BavAR[t], an application to discover culture the fun way

Described as the “Pokemon Go of arts and culture”, BavAR[t] is an augmented reality game. The ambition is to discover arts and culturel the fun way. The Laval Virtual exhibition offers to try this application from April 5 to 16, 2023, in partnership with the Tourist Office of the Laval Agglomeration.

Educate yourself by playing in augmented reality

The principle of BavAR[t] is simple: you walk, phone in your hand, and digitized artworks appear around you in your environment. They can be seen thanks to augmented reality technology. The goal is to capture statues and other artifacts, just like in Pokemon Go. Every catch earns points, which can be converted into prizes. The gifts are cultural, for example tickets for a museum or a festival.

Augmented reality is a new card of the cultural and art sector. This technology gives a new energy to this sector, which suffered from the recent pandemic. It at least had the merit of creating new forms of exhibition and artistic presentation, which led to a diversification of the public. BavAR[t], created in 2022, is another example of this new phenomenon.

A new form of cultural communication

BavAR[t] is an excellent means of communication for cultural actors: museums, artists, galleries, festivals, etc. “We can show what can’t be shown, and introduce the public to sensitive archeological collections that require strict conservation conditions. We can show hidden collections, stored due to lack of space in the institutions. We can even teleport an entire exhibition from one town to another”, explain Chloé Guennou and Yannick Pazzé, the founders of the studio behind this application.

The app is a way for professionals to create their own personalized itinerary. Each establishment or institution can easily generate a visit session with its own collections. “We can create fun and unique experiences like a treasure hunt, fun quizzes, a trading card game while offering exclusive prizes.” BavAR[t] allows you to make itineraries with sculptures, paintings, drawings, archeological objects, photographs and even street-art and 3D models.

Laval Virtual partners with the Tourist Office

To offer the possibility to try the game to the residents of Laval, Laval Virtual collaborated with the local Tourist Office, to propose the game before and during the event. For the occasion, five itineraries were created and personalized with the colors of Laval Virtual. Many famous statues will be discovered thanks to augmented reality. The goal is to walk around the streets of the town to catch the artworks and score points!

Passes for the virtual reality event, tickets to a local music festival, tickets to attractions and aquatic parks, or even chocolates and goodies are the winning prizes. All you need are sneakers and a smartphone! You can try BavAR[t] during the Laval Virtual exhibition from 5 to 16 April 2023.