Hosting Virtual Reality in Museums: a critical approach
Date Issued
August 28, 2020
Author(s)
Abstract
The past few years have seen a big increase in the use of Virtual Reality in museum environments in an attempt
for museums to embrace technological innovations and adapt to the challenges of the digital era. A considerable
corpus of literature is available exploring the advantages of VR in museums in terms of alternative content
delivery, the customisation of museum experiences and visitor participation, amongst others. However, most
of these studies tend to overemphasise the advantages of these technologies and overlook the challenges or
limitations created by the adoption of VR in the museum environment. Moreover, most of these studies, focus
on the visitors’ experience and perceptions and don’t examine the needs or opinions of museum professionals
who are responsible for the objects and narratives of a museum.
Thus, the aim of this presentation is to explore the opinions and experiences of museum professionals on the
use of VR technology in museums, their visions for the future of technology in museums and the possible advantages
or limitations of such technologies. The presentation will provide an in-depth analysis of interviews
with museum professionals from a number of countries around the world who shared their experiences with
particular VR projects. The ultimate aim is to offer a more critical and holistic examination and assessment of
the use of VR in museums, to explore how the identified challenges can be overcome and to investigate whether
VR can challenge traditional museological values and affect the very nature of the museum experience offered
to visitors.
for museums to embrace technological innovations and adapt to the challenges of the digital era. A considerable
corpus of literature is available exploring the advantages of VR in museums in terms of alternative content
delivery, the customisation of museum experiences and visitor participation, amongst others. However, most
of these studies tend to overemphasise the advantages of these technologies and overlook the challenges or
limitations created by the adoption of VR in the museum environment. Moreover, most of these studies, focus
on the visitors’ experience and perceptions and don’t examine the needs or opinions of museum professionals
who are responsible for the objects and narratives of a museum.
Thus, the aim of this presentation is to explore the opinions and experiences of museum professionals on the
use of VR technology in museums, their visions for the future of technology in museums and the possible advantages
or limitations of such technologies. The presentation will provide an in-depth analysis of interviews
with museum professionals from a number of countries around the world who shared their experiences with
particular VR projects. The ultimate aim is to offer a more critical and holistic examination and assessment of
the use of VR in museums, to explore how the identified challenges can be overcome and to investigate whether
VR can challenge traditional museological values and affect the very nature of the museum experience offered
to visitors.
Subjects