AR exhibition gives Chinese visitors a 'digital look' inside Paris' Notre-Dame

SHANGHAI — A "digital twin" of Notre-Dame de Paris has opened on the Bund in Shanghai, part of a free augmented reality exhibition aimed at boosting Sino-French cultural exchanges.

The historic cathedral of Notre-Dame has been brought to life with the help of AR and 3D technologies.

The exhibition, Notre-Dame de Paris — the Augmented Exhibition, is produced by French company Histovery, in collaboration with the public institution responsible for the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, which was closed after a devastating fire in 2019.

To experience Notre-Dame in a visual way, visitors are provided with a tablet PC, which they can use to scan a "time portal" similar to a QR code, in front of a cluster of prints, pictures and 3D models in each section.

Visitors can explore and interact with the site's major historical moments as well as its architecture and construction.

The interactive features aim to help people understand the history behind Notre-Dame, and its ongoing repair.

The organizers wanted to bring more interactive experiences to museums and historical places around the world, said Morgan Fourdrigniez, the China representative of Histovery, who added that the exhibition was developed over two years to ensure the tablet PC, the HistoPad, accurately reflected the historical appearance of Notre-Dame.

Fourdrigniez said the development involved a scientific committee made up of eight experts in art history, history and other fields.

A vivid example of how cutting-edge technologies can rejuvenate historical sites, the exhibition is also a window into the deepening cultural exchanges between China and France.

Notre-Dame de Paris is not only an important part of French cultural heritage, but also a treasure of human civilization, Fourdrigniez said.

The exhibition was held in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Germany and other countries before coming to Asia, and is expected to move to Japan after its Shanghai stop.

Fourdrigniez said that Histovery is actively seeking opportunities to exhibit in other Chinese cities to further promote cultural exchanges between China and France.

As the traveling exhibition's first stop in Asia, the event in Shanghai has been made available to the public until Jan 2, offering a journey through space and time that covers the 850-year history and rebirth of the cathedral.

Xinhua