Conversations with Mona Lisa

A gallery in Seoul breathes new life into old paintings using modern technology.

The "Alive Gallery" in the South Korean capital has brought characters in famous paintings to life using the latest in technology enabling visitors to interact with Mona Lisa and Jesus and his disciples at the last supper.

Imagine asking the Mona Lisa a question, and instead of La Giaconda's enigmatic smile staring back at you, imagine she answered.

That's what's in store at the Alive-Gallery in South Korea, where, if looking isn't enough, visitors can interact with priceless works of art.

The pieces, ranging from The Last Supper to The Last Judgement, aren't on loan - the gallery has virtual renditions of the world-famous works.

It's been a big hit with school groups.

"Children used to get tired of watching paintings with boring explanations," says kindergarten teach Jung Hyon-Hee. "Now they are having so much fun here because they can actually interact with the paintings. It's very different from other museums."

Indeed, here, the Mona Lisa explains why she has no eyebrows: "During the Renaissance period, when I was living, wide foreheads were regarded as an element of beauty in women. So many women shaved their eyebrows to make their foreheads seem wider," she says.

It's the first gallery of its kind in the world, brags public relations manager Kim Hyun-Jung.

"This living gallery has a different concept of display from others. It applies the domestic information technology to the masterpieces so that those characters of the paintings can move vigorously, which is the world's first case."

She didn't say whether the company was planning a Dr Doolittle-themed zoo.





Source: Reuters