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Alchemilla Cooperativa Sociale, designs creative and innovative solutions that meet children, young people and women’s needs and promote gender equality by designing inclusive and participatory tools including a digital platform, workshops, apps and a series of books that encourage participation and self-expression.
Alchemilla is a female-led non-profit social cooperative, funded in 2015, specializing in the intersection of youth, gender and new technologies to implement social innovation projects aimed at the empowerment of children, youth and women.
In particular, Alchemilla designs and coordinates project activities to enhance children’s and young people’s wellness in participatory processes through the use of arts and digital devices. Alchemilla also plans and delivers formal and non-formal learning activities to contribute to the development of effective empowerment programs for children and young people with particular attention to gender.
Since it was founded, Alchemilla has worked with and advised the Cariplo Foundation, the Municipality of Milan and the Catholic University of Milan while continuing to gain national and European recognitions including:
2017: Alchemilla is selected in the IC - Cultural Innovation program of Fondazione Cariplo: the project Artoo - Art as told by children is among the best 10 innovative ideas at national level.
2018: The Artoo project, considered Best Practice at national level by the Assimoco
2017 survey, is selected by Compagnia San Paolo within the Open Lab Call for "Audience Development" in the digital field.
2019: Alchemilla is selected for the EU Funded project Ed.G.E. - Educating girls and boys for Gender Equality that aims to contribute to the prevention and combating of GBV, by raising awareness to children and young people on gender equality through cultural activities and tools, including art-based digital tools
2021: Wins the Innovamusei project, accessing the funding round of Fondazione Social Venture Giordano Dell’Amore . It is also selected for the European project MuseumAR, designing and developing AR experiences to support new generation’s participation
2022: Alchemilla and Artoo are selected by SheTech Founders as one of the 10 best female technology companies of excellence in Italy.
2023: Alchemilla holds the scientific coordination of the EU Funded project “TIGRI – new tools to give voice and empower young women” which seeks to implement an innovative approach fostering gender equality through creative arts and selfnarration
Alchemilla’s cutting-edge digital and art-based tools have proven substantial potential for the empowerment of women, girls and new generation. Alchemilla, therefore, joins efforts to promote gender equality while creating links and synergies between women's groups, children and young people, cultural institutions, but also socially responsible companies.
About MuseumAR
MuseumAR is an innovative initiative supported by the European Commission that aims to amplify the cultural legacy of the Mediterranean region by establishing a cohesive network comprising museums, cultural institutions, and local communities. The project advocates for the adoption of digital technologies and multimedia resources to enhance the availability of cultural assets and to offer visitors immersive and interactive experiences. Through the integration of virtual and physical environments, MuseumAR introduces a fresh approach to the preservation and interpretation of cultural heritage, facilitating a dialogue and collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
About Alchemilla
Alchemilla Cooperativa Sociale is an innovative start-up founded by experts in the fields of community dramaturgy, education, scriptwriting, communication and new technologies. The flagship project developed by Alchemilla is Artoo, a unique bear who lives in a museum’s attic and loves art. When he doesn't understand a painting, he asks children for help. He knows they have a special sixth sense for discovering the hidden meaning of things.
Artoo is more than just a character; it is a method developed by Alchemilla, which creates processes and products that make art an everyday experience, while generating social impact and promoting intergenerational inclusion. Alchemilla also cultivates community relations through digital and artistic experiences, while creating
opportunities for youth to advocate in today's societies. Alchemilla is specialised in digital training and workshops, performing and visual arts: through these disciplines and methodologies, children, young people and communities discover what they are and imagine what they can become.
About Alchemilla’s digital tools
Alchemilla has developed a suite of cutting-edge digital tools to support its educational activities thanks to which the team is able to create engaging and interactive learning experiences that leverage the power of new technologies to enrich children’s learning process. These tools are:
- Artooo4Education: the integrated digital didactics platform for the management of digital workshop paths in pre-school and primary schools is currently available as a web app. The app was developed within the Sweethive technology environment. The workshop management environment, the mechanisms for recording children's audios and the subsequent processing and transcription of content, as well as all integrated digital educational content on the topics of art, cultural heritage and active citizenship and the functionalities for which students can upload their own digital artefacts, are digital tools owned by Alchemilla. The platform is currently used in 70 schools and the stability and good user responses encourage further development of the platform in terms of technological infrastructure and content, which will be developed with the schools using the Artoo4education web app.
