The MediaLab at the Metropolitan Museum of Art /Spring ’14 Internships
Application Deadline: December 15th
Send applications to: don.undeen@metmuseum.org
Spend a semester at the intersection of art and technology with The MediaLab at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The MediaLab at the Met is now accepting internship applications for the spring semester.
We regret that these Internships are unpaid, but we will make every effort to ensure a fulfilling and enriching experience that advances your own educational and professional goals.
The MediaLab’s role in the museum is to be a place where creative technologists, museum specialists, and the technology industry come to together to develop prototypes and proofs-of-concept that push the boundaries of what a world-class museum is capable of. In the past, we have: developed access technology prototypes for disabled visitors; made 3D photogrammetry scans available for download and encouraged creative reuse of our content; built Google Glass prototypes for image recognition and audio descriptions; copied Corey Arcangel’s “Super Mario Clouds”; and re-colored the Temple of Dendur with projection-mapping.
We run a meet-up group that facilitates experimental project development. And, we bring digital artists in for conversations with curators to foster bonds between contemporary and traditional art. One time, we even scraped our own website.
We are busy, and we need your help.
Interns at the MediaLab will have the opportunity to work closely with museum staff, on projects that are fueled by the interns’ own creative impulses. We will provide the guidance and resources necessary to ensure a productive and enriching experience, but there will be no busywork, handholding, or clock-watching.
Interns are expected to be self-motivated, but we’ll be with you every step of the way.
All interns will be expected to give both mid-term and final presentations of their work to Met staff, and to write at least one blog post for our Digital Media blog.
Internship applicants are welcome to provide their own project ideas, but we’ve identified a few areas that could be especially fruitful, and we’d be eager to get applicants interested in the following fields:
1. Indoor Locative technology survey and development: In a large, confusing space like the Met, there is clear benefit to being able to quickly identify a user’s current location. Low-Power bluetooth beacons are one option, but image recognition, wifi triangulation, and RFID are other possibilities. An indoor locative internship will involve not only examining and evaluating the range of technology solutions available and their relative merits, but also looking at the user experience and design considerations that are necessitated by each of these different approaches. Ideal candidates should either be interested in physical computing, user experience design, or both.
2. Indoor Wayfinding : The goal of this internship is to develop a system that, simply put, help visitors find their way around the museum. We’ll be developing path-finding and traveling salesman algorithms that take into account a visitor’s personal preferences and accessibility requirements. We’ll also be developing the metadata and smart maps that make this work possible. Applicants with a background or interest in GIS would be especially valuable for this position.
3. Immersive Virtual Museum Environments : What would you do if you had access to a full 3D model of all the public areas of the museum? What if you had an Oculus Rift to go along with it? Work with our buildings managers, exhibit designers, curators and digital media staff to find out! Applicants for this internship should have some experience in 3D environmental modeling, particularly Unity.
4. 3D Modeling and printing specialist. Through our relationship with 3D Systems, we have access to a range of 3D printers and scanners, both in our lab and off-site. We’re looking for an intern who wants to spend time creatively re-interpreting our collection with 3D technology, and helping us explore practical and fun uses for 3D printing in the museum. You’ll get a chance to talk to our curators and educators about your work for the purpose of advancing your artistic practice. Ideally an applicant for this position has a strong interest in 3D scanning, modeling, and printing as an art form, and has some practical experience in the field
Send applications to: don.undeen@metmuseum.org
Don Undeen
Manager of Media Lab
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028