mandala of the All-Knowing Buddha, Saravid Vairochana, 17th Century

Mandala of the All-Knowing Buddha, Saravid Vairochana, 17th century, Tibet, Ground mineral pigments on cotton, 35 x 27 ½ in., The Rubin Museum of Art Collection

Mandalas are representations of the abodes of deities and the Buddhist understanding of the universe. They are visual tools used in complex Tantric Buddhist practices. Typically, a mandala is a symmetrical diagram oriented around a center. It is comprised of concentric circles and squares that represent the architecture of a divine palace. Mandalas may also serve as ritual objects and protective talismans. They can be painted, drawn, made of colored sand, or be actual architectural structures, such as temples and small models made of painted and adorned wood or metal.

This Tibetan hanging scroll painting, or thangka, from the 17th century was created using mineral pigments mixed with glue and applied with brushes to a prepared canvas. It represents the sacred palace, or mandala, of the All-Knowing Buddha, Saravid Vairochana. All the figures within the image–Buddhas, bodhisattvas, protectors, and deities–as well as the architecture and gardens, are an extension of the central deity, Vairochana’s enlightened nature.

Spotlight: Alma Thomas - Resurrection, 1966

Alma Thomas, Resurrection, 1966, Acrylic and graphite, 36 x 36 3/16 in., White House Collection/White House Historical Association

Witness to the broad sweep of 20th-century history, from the horse and buggy days through the space age, artist and educator Alma Thomas remained a believer in the infinite possibilities of human progress. Her story reflects the struggles and dreams, perseverance and innovation that make up the rich complexity of the American experience. A long-time Washington, D.C. resident and member of the Washington Color School, who only came to full-time painting late in life, Thomas is best known for her luminous, color-block compositions configured in irregular grids and concentric circles. This acrylic and graphite painting, entitled Resurrection, was unveiled as part of the White House Collection during Black History Month 2015 and is the first in this collection by an African-American woman.