News: The History of Europe Gets Immersive via HoloLens 2 Experience at St. Peter's Church in Belgium

In recent years, the tech innovation space has been dominated by the US and Asia, with Europe weighing in, but still being mostly lauded for its art history and architecture.

Now, Europhiles with a tech bent can enjoy a unique touch of the future while delving into Europe's past thanks to a new exhibition that uses augmented reality and the Microsoft HoloLens as the key to unlocking an immersive trip to the past.

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The M Leuven museum has launched "Between Heaven and Earth – Experience The Last Supper of Bouts" in St. Peter's Church in Belgium, an experience that allows anyone to immerse themselves in the art of the Flemish Masters.

After donning one of a set of HoloLens 2 devices available at the facility, historic works housed in the Gothic church, including Dieric Bouts' "Last Supper," can be viewed in a completely new way via AR interactions that include gesture controls.

The M Leuven's approach to marrying traditional fine art with the cutting-edge technology of the HoloLens 2 officially launched in October, but now that the European public is being allowed to mingle in public spaces a bit more, Microsoft Belgium decided to remind us—via a new video demonstration (see below)—of what the experience is like.

As for safety, the museum is still observing strict social distancing measures and disinfecting materials associated with its exhibits.

Additionally, Belgium is one of the countries moving aggressively toward mass vaccination, with a goal of opening most of its public facilities back up by September, if all goes well.

The exhibit, which was designed in collaboration with Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Studio Louter, has already won the Muse Creative Award.

Admission to the interactive exhibit is free, and entry is open every day except for Wednesdays.