January 14

A bit of France in SLU

MOHAI’s Mont-Saint-Michel exhibit merges art and mixed-reality technology.

Dear Francophiles – for a limited time only, you can find French flavor beyond the croque madame at Portage Bay or the decadent steak frites at Butcher’s Table at MOHAI of all places.

Through January 26, you can see and experience a historic scale model of Mont-Saint-Michel, a medieval monastery perched atop a remote tidal island off the coast of Normandy, France. This intricate scale model was crafted entirely by hand in the 1600’s by resident Benedictine Monks.

According to MOHAI, the 1/144-scale model precisely depicts the monument in such intricate detail that maps like this were considered valuable strategic tools to leaders like Napoleon and King Louis XIV who considered them military secrets and hid them from public view.

The exhibit is taken to immersive heights with Micorosoft’s HoloLens 2 device, Microsoft AI, and mixed-reality technology. These three aspects bring the viewer onto the island and into the cathedral, providing up-close looks at the monastery’s impressive Gothic design.

Mont-Saint-Michel is celebrating its 40th year as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The exhibit is accessible with general admission to MOHAI and free to MOHAI members.

Story by Ethan Chung and photographs courtesy MOHAI.


At The Center

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