- Artoo App: at present the app is available on both iOS and Android platforms (accessible both in English and Italian), and it is structured to provide users with a unique and engaging experience centred around various content themes such as artists, active citizenship, and museums. This experience is augmented by user-generated content (UGC) created by the students themselves, which helps to enrich the overall learning experience.
- Artoo AI: downstream of the two products listed above, Alchemilla has created an Artificial Intelligence mechanism that leverages machine learning to identify and evaluate the content produced by children using the Artoo app and Artoo4Education in classrooms. This innovative tool operates at the intersection of multiple data streams, which it anonymizes and administers according to the most stringent privacy management standards to generate comprehensive reports and analyses for educational purposes.
Of particular interest to Alchemilla is the direct insight that can be gained from children's voices. To extract valuable information from the audio files, the tool first converts them into text format using an algorithm specially designed to accommodate the unique linguistic characteristics of young children. The resulting analysis algorithm represents a groundbreaking advancement in the ability to transcribe and understand children's voices.
In addition to voice-to-text conversion, the tool also employs a function that analyzes the sentiment generated by children’s recordings, producing aggregated analyses to support broader educational objectives.
Future potential developments
The groundbreaking Artoo project developed by Alchemilla has already demonstrated the potential of digital technologies to make art an integral part of everyday life, promoting social impact, and fostering intergenerational inclusion. Future potential developments of it may concern both the existing digital tools and the implementation of new ones in the perspective of a development of the MuseumAR project with the European partners.
One area of potential growth is the continued development of the Artoo app, which could be expanded to include even more content proposals, artists, and museums. By incorporating additional content themes, the app can provide an even more engaging and immersive learning experience for children.
Another area of potential growth is the continued development of the Artoo4Education platform, which could be expanded by integrating more digital educational content on different subjects and topics and upgrading the technological infrastructure for improved functionality and stability.
Moreover, the continued development of the AI tool represents a significant opportunity for future growth. As the algorithm continues to evolve and improve, it will be able to provide even more detailed and nuanced analyses of children's voices, helping to create an even more immersive and engaging learning experience for them.
More potential digital enhancements that could be implemented after the first results obtained within the MuseumAR project could be:
- Augmented Reality (AR) exhibitions: Museums can use AR technology to provide visitors with interactive and immersive experiences. For example, visitors could use a mobile app to view AR overlays that provide additional information, animation, or 3D models of objects in the exhibit.
- Virtual exhibitions: Museums can create virtual exhibitions that allow visitors to explore them from their own devices. This could include 360° videos of exhibition’s spaces, interactive virtual tours, or even full 3D renderings of the exhibition that visitors can explore in detail.
- Digital guides: Museums can provide visitors with digital guides that offer additional information, multimedia content, and interactive experiences. This could include mobile apps that provide audio or video commentary, interactive maps, or even gamified experiences that encourage visitors to explore the exhibit in more detail.
- Digital archives: Museums can create digital archives that provide online access to their collections of artworks, artefacts, and other items that are not currently on display. These digital archives could include high-resolution images of the objects, detailed descriptions and metadata, and even multimedia content such as videos and audio recordings. Museums can use digital archives to showcase their collections in new and innovative ways. They could create virtual exhibitions using objects from the digital archive, or use augmented reality technology to provide visitors with interactive and immersive experiences.
- Multimedia installations: Museums can create multimedia installations that combine art and technology to create interactive and immersive experiences. For example, they could create a projection mapping exhibition that responds to the child's movements or a sound installation that uses interactive elements to create a unique audiovisual experience.
Overall, the use of digital implementations in museums can provide children with new and innovative ways to engage with exhibits, and can help museums to attract a younger audience by offering interactive and engaging experiences.
For more information about this project, please get in touch with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The industry of augmented reality app development has just started its journey, but there are certain criteria that define the quality of the end product:
- It must be compelling.
Engaging your audience properly is essential. The moment your visitor immerses into the world of augmented reality is when you should see the expression of amazement and joy on their face. - It must be convenient.
“Augmented reality” already sounds a bit complicated. Therefore, the easier it is to use technology, the more people will want to try it out. - As the world “augmented” implies, there should be a clear connection between AR applications and the real world.
