This article is a summary of a 5-part series on virtual reality in museums proposed by the Unframed Collection platform and written in 2022 by the agency {Correspondances digitales]. Each of the themes discussed below refers to a more exhaustive article inspired by numerous XR examples.
1. What does a VR experience bring to visitors and cultural venues?
” The audience coming out of The Enemy doesn’t feel he’s seen a movie. He does have the feeling of having met people. “
Karim Ben Khelifa, director-photographer of The Enemy VR experience(sources)
For 41% of visitors who have already experienced virtual reality, the contribution of immersion is sensory, emotional and collective. The reconstitution of a physical space and the sensation of interaction both contribute to the development of an emotional connection to the story being told, and to the creation of feelings and emotions that are complementary to those already experienced physically by visitors to cultural sites. Experiences that allow us to share in the realities experienced by characters ( e.g. loss of sight with Notes on Blindessthe daily life of a migrant with Meet Mortazaprisoner with Reeducated or fighters with The Ennemy…) or to convey major memorial issues (ex. Anne Frank House VR, Verdun – landscape of war – landscape of peace, StoryTrails…). In the vast majority of cases (67%), visitors experimented with these immersive devices collectively in public places. These shared moments can take the form of free wandering experiences (ex. Eternal Notre-Dame, We Live in an Ocean of Air, -22,7°…) or customized collective experiences (ex. Mechanical Souls, The Paris Ball, Fugue VR...)
2. Which cultural venues host VR experiences ?
Immersive media are forms of mediation that raise awareness among our audiences and engage them in the preservation of nature”.
Stéphanie Targui, head of digital content at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle(sources)
21% of the 200 cultural establishments surveyed as part of the Museum Innovation Barometer 2021are currently using virtual reality. This trend is set to increase, as 33% of these 200 establishments also have VR projects underway that will be accessible in the coming months. Numerous projects are now enriching the editorial line of a wide range of heritage and performing arts venues, as well as their mediation possibilities. Scientific institutions, for example, are using new technologies to renew their mediation approaches by reconstituting inaccessible environments ( ex.-22,7° on the Arctic, at SATAyahuasca Kosmik Journey on Amazonian spiritual practices and l’Infini on space at the Phi) or animal (ex. The wild Immersion at the Jardin acclimatation, Extended Reality World at Amnéville Zoo…) facilitating the dissemination of technical and ecological development messages. Heritage sites (fine arts, history, architecture…) are making greater use of virtual reality to renew visitors’ appreciation of art and history.
Numerous projects to recreate historic sites have been launched (ex. RV Pompeii at the Grand Palais, theVR experience at the Théâtre Antique d’Orange, Khéops Horizon at the IMA, 360° Chambord at Château de Chambord, The Dawn of Art on the Grotte Chauvet) and augmented contextualization of artistic works (e.g. the Arte Trips digital production series, which appropriates VR paintings, such as the Water lilies by Claude Monet in association with Musée de l’Orangerie). Lastly, live performance venues use immersion to develop new artistic expressions linked to digital technology(eg. VR-I by Compagnie Gille Jobin, Le Bal de Paris by Bianca Li or Eve, la danse est un espace sans lieu produced by Compagnie Voix).
3. How can a VR experience be integrated into a museum space?
According to Jean Davallon, mediation ” aims to give the public access to works of art, and its action consists in building an interface between two universes that are foreign to each other (that of the public and that of the cultural object), precisely to enable the former to appropriate the latter “.
In the same way as an encounter with physical collections, the appropriation of virtual reality works by the public of a cultural site requires support. A range of material, technical and human resources can be mobilized to welcome visitors and support them in their discovery of this experience: facilitating access conditions, mobilizing facilitators to accompany the public, adapting physical spaces, etc. This article will also look at the capacity of virtual reality works to be genuine objects of mediation in their own right. Indeed, their ability to mobilize sight and hearing, to set a user’s body in motion and to draw him or her into a narrative would seem to make this medium an ideal means of mediation.
