News: Intel Opens AR Portal to Smithsonian's Burning Man Exhibit via Snapchat

Burning Man 2018 is underway, but Intel and the Smithsonian American Art Museum are giving those not in attendance the ability to view the art from the event through Snapchat.

Snapchat users can step through a Portal Lens and preview the VR experience created by Intel and VR company Sansar to experience "No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man" remotely.

According to a Snap spokesperson, the Sponsored Lens is available beginning Monday and lasts until Sept. 8.

The physical exhibit is open at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, until Jan. 21, 2019.

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"Although more than 30 million people come through the doors of the Smithsonian's museums every year, hundreds of millions will never be able to visit in person. Virtual and augmented reality creates new opportunities for those people to access Smithsonian collections, research and educational resources regardless of their ability to physically visit a museum or research center," said John Bonini, vice president and general manager of VR, Gaming, & Esports at Intel Corporation via a statement.

"With recent advances in digital technology, the Smithsonian American Art Museum can share its exhibitions with art lovers across the globe in a fully immersive way."

According to Snap, the campaign is the most far-reaching effort made by Intel to bring visitors to the VR gallery. For its part, Snapchat AR reaches 70 million people per day, with users spending more than three minutes with AR experiences on average.

While VR is likely the ideal immersive technology to recreate the gallery experience for art enthusiasts, the fact that Intel chose an AR experience to promote the VR experience is yet another example of AR gaining traction over VR as a marketing tactic.

Although the app's carousel prompt for the experience is only revealed to those within the demographic targeted by Intel, you can still scan the Snapcode below through Snapchat to experience the Lens yourself.

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