In Greek mythology, Clio is the muse of history – that’s why her name was deemed suitable for a museum guide app which makes history accessible through modern mobile devices. What differentiates Clio Muse from other tour guide applications is that it goes beyond the typical or strictly scientific information and focuses on unique intriguing stories related to selected exhibits, in a way that can awaken the visitors’ interest without boring or intimidating them.
Clio Muse was created by Andreas Fatouros, a specialist in the conservation of antiquities and works of art, Yiannis Nikolopoulos, a student at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Patras, and Daphne Tsevreni, a graduate of the Athens University of Economics and Business. They met at Startup Weekend Next, a seminar for aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for the means to turn their ideas into businesses.
It was Fatouros’ wish to create a network for promoting the world’s cultural heritage that convinced them to work as a team, and they did extensive research in order to determine how they could service the needs of both museums and their visitors in a unique and creative way. Thus they came up with the idea of a museum guide app which can actually work as a liaison between cultural institutions and their audiences. Users of the museum app can decide how much information they want to read, vote for their favourite stories and share the experience through various social networks. Cultural institutions can analyse and evaluate the statistics gathered by the app, so as to adjust their exhibitions or make future plans.
Clio Muse can either be on the spot or anywhere else, so that one can prepare for a future visit or delve into a past one. The content can be updated by the museums, and users will soon be able to track personal “pathways” which will indicate other cultural destinations of possible interest to them. Nikolopoulos is head of programming, Fatouros is responsible for the content and Tsevreni deals with all business related matters.Since launching, the team works on adding more institutions to the list and upgrading the app. Clio Muse is and will always remain free for users, with a fee for the museums which want to make use of it.
In January 2015, Clio Muse received the first prize in the category of «professional winner» at the first Europeana Food and Drink Open Innovation Challenge, a competition directed to representatives of creative industries presenting ideas and solutions for innovative methods for the re-use of food and drink related digital heritage content.
Credits
Direction & Post Production: Alexis Skoulidis
Camera – Director of Photography: Fotis Zigouris
Production Sound Mixer: Sokratis Tzovanis
Make-up: Roula Lymperopoulou
Interviews & Texts: Paris Kormaris
Project Manager: Agapi Tsakpinoglou
via LoveGreece.com
Inspired by the dynamism and creativity of the Greek entrepreneurial spirit, LoveGreece was founded in 2013 as an initiative to boost and promote the country’s image abroad by profiling talented and successful Greeks. With their ethos and vision, Greece’s entrepreneurs and professionals are an important aspect of the country worth highlighting to the world. LoveGreece is powered by Gina Mamidaki, the founder of the G & A Mamidakis Foundation.
