Verification at Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum: What Kind of New Viewing Experience Does Bloomberg Connects Offer?
The free app Bloomberg Connects, tested at Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum, offers multilingual and artist-commentary features to enhance art viewing.Summary
Bloomberg Connects is a free digital platform developed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable organization funded by Bloomberg L.P. It provides audio guides and content for over 1,500 cultural institutions worldwide, reaching more than 8 million users. In Japan, about 40 facilities have joined, helping regional museums overcome language barriers. The Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum in Aomori was an early adopter in the Tohoku region. This article evaluates the app's use during the ongoing "Sachiko Kazama: 1000-Mile Eye of the Square-Coin Room" exhibition. The app's design is user-friendly: visitors can scan QR codes next artworks to instantly access free audio guides, including exclusive interview videos with the artist herself, Sachiko Kazama. This allows viewers to hear directly from the creator about her motivations and ideas. The app also features transcript text and auto-translation into over 50 languages, letting visitors explore at their own pace regardless of language. Beyond the gallery, the app serves as a permanent digital archive of exhibitions and collection details. Ultimately, Bloomberg Connects removes barriers of congestion, time, and language, providing free, deep access to knowledge and connecting individual curiosity directly with cultural institutions globally.
(Source：美術手帖)