Snapchat and the Louvre

Snap's AR Studio and the Musée du Louvre unveil "Egypt Augmented", a series of innovative and educational augmented reality experiences to be enjoyed in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities and in the Cour Carré of the Musée du Louvre, thanks to technologies offered by Snap.

These new experiences reveal the shapes, materials, colours and decorations of the selected works, all of which have disappeared over time, leaving only bare stone. Thanks to augmented reality, these artworks are illuminated and resurrected. The three-dimensional reconstructions of missing elements, the virtual restitution of original pigments and the creation of masks were designed by the AR Studio teams in close collaboration with curators from the Louvre's Department of Egyptian Antiquities, based on a corpus of archives and references.

Egypt Augmented: when augmented reality takes over the Musée du Louvre

By simply scanning a QR Code positioned on the plaque of the artwork with their smartphone, or through the Snapchat camera, museum visitors can trigger several experiences inside the rooms of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities. 

• The Naos of Amasis:

The faded bas-reliefs in pink granite on all 4 sides of the Naos reappear for visitors to discover and contemplate. The statue of the god Osiris, which received ritual offerings and daily worship behind the wooden doors of the Naos, a small chapel set up in the most secret part of the temple, thus regains its original place and function.

• The Chamber of Ancestors:

The Chamber of Ancestors returns to full colour - with bright, luminous pigments, paying tribute to the dynasties of kings who preceded Pharaoh Thutmose III on the throne of Egypt.

• The Dendera Zodiac:

The ceiling relief on the vault, inspired by Babylonian, Egyptian and Greco-Roman systems, is revealed in 3D, with an explanation of its uniquely subtle and complex purpose.

• An AR obelisk in the museum’s Cour Carrée:

To pay tribute to Champollion's original vision, the 222-tonne granite obelisk de la Concorde is now virtually installed on its original plinth in the centre of the Louvre's square courtyard, thanks to augmented reality and Snap's Custom Landmarker technology.

• A face Lens available to everyone from everywhere 

AR Studio and the Musée du Louvre wanted to offer an experience accessible to Snapchatters all over the world. Thanks to a Face Lens, Snapchatters can put themselves in the shoes of an ancient Egyptian man or woman, wearing funerary masks reconstituted in 3D and faithful to those on display in the Louvre museum.