June 2009
Guide by Cell, a leading mobile technology company for cultural institutions, has just announced that the National Portrait Gallery in London is implementing its mobile technology products at the museum renowned for its portrait collection. Specifically, the museum is using mobile touring and text messaging products to enhance visitors' experience of a special display featuring contemporary paintings of British painter Frank Auerbach.
"For our long-term exhibits, the Guide by Cell mobile phone tour presents excellent opportunities for enhancing visitors' interpretation given the range of such features including "record your own commentary" and "text messaging," said Andrea Easey, Interpretation Editor at the National Portrait Gallery.
"These are ideal features that can easily be added at any time throughout the life of the exhibition."
The Gallery's collection spans the 16th century to the present and aims to bring history to life through its extensive portraits of men and women who have been integral to Britain's rich cultural past and present. It has the most extensive portrait collection in the world and strives to be the foremost center for the study of, and research into, portraiture, as well as making its work and activities of interest to a wide range of visitors.
"The breadth of history represented at the National Portrait Gallery is wonderfully rich in British history and culture," said David Asheim, president and founder, Guide by Cell.
"Combining technology with this particular contemporary portrait exhibit is an ideal opportunity to introduce a new and different way for visitors to enjoy what they're seeing."
Guide by Cell's unique mobile phone solutions for the National Portrait Gallery is one of several it has developed for cultural institutions in the United Kingdom. Since the company's mobile tour was first launched in 2005, Guide by Cell has since expanded its mobile technology offerings to include mobile giving, texting, and iPhone applications.
Asheim says, "Introducing mobile technology to United Kingdom museums and galleries has been an important evolution for our company, but also an equally important evolution for cultural institutions beyond our borders."
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