The NFB and the Virtual Museum bring Canada’s treasures to life online
Cries from the Deep, Jacques Gagné, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
On May 18, The Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) launched a new project called Canada’s Got Treasures!, in which treasures from our national museums and heritage institutions will be put online for the world to discover and enjoy. In addition, people are encouraged to upload their own photos and videos, allowing museums and the public to come together in one space.
Wherever possible, the NFB will be supporting this project by posting complementary films that illustrate or further enlighten the public on the nature of the treasure being unveiled. By July, we will have enough of those films to begin a playlist, which will be featured on NFB.ca. Each time a new treasure is unveiled that we have a film for, we will add it to the playlist.
To date, we’ve been able to contribute to 2 exhibits:
The Blue Whale Skeleton
Ok. This one is actually really cool. It’s the first Blue Whale displayed in Canada, and the process of getting it ready is mindblowing. Check out the background video first:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukaR147ZjQ&feature=player_embedded
And now watch our companion film (up top), Cries from the Deep, a stunning documentary that follows Jacques Cousteau and the Calypso crew as they film and observe a variety of whales in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.
Maman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4NaxDcBN1k&feature=player_embedded
Locally known as a fascinating, if not unconventional, play area for small children and a magnificent backdrop for a photo shoot, Louise Bourgeois’ giant sculpture of an expecting female spider, Maman, is situated right outside the National Gallery in Ottawa.
By way of offering a little backstory on Bourgeois and surrealist art, we’ve coupled her sculpture with Artist in Montreal, a short documentary that explores the roots of the Automatiste movement in Montreal.
Artist in Montreal, Jean Palardy, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Stay tuned as we help the Virtual Museum uncover more of Canada’s hidden treasures.
