Google Street View Cameras Are Taking Selfies in Museums

BY JESSICA PLAUTZ

When Google launched its Street View project for museums in 2011, the goal was to create an archive of thousands of cultural artifacts around the world.

But something unexpected came of it as well: The cameras are taking selfies in museum mirrors.

In order to document about 250 cultural institutions around the world, Google mounted panoramic cameras on top of trolleys and set them to work.

Mirrors abound inside these cultural landmarks, and Spanish artist Mario Santamaria went through Street View looking for mirror reflections to create a collection of the accidental self portraits on his Tumblr The Camera in the Mirror. The images are often odd and occasionally beautiful.

IMAGE: THE CAMERA IN THE MIRROR

The contraptions, covered in a silver drape, are usually alone, and the effect is eerie.

The Google Cultural Institute's Art Project has recorded more than 40,000 artworks and hundreds of interiors of buildings like the Palace of Versailles and the White House.

The institute partners with museums, cultural institutions, and archives in order to make cultural treasures accessible to everyone online.