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May 2007
Dial-A-Commentary: Acoustiguide Goes Cellular
(New York) -
Cell phone projects at the
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and New-York Historical Society showed that it is
not just Acoustiguide’s proprietary handheld players that can deliver high
quality audio tours. Cellular tours can reach out to new audiences, and this
winter Acoustiguide launched two exciting new projects.
MoMA led the way in the month of January with nine minutes of
interpretation on its
Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers
exhibition --- a series of videos by artist, Doug Aitken, projected on the
museum's exterior walls each evening after sundown. This free display of public
art called for professional audio that could be readily available to passers-by
whether they be tourists, New Yorkers, art aficionados, or sidewalk gapers.
Acoustiguide set up a free phone line to which users could dial-in to hear from
the exhibition curators and artist. A voice mail feature, allowing listeners to
leave feedback on what may be equated to an audio bulletin board, encouraged
users to leave comments. At the end of the show, the comments were collected on
an audio CD and given to project partners. The telephony system's real-time
data reports documented nearly 3,400 calls in a 30-day period and suggested that
the average listener accessed 2/3 of available interpretation.
An example of visitor
feedback includes a listener returning home from the MoMA event in a taxi, "I
think this is phenomenal. It really does play off of the city’s sounds-- just
standing here looking at it hearing the cabs honking, the people chattering all
around me.”
In February, the New-York Historical Society launched a cell
phone tour for its A New Light on Tiffany exhibition. Simultaneously
available on Acoustiguide 2000 wands and on the Society's website, the museum
endeavored to maximize its Acoustiguide audio investment by broadcasting the
content on as many platforms as possible. To date, the tour has received 950
calls.
Acoustiguide’s telephony system, in conjunction with Guide by
Cell, provides a hosted, web-based service allowing for the real-time recording,
playback, and administration of audio messages. It also includes a feedback
system to capture visitor comments and statistics.
Ted Vasquez, Acoustiguide's CEO, observes, "Whether helping
clients solve distribution challenges in outdoor spaces, meet tight budgets, or
increase outreach by expanding broadcast platforms, Acoustiguide cell phone
tours are becoming one of our increasingly popular platforms."
Cell phone programs round out Acoustiguide's expanding technology
and new media options including proprietary MP3 players, web-based downloadable
sound files, iTune selections, and screen-based multi-media tours.
This June, expect to hear two new Acoustiguide cell phone tours
at the opening of the recently expanded Mississippi Museum of Art. Dial-in at
408-794-2812 to have a listen.
About
Espro Acoustigide:
Acoustiguide Inc. is
the US subsidiary of the Espro Acoustiguide Group - a global developer,
manufacturer and marketer of audio and multimedia hand held interpretive systems
and multi-lingual content. The Groups products and services are used in museums,
cultural and visitor centers, walking tours and trade shows worldwide. The
client base of the Group includes over 400 active sites, and comprises some of
the world's best known museums and heritage sites, including the Museum of
Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Orsay
Museum and the Rodin Museum in Paris, the Imperial War Museum in London,
Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the
Museum of Fine Arts in Vienna, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the Royal Museums
of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels and the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Group
has 8 subsidiaries worldwide. For further information, please visit our website
at www.acoustiguide.com
about us I what we do I why an audio tour I what's new
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