The word “museum” usually describes a building.
The Musée virtuel du Var has no permanent one.
Created by the Département du Var, it is a travelling digital facility designed to bring selections from the departmental collection into public venues. In Toulon, it will be installed at Maison de l’Étudiant from 5 October to 16 November with free admission.
The selection includes twelve contemporary artists, among them Carmen Calvo, Günther Förg, Speedy Graphito, Katia Kameli, Vik Muniz and Claude Viallat.
The project goes beyond displaying images on screens. An interactive game for children aged eight and over was developed with CNAM students in Toulon, while a virtual-reality experience is available from age thirteen. Books and educational material provide additional mediation.
Digital reproduction cannot fully replace the scale, surface or physical presence of an original artwork.
But it can make a collection mobile.
That is the project's strongest idea: instead of asking everyone to travel to a museum, parts of the museum travel to them.
For contemporary art, often perceived as intimidating, those digital tools may also help reduce the psychological barrier between an audience and the work.
The Musée virtuel du Var runs from 5 October to 16 November at Maison de l’Étudiant, 3-7 rue de la Glacière, Toulon.