Chauvet: The Dawn of Art

February 2020 | By Artist in Residence at Google Arts & Culture: Jonathan Tanant, in collaboration with Atlas V

Explore the prehistoric Chauvet Cave in France

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"Chauvet: The Dawn of Art" is a 10 minutes VR experience that guides visitors through the Chauvet Cave and is narrated by Cécile de France (French Version) or Daisy Ridley (English version). The virtual visitor will be able to freely explore 12 stations within the cave complemented by expert commentary by Chauvet’s scientific team. Furthermore one will be able to discover the surroundings of the Chauvet Cave, explore the Horses Fresco up close, and marvel at the drawings coming to life. In this experience you are invited to “touch” the cave wall or to visit the cave in torchlight. 


Availability:

- Free download on the SteamVR platform in English and French. Accessible through HTC vive or Oculus Rift devices. 

- 360 video in French and English on g.co/chauvetcave


You can also explore the cave in Augmented Reality : when you use Google Search to query the “Chauvet Cave”, you will be presented with the option to "See the Chauvet Cave Frescoes" up close in the “Knowledge Panel”. Clicking on the "View in 3D button" will allow you to see a 3D model that shows a highlight section of the Chauvet Cave frescoes that can be rotated and zoomed into. If your phone also supports AR, you will see the option to project the model in AR in your space.


The Chauvet Cave in Ardèche, France is home to some of the most ancient human art ever known. Discovered in 1994, it revolutionized our understanding of emerging human creativity. The cave has been sealed off to the public since its discovery to preserve the fragile and irreplaceable art that has survived undisturbed for 36,000 years. The UN’s cultural agency UNESCO granted it World Heritage status in 2014.


A related online exhibition is available at g.co/chauvetcave (desktop and mobile) for free and through the Google Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS and Android. 

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