If you have thoughts about making your own AR application, consider using our services. Our augmented reality app development company can help you develop a unique and engaging AR product.
You won’t have to worry about the quality. We have plenty of experienced augmented reality developers that know all the ins and outs of AR applications. You can check out what projects we have completed by browsing our case studies.
We will be glad to assist you with developing a visually sound and user-friendly augmented reality app for a museum or art gallery.
Source: https://jasoren.com/how-to-use-augmented-reality-in-museums-examples-and-use-cases/
Immersive AR at the National Gallery, London
The Keeper of Paintings and the Palette of Perception is a free mobile-based experience that uses AR technology to encourage children to explore the Gallery and learn about its paintings.
Young Gallery visitors are asked to help guide a fictitious Keeper of Paintings to find a lost ‘Palette of Perception’ – a magical object with special gems that gives them ‘powers’ – to engage with the paintings digitally. As they move through the Gallery responding to the app’s story, a new digital world is revealed where visitors can solve puzzles, find hidden secrets, and collect the gems connected to the paintings.
"Working alongside StoryFutures, the National Gallery, the wonderful kids of the Children's Advisory Group and all the other partners has exceeded every one of our expectations"
Jon Meggitt, CEO, Arcade
Cutting Edge AI
Powering the experience is a custom built AI ‘archive engine’. Using computer vision techniques, the app is able to instantly recognises the paintings. Not only does this provide a smooth and engaging user experience, but it also frees up the kids to choose any room in which to continue their quest, giving them agency and control of their adventure.
To further simplify the user experience, the painting detection and AR elements are seamlessly integrated into a chat interface through a ‘Keeper’s Eyeglass’
No Screen Time
AR is an extremely powerful way to connect people to place, but it needs to be used sparingly. In all of our projects we keep our focus on fostering interaction between the user, the place they are in and the people they are with.
At strategic points in the user journey, we introduce Keeper Skill Cards, which effectively time the app out whilst providing the child with a relevant task for the current room (eg ‘Discuss your favourite painting with your grown-up’). The Keeper even advises that they put the device away for a bit!
"It’s fantastic that we are able to launch our first dedicated app for children that creates a new perspective on the paintings at the National Gallery. It’s a rich experience and it’s been such a rewarding process to co-design it with the children that have been involved. Arcade, the children and all the partners involved have created something really magical."
Lawrence Chiles, Head of Digital, National Gallery
Inclusivity
We engaged the services of Open Inclusion, the inclusive research and solutions consultancy. Following on-site user testing with groups of children with disabilities, they empowered us with insights and actions which, by implementing as features in the app, have led to a more inclusive experience.
The Keeper of Paintings and the palette of perception. Arcade
On 26 January 2023, the Hands On! "MuseumAR Multiplier Event" was held in Graz, Austria, at the CoSA - Center of Science Activities.
The "MuseumAR" project aims to introduce adult educators and museum professionals to the potential of AR as a storytelling tool and to help them train professionals and young graduates in the use of this technology in ways that will reshape the way these institutions operate and engage their visitors
Over a period of two years, Hands On! worked with partners to develop a curriculum for augmented reality and learning in museums, as well as training materials, a digital brochure with augmented reality stories and a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to promote digital heritage. The results were presented to museum professionals during the event. Participants were also invited to take part in an augmented reality story tour, "Getting to know architecture in the city centre of Graz" via a mobile app.
For more information, you can visit the project’s website: https://museumar.eu/en/
The 2-year project, financed by the Erasmus+ programme, having kicked off in April 2021 by organisations from the fields of education and culture in Austria, Cyprus, Greece and Italy is now coming to an end.
During this time, the consortium that joined the 'Museum-AR: enhancing museum visitors' experiences using AR and VR technologies' project shared expertise in different fields to explore exciting ways to increase museums' competence in the development of innovative tools that combine art, play and digital solutions.
As the project is in its final stages, what it has achieved will remain at the disposal of a wide range of audiences. Indeed, anyone interested in #AR #Innovation #participation #gaming may find inspiration by looking at the MuseumAR resources that include:
- Augmented Reality and Learning in Museums Curriculum and Training Material
- A Digital Booklet with Augment Reality Stories
- MOOC for promoting digital cultural heritage
To find out more, visit our website: MuseumAR
