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NEWS


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UffiziTouch® nominated for "Italia degli Innovatori" 24th July - 7 th August 2010, Shanghai Expo 2010, Italian Pavilion
Centrica and UffiziTouch® will be present inside the temporary exhibition "Italia degli Innovatori", dedicated to the most important technological innovations, at Shanghai Expo 2010. The exhibition will be held in Shanghai from 24 July to 7 August 2010. UffiziTouch® was selected of 454 candidates, 265 of which meet the requirements of the invitation extended by the Ministry of Public Administration and Innovation, June 3 last year. A special committee assessed the proposals most likely to witness the Italian technological excellence and the innovative capacity of Italian Country. "Italia degli Innovatori" arose from a Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister for Public Administration and Innovation, Renato Brunetta, and the General Commissioner for Expo, Beniamino Quintieri, providing for the selection and promotion of innovations and technological excellence inspired by the main theme "Better City, Better Life" at the base of the Universal Exhibition in Shanghai 2010.
Uffizi Touch® web site download
Great success at Shanghai of "Uffizi virtuale" exhibition 21st July - 30 th October 2010, Shanghai
The exhibition "Uffizi virtuale" ended on July 21st at the Shanghai Art Museum. It has been a great success with over 35,000 visitors in a month. The Chinese public had the opportunity to appreciate the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery at an extraordinarily high resolution, without traveling all the way to Florence, motivating the prospect of an exciting trip to Italy. Meanwhile in Shanghai, the experience with Uffizi Touch® continues until October 31st, at the Expo Italian Pavilion. Listen to the interview to Centrica's CEO, Marco Cappellini (in Italian).
Radio 1 interview
Uffizi Virtuale. A new experience with Art. 27th June - 21 st July 2010, Shanghai Art Museum
Uffizi Virtuale suggests an interactive itinerary within the Uffizi Gallery Collection. Nine multimedia installations, each with large format touch screen interfaces will be presenting one masterpiece after another. By touching the screen, visitors will be able to examine every particular and zoom in to see the most hidden detail up to the point of perceiving the artist's brush strokes, be it Botticelli or Caravaggio, Titian or Leonardo. The visit is thus transformed into a unique visual and interactive experience. The digital images used in presenting the works of art are the result of a long digital acquisition process originated from advanced technology developed by Centrica, Hitachi and MICC (Media Integration and Communication Center) in collaboration with Soprintendenza Speciale per Patrimonio Storico, Artistico e Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della Città di Firenze. The tenth installation, Uffizi Touch®, gathers the whole collection of Florence's Uffizi Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Cristina Acidini, Soprintendente speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della Città di Firenze Shanghai Art Museum Add: 325 Nanjing Road (W), Shanghai Opening hours: Everyday 9:00 - 17:00 Tel: (86 21) 63272829 - 200 www.sh-artmuseum.org.cn
www.uffizitouch.it | photos  download
Inaugurated  the new Observatory of Knowledge and Arts with a large multimedia exhibition space. 11th June 2010, Ospedale Careggi, Firenze
From 11th June 2010 the University Hospital of Careggi in Florence opens the entrance on Largo Brambilla 3. Inside the building, the new Observatory of Knowledge and Arts is inaugurated with a large multimedia exhibition space. Centrica has collaborated with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Florence, in the organization of the event installing four Ars Touch® screens. People can thus enjoy and explore high resolution images of several masterpieces such as the Coronation of the Virgin and Saints by Botticelli, or De humani corporis fabrica by Andreas Vesalius. Patients and visitors will be able to move and rotate with a touch of their fingers a three dimensional image of a rare chimografo, property of the Hospital's Department of Physiology.
