Google has launched a new VR experience to breathe life to the Chauvet Cave, a historic site that contains some of humanity’s earliest recorded drawings. Set in Ardèche, France, the site was discovered in 1994 and has been closed off to the public ever since.
The paintings which are 30,000 – 33,000 years ago, are some of the most iconic artworks in the history of mankind. The Palaeolithic cave contains Ice Age art that’s extremely varied, with at least 13 different species, including those which have rarely or never been found in other Ice Age paintings.
For the first time, discover one of humanity’s oldest masterpieces, now accessible to everyone. #MeetOurAncestors https://t.co/ihcZBGH6sy
🏛️ La grotte Chauvet pic.twitter.com/VGRJSyFpkg
— Google Arts&Culture (@googlearts) February 27, 2020
Rather than the more usual animals of the hunt that predominate in Palaeolithic cave art, such as horses, cattle and reindeer, the walls of the Chauvet Cave are covered with predatory animals – lions, panthers, bears, owls, rhinos and hyenas.
Google’s new digital exhibit, Meet Our Ancestors, brings users face to face with hundreds of digitalised areas of the cave. Additionally, these tours can be guided by Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley or Cécile de France, depending on which language you want to explore the cave in.
For those who don’t have a VR headset at their disposal, modified versions of the tours are available on YouTube. Searching for the cave on Google’s Search platform allows users to check out the cave on their phone in augmented reality.
It’s not the first time that Google has used AR and VR to support its Arts & Culture work. Last September, the company used photogrammetry to create a virtual reality tour of the Château de Versailles in France.
Source: AFP Relax News
