Tuesday 1 September 2020 9:36am
PhD student Ruth Warren has created a virtual reality tour of the W.D. Trotter Anatomy Museum.
If you’d like to see what really makes humans tick, the country’s oldest and largest anatomy museum is giving free tours – virtually, at least.
The University of Otago W.D. Trotter Anatomy Museum dates back to 1875 and has been in its current location, in Dunedin’s Lindo Ferguson Building, since 1927.
Now University of Otago Anatomy PhD student Ruth Warren has committed the museum and its collection to a high-quality virtual reality video tour. The tour is part of her PhD research exploring what interests the public when visiting a space where there are human remains, and what their emotional response is to such a collection.
“I think it’s important to explore the possible value of sharing these spaces. They have traditionally been used for teaching medical students but the wider public can also have an interest in the human body. Part of this research is understanding why people might want to visit such a space and what they take away from their visit.”
And Ms Warren says the historic museum deserves to be seen.
“It's a very cool space that contains a fascinating collection of human anatomy. There are beautiful historical models as well as many examples of preserved, real human tissue.”
The new tour is free to any New Zealander 16-years or older who agrees to take part in the associated research project which involves taking short surveys before and after the visit.
“It's a very cool space that contains a fascinating collection of human anatomy. There are beautiful historical models as well as many examples of preserved, real human tissue.”
The museum tour has been shot by professional filmmaker and editor Jeff Avery using 360-degree photography, Ms Warren says. “It's like Google Street View - you choose where you want to go in the museum and how fast you want to move around.
“We have also created videos that tell wee stories about particular exhibits around the collection which you can watch. You don't need any fancy equipment to visit - just your computer and a stable internet connection.”
Ms Warren, who is in the first year of her three-year PhD, says the virtual tour and associated survey is open to “anyone and everyone who is 16 years or older”.
“I'm really interested in what the experiences of people from all backgrounds will be, not just trained anatomists.”
To participate in this unique study and gain exclusive access to the Virtual Anatomy Museum, you must be a 16+ New Zealand citizen or resident and be prepared to complete a short questionnaire pre- and post-visit (approximate length 5 and 10 minutes respectively).
To find out more and to register, click here.