Info | photos 
Award for Innovation in ICMT- Information, Communication & Media Technology 8th June 2010, Confindustria Servizi Innovativi e Tecn., Roma
Centrica received a special mention for the Best Practice in Cultural Heritage and Tourism, for the product Uffizi Touch®. The Award for Innovation in ICMT-Information, Communication & Media Technology, launched by Confindustria Servizi Innovativi e Tecnologici, awards eight Italian companies for digital innovation projects in health, information, cultural heritage, energy efficiency. The convergence between information technology, telecommunications, media content represents a new frontier of digital innovation, which creates new services and new business models. This is the idea behind the first edition of the "Prize for Innovation in Information Communication & Media Technology (ICMT), promoted by Confindustria Servizi Innovativi e Tecnologici in the Enterprise Award for Innovation. The jury awarded three prizes and five special mentions for innovation in Information Communication & Media Technology.
Web site Award
Centrica at Shanghai Expo 2010 1st May - 31 st October 2010, Shanghai 2010
Tuscany aims at innovation and creativity to introduce itself to China on occasion of the Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Centrica will be the leading group of the regional delegation. Centrica chosen by the Ministero per la Pubblica Amministrazione e Innovazione was selected for the exhibition "Italia degli Innovatori" (July 24th-August 7th) in the Italy Pavilion, will submit a revolutionary product concerning the enjoyment of works of art: Uffizi Touch®. The Chinese visitors will be able to enjoy the extraordinary experience offered by this product at the Shanghai Art Museum as well (June 27th - July 21nd). It will be created a Virtual Gallery consisting of 10 installations ArsTouch® allowing people to touch high definition images (more than 5 GigaPixel) belonging to Uffizi Collection. This technological product was conceived for the Schools of Art and Restoration, for people who love Italy and the Made in Italy, moreover for all the companies which aims at the image of our Country as a distinctive factor. Uffizi Touch® will be the protagonist in the library of the Italy Pavilion during the Expo (May 1st - October 31th).
Uffizi Touch® web site | photos  download
Centrica at Eva Florence 2010 21st - 23rd April 2010, Firenze, Palazzo degli Affari
Before Expo Shanghai opening, Centrica presents Uffizi Touch® at EVA Florence 2010 as well as an update of the project "Excellence Digital Archive for Polo Museale Fiorentino", developed with MICC and Hitachi, with new GigaPixel images of "Birth of Venus" and other masterpieces from Polo Museale Fiorentino.
Eva Florence web site
Precious and Beautiful. Cameos and intaglios of the Medici 25th March - 27 th June 2010, Firenze, Museo degli Argenti - Palazzo Pitti
"Precious and Beautiful. Cameos and intaglios of the Medici". From March 25th to June 27th, the "Museo degli Argenti" (The Medici Treasury) in Pitti Palace host important collections of antique and modern gems acquired over the centuries. The exhibition presents the prestigious collection of the Medici, over 170 gems witness the inspiring power of these small but precious objects, have had over the major arts, such as painting and sculpture. Rare pieces coming from museums around the world show the key role of precious gems in the rediscovery of the ancient arts which was typical of the Renaissance period. Visitors will find ArsTouch® interactive stations to inform and help in interpreting the exhibition and discovering the finer details of these small pieces of the collection.
Exhibition web site
De Chirico, Max Ernst, Magritte, Balthus. A look into the invisible 26th February - 18 th July 2010, Firenze, Palazzo Strozzi
"De Chirico, Max Ernst, Magritte, Balthus. A look into the invisible" is the title of the exhibition which will take place from February 26th until July 18th at Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. The event is supported by the Superintendence for the State Museums of Florence - Archive of Metaphysical Art. The exhibition presents De Chirico?s works, together with artists of the metaphysical period, such as Carra, Magritte and Ernst, Balthus and Morandi. The main theme of metaphysical art is loneliness. People are replaced by mannequins, statues, shadows and mythological creatures. The atmosphere is motionless, timeless, like a continuous dream, an emotionless stage. ArsTouch® presents an interpretation of important works of De Chirico and unusual insights about the inspiration sources.
