Interactive time capsule: a virtual exhibit transports museum-goers back in time to view a famous art collection in its original setting. (backdrop).

Q Why did the Baltimore Museum of Art decide to recreate the original setting for the Cone sisters" famous art collection in virtual reality rather than recreate it in physical space?

A Actually, to some extent, they have done both. The touchscreen display is mounted in a beautiful, interpretive gallery in the Cone wing at the BMA. There is a curio cabinet where visitors can open drawers and see objects collected by the sisters, and one section is a life size diorama constructed with some original furniture from the apartments. Of course, the diorama is a composite, while our virtual reconstruction allows the visitor not only to see how the sisters maintained the ...