International Immersive Experience Exploring Notre-Dame and its Restoration Coming to New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — “Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition”, an interactive journey into the past, present and future of one of the world’s great architectural landmarks will open in New Orleans at The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) Nov. 15. The visually stunning experience offers visitors an immersive tour through time to explore the cathedral’s history, the effects of the devastating fire and real-time updates on the massive restoration effort returning The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site to its former glory. Admission for this unique, family-friendly exhibition is free.
Conceived and produced by Histovery, a French technology firm, in collaboration with the Public Institution in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, “Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition” is a traveling exhibition that brings world heritage to life with a 360-degree augmented reality immersion into the 850-year history of Notre-Dame Cathedral and its ongoing restoration in the aftermath of the tragic fire on April 15, 2019.
Visitors to the exhibition will be issued a HistoPad™ – a portable, touch-screen tablet developed by Histovery that will serve as their portal to key moments in Notre-Dame’s history and restoration. The intuitive device’s user-friendly technology is accessible to visitors of all ages. Its narrative is presented in 13 languages and is supplemented by a virtual treasure hunt for children and an onboard selfie studio. The HistoPad™ tour through Notre-Dame’s history takes place in galleries designed to envelop the visitor in a multi-sensory experience—including audio of the cathedral’s organ and tolling bells, a full-size replica of one of the structure’s famed chimera statues and a projection of one of Notre-Dame’s iconic rose windows, which survived the fire.
“New Orleans is a city that understands the importance of buildings as places of history, while being all too aware of their fragile nature,” said Daniel Hammer, President and CEO of THNOC. “We are thrilled to bring this experience to the city and know that visitors will be awestruck by the cutting-edge technology and the way it communicates the history of one of the world’s most iconic buildings and what it takes to preserve it in the face of destruction.”
“Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition” is a traveling exhibition conceived and produced by Histovery, a French technology firm, in collaboration with the Public Institution in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, and with the sponsorship of L’Oréal Groupe. Presented in New Orleans by THNOC with the support of the Consulate General of France. WWL-TV is local media sponsor for the exhibit.
"I’d like to warmly thank the L’Oréal Groupe for having made this remarkable augmented exhibition possible, thanks to the cutting-edge technology of the French startup Histovery,” said General Jean-Louis Georgelin, Special Representative of the President of the French Republic and Chairperson of the Public Institution in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. “It acts as a bridge between a millennium of the cathedral’s history with the current restoration building site and allows us to see the continuity of expertise that has been mobilized to the cathedral’s apse, from the foundation stone laid in 1163 to today. Thanks to the partnership with the Public Institution in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, it enables visitors from across the world to understand the restoration work and to learn about the team of professionals working on the renovation of the cathedral so it can reopen for worship and visits in 2024.”
Before arriving in New Orleans, the exhibition was on view at the World’s Fair in Europe and in Washington, DC.
“Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition” will be on view at THNOC located at 520 Royal St. in the French Quarter beginning Nov. 15 through March 1, 2023. Admission is free but advance registration is recommended. To learn more and reserve tickets, visit www.hnoc.org/notredame.
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About The Historic New Orleans Collection
Founded in 1966, The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center and publisher dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. For more information, visit www.hnoc.org, call (504) 523-4662, or follow THNOC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.