National Geographic Debuts King Tut AR Experience

National Geographic is commemorating the centennial anniversary of the discovery of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh King Tut's tomb with an immersive experience consisting of projection mapping, virtual reality and digital exhibits in major cities across the United States. With the actual artifacts—excavated in 1922—headed to a permanent home in Egypt after decades of touring exhibitions, the National Geographic Society looked to digital technology to create an informative and entertaining spectacle for the occasion, according to the creative director of the experience, Mark Lach. The company tapped experiential activation firm Paquin Entertainment Group, which has previously orchestrated similar projection-mapping experiences around Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night and the artwork of Claude Monet. The exhibit is already open in Washington and New York with further openings in Los Angeles and Vancouver this week and Houston, San Francisco, San Diego and Atlanta in coming months. In New York, located at Pier 36, the 25,000-square foot space features digital exhibits, some replicas of the artifacts, a projection-mapped tour of the ancient Egyptian's vision of the afterlife and a virtual reality tour of the tomb. The experience is catered to social media sharing with photo posing opportunities and showy visuals. National Geographic Takes Instagrammers to Stonehenge via AR Beyond King Tut offers a tour through the ancient Egyptian afterlife. Educational entertainment The exhibit takes visitors through the life and death of the young king—how he was mummified and buried, the culture of ancient Egyptian civilization and the mysteries surrounding his death—while also connecting the spectacle of the 1922 excavation of his tomb and the significance to modern Egypt, where artifacts are now being returned. While historians say King Tutankhamun, who died at age 19, was far from the most significant pharaoh of his era, his largely still-intact burial has offered a valuable window into ancient Egyptian civilization. The creators of the space mined the archives of the 134-year-old National Geographic Society for the photography and historical content that makes up the exhibit. Other aspects were animated by Montreal firm Normal Studio based on historical accounts and artwork. The experience is projected on walls and screens within the space. Lach said he expects this type of experience to become more popular in museum industries as technology like projection mapping and virtual reality are able to make history or art feel more immersive. "It is in our future to experience things this way," Lach said. "When you bring in context, when you bring in a backdrop and experience that gives context to a piece, that matters." The 25-year museum veteran said while technology has changed the kind of experiences that are available to cultural institutions, museums are also careful to balance the educational importance against the entertainment value in designing exhibits. "Museums have sometimes gone kicking and screaming into the future of anything that is entertainment—'We don't want our museum to look like Disney World'—and I totally agree," Lach said. "Those are two different things—one's an entertainment venue and one's an educational historic venue—but it is there to entertain if you use that word in the broader sense." The content of the projection was designed by a Montreal firm called Normal Studio.

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National Geographic Debuts Immersive Experience to Mark 100-Year King Tut Anniversary

The projection exhibit is the latest in a line of Instagram-friendly museum-like experiences

Patrick Kulp

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Patrick Kulp