Snapchat Launches Interactive Art Project at the Palace of Versailles

Snapchat has announced a new in-app art project, in partnership with the Palace of Versailles, which aims to provide an interactive historical experience in the grounds of the famous French building.

As you can see in these example screens, Snap’s new project includes AR activations within the grounds of the palace, providing additional visual elements to enhance the visiting experience.

As explained by Snap:  

“Snapchat and the Palace of Versailles are partnering to offer a unique cultural experience in augmented reality: Dansez Versailles. Thanks to Snapchat’s cutting-edge technologies, visitors to the Palace gardens are invited to rediscover the baroque festivities and dances that enlivened the Royal Court through AR. Through an immersive, fun, and educational journey, history comes to life in the heart of the gardens.”

Each station on the map will showcase a dance related to the location, which can be seen through the AR camera.

“With Dansez Versailles, the objective is to restore the gardens of the Palace to their original function: a space for life, pleasure, and spectacle. By leveraging the immersive possibilities of AR, four emblematic places in the gardens become scenes of artistic reconstruction, where each space reveals an iconic dance of the era, allowing visitors to the Palace to step into the shoes of a dancer of the time.”

Snapchat has played host to various art installations, as part of its broader push to contribute to emerging culture.

Snap has previously launched digital art projects with The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (FAMSF), while also working with renowned modern artists like Jeffrey Koons, Damien Hirst, KAWS and more, on various AR art activations.

This new activation is another step on this front, while Snap is also looking to cement its place in French culture more broadly, in order to enhance its local footprint.

France is Snap’s biggest EU market, with 27 million users, and Snapchat recently opened a new office in Paris to capitalize on local opportunities.

A local AR art activation is another step towards solidifying Snap as a key player in the local interactive landscape, and building more local connections.