A torch in hand, you leave the camp by the river to join the cavity hanging on the side of the mountain. Inside, a cave bear passes at your feet before, in the light of the flaming piece of wood, your gaze discovers the fabulous drawings on the walls: horses, aurochs, woolly rhinoceros ... Welcome to the Chauvet cave (Ardèche ), a marvel of 36,000-year-old prehistoric art, 21st century version. From this Thursday morning, everyone can enter without leaving their living room, thanks to a virtual reality visit accessible free of charge on the Internet, provided they have a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headset.
We tested this immersive route in preview at the premises of Google, which developed the concept in collaboration with the site of the Chauvet cave. Led by the voice of Cécile de France (Daisy Ridley for the English version), here we go, surrounded by a cloud of glowing ash, to discover for ten minutes some of the most beautiful paintings in the cave, but also an evocation of life in prehistoric times. Very quickly, we let ourselves be carried away in these decorations of a formidable realism and take to the game of interactivity (lighting the torch, touching the wall ...).
This impressive tour is extended by such a convincing free visit. At the heart of the cave, reconstructed to the nearest stalactite, you can discover, armed with your controller, ten of the most beautiful attractions of Chauvet: the owl, the panel of horses, the lions of the caverns, the red dots, and of course the bear skull placed on a rocky block, as on an altar. We look up to admire the ceilings, we turn around to discover another painting, and above all we get as close as possible to the frescoes, much more than in the replica of the cave, opened in 2015 ... The experience is unique, spectacular and a little dizzy.
Chauvet accessible to all
“We worked with the data collected for the production of the replica. With the ambition to make the cave accessible to as many people as possible, free of charge, worldwide ”, summarizes Sixtine Fabre, responsible for partnerships at Google Arts & Culture who also works with, notably, Versailles and the Musée d'Orsay. The project does not stop at this immersive visit. If you do not have a helmet, you will be able to find a classic 3D version on the platform, download an application for an augmented reality journey on your mobile or tablet, take quizzes, or visit one of 21 thematic exhibitions around Chauvet. and its history.
“It will never be as good as reality, it will never be the same emotion. It is also not the same experience as in the replica. But it is a way to allow all those who do not have the opportunity to come to Ardèche to discover this masterpiece of humanity, which belongs to all, considers Pascal Terrasse, president of the mixed union from the Chauvet cave. Of course, this can increase the reputation of Chauvet. But we are already more than 2 million visitors a year ... Me, and I take this speech, I also see a way to reduce the environmental impact of tourism in the region. Because I think we must now also think about preserving our sites. "
A VR movie is to be seen on the Steam platform.