Like other works or devices, virtual reality works are subject to mediation to facilitate access, discovery and appropriation by the public. The variety of models and narrative environments that can be proposed with these VR works are all assets for proposing other views or other experiences of collections or works. They are also great complements to other forms of mediation already available in cultural venues.
4. How do you communicate an immersive experience?
“I see an encouraging evolution in media coverage. When we started out, we didn’t offer full-fledged exhibitions. It was more like a VR garden with two or three chairs. At the time, the journalists I invited didn’t seem to think their audience would be interested. But more recently, with experiences like Carne y Arena and L’infini, we’re seeing a real evolution; it’s night and day. It’s an important change, because the media play a decisive role in evangelizing the field.”
Myriam Achard, Head of New Media Partnerships and Public Relations, Phi Center(sources)
There are a number of ways to promote an immersive cultural offering to future visitors. Best practices to initiate online and in situ to reach the usual audiences of a cultural venue. Online, the website is the gateway for visitors, whether to present an experience(e.g. the Humanist Library of Sélestat’s Odyssey) or to encourage reservations and purchases via online ticketing (e.g. the Humanist Libraryof Sélestat’ s Odyssey). Revivre at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Le Bal de Paris,VR_I by Compagnie Gilles Jobin, l’Infini for his U.S. tour). In-house tools such as contests, newsletters, ticketing data and event registration modules enable us to invite visitors to share information, so that we can better target communications to them(ex. Éternelle Notre-Dame). On social networks, many immersive venues feature visitor feedback via interviews or reaction captures(eg. IDEAL, Virtual Room, DreamAway). In situ, communication can be complemented by documentation and print media (brochures, flyers, posters, leaflets, etc.) visible from the reception area of the cultural venue ( eg. Musée de la Guerre 1870 for their tablets in augmented reality, theBourdelle Workshop at the Musée Bourdelle or Insurrection 1944 at the Musée de la libération). To develop new audiences, a range of partners can be mobilized to promote a cultural experience to their audiences and communities. With institutional partners, communication kits can be deployed to increase the visibility of an experience on a territory(e.g. the Citadelle Souterraine in Verdun and its permanent tour in RA, l’VR installation installation at the Saint Césaire Paleosite). Other communities can be reached through influencers or visitors themselves on social media (ex. Eternal Notre-Dame, Museum of the Order of the Liberation). Finally, a range of complementary tools can be used to program a national or international advertising campaign to promote an immersive experience to the (very) general public (referencing, media buying, press relations).
5. How do you evaluate a VR experience?
“We need to think critically about the use of technology. We need to stay focused on the content we’re going to offer. We need to rethink storytelling thanks to technology, but technology needs quality content.”
Giulia Bini, curator at EPFL’s ArtLab in Switzerland(sources)
Just like a tour, a temporary exhibition or mediation activities, an immersive experience can be evaluated. The first level of evaluation is to carry out a diagnostic to adjust the immersive experience, if necessary. An audit of the spaces and spatial arrangements implemented can be carried out to analyze the integration of the immersive experience into a cultural site(e.g., Chambord 360°). Chambord 360° at the Château de Chambord). Similarly, a behavioral analysis of visitors can be carried out to improve their welcome and support. A second level of evaluation is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the public – through analysis of registration and ticketing data – and their practices – via interviews or surveys in situ or online. The final level of evaluation considers the contribution of an immersive experience to a cultural venue in terms of reputation, brand and audience development, by extracting data from a wide range of tools (analysis of communication media, ticketing data, reservations, surveys, interviews). The evaluation is crucial in identifying the match between the visitor’s experience and the experience intended by the creators, so that adjustments can be made if necessary.
The diversity and quality of VR experiences currently on offer in many cultural venues are inspiring examples of how VR can benefit visitors and venues alike. The implementation, mediation, monetization, communication and evaluation of these devices, though specific, call on so many practices that already exist in cultural venues. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for expanding, diversifying and forging new links with new audiences.
Antoine ROLAND and Baudouin DUCHANGE