De Chirico exhibition web site
"Design Motore di innovazione" 11th February 2010, Firenze, Confindustria
ISIA Florence organizes a workshop at Florence Industrial Association. Marco Cappellini makes a speech on "Creativity and innovation for a new enterprise culture".
ISIA Florence download
XLphoto® for Opificio delle Pietre Dure 26th January - 31 st December 2010, Firenze, Opificio delle Pietre Dure
The digitization of the photo archive from Opificio delle Pietre Dure is starting. Around 250,000 between negatives, plates and slides dating from the end of the 19th century, when the Opificio (factory) stopped being the Court purveyor to become a restoration school. The archive contains the memory of everything that has been restored during the many years of activity of the institute, documented before, during and after the restoration work. Digitizing, cataloguing and making this treasure available through the Web will help protecting this important heritage from the ageing and degradation of the original media. Centrica will supply the software platform XLphoto®. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6MqZeXVqqI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKYO4sfjesk

Il Giambologna in Florence 17th December 2009 - 31 st January 2010, Centro Storico di Firenze
An itinerary to discover Jean de Boulogne (1529 - 1608), known as Giambologna, author of the famous Rape of the Sabine Women. The journey, both physical and virtual, starts from Palazzo Pitti throughout the historic center of Florence on the trail of the Flemish sculptor. Centrica supplied the high resolution digitization of major works by Giambologna and took care of the website http://giambologna.comune.fi.it, where it is finally possible to browse and download the audio guide of the itinerary. The Rape of the Sabine Women, in particular, can be accessed on the web by the Virtual XLtour.
Il Giambologna in Florence web site
"Virtual Gallery" Exhibition 12th December 2009 - 31 st January 2010, Battistero S. Giovanni in Corte, Pistoia
On 12th December at 5 p.m., the "Virtual Gallery" will have its grand opening at the Bishops' Palace, organized by the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Pistoia and Pescia and by the Soprintentenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Fiorentino. An interactive and virtual itinerary inside the Baptistery of Pistoia, to touch and explore high resolution digital images of the Crucifix of the Cathedral of Pistoia, painted in 1274 by the Florentine Coppo di Marcovaldo. In addition you can explore important works from the Galleria degli Uffizi, from Botticelli to Leonardo. The exhibition is open until 10 January 2010 and the entrance is free.
Web site Fondazione CRPT | photos  download
ArsTouch® for "Art and Illusions" exhibition 16th October 2009 - 24 th January 2010, Firenze, Palazzo Strozzi
The exhibition "Art and Illusions" presents the theme of the trompe l'oeil in art and architecture, covering various aspects. Through ArsTouch® technology the visitor can discover the illusions in architecture, in "The private audience chamber" of The Medici Treasury and in the Corridor of Sant'Ignazio Palace: the application unveils what appears and what is real. In the web site of the exhibition you can admire high resolution images through XLimage®.

XLimage® and the Royal Library of Belgium 25th June 2009 - 25 th June 2010, Bruxelles
The Royal Library of Belgium uses XLimage® since 2003 for displaying antique maps of its collection. This service allowed to participate in European projects as DIGMAP and to be present on different portals with maps, around two thousand. In 2008, the new version of XLimage® Flash interface, enabled the Royal Library of Belgium to put on line portal "Belgica" manuscripts and old newspapers, also accessible through the network Europeana
Belgica web site
The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies 30th April 2009 - 30 th April 2010, Firenze, Villa I Tatti - Biblioteca Berenson
Centrica has started digitizing the Photolibrary with a project dedicated to photographs of Italian paintings and drawings "homeless". This category, as defined by Bernard Berenson, includes works destroyed, lost, stolen, offered on the antiquarian market and location unknown. Approximately 11,000 original will be digitally acquired by Centrica and will be accessible online in the catalogue of Harvard University, at the following link http://via.lib.harvard.edu/via/deliver/advancedsearch?_collection=via (Information relating to the image - Subject: Madonna and child - Author: Orcagna's follower - Location: Unknown)
Villa I Tatti - web site