Advent of mixed reality media : the role and potential in presenting cultural heritage

Abstract

The author conducted this research about the potential and applicability of introducing Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality media in the context of local museums and heritage site, with regards to the overall Visitor Experience and Enjoyment. To conduct this research the author studied the existing theory on the subject particularly literature concerning museum education, visitor enjoyment and the conceptual changes of representational media, both past and present, with regards to the complex and dynamic nature of values and significance attributed to cultural heritage. The topics covered in this theoretical framework, were varied but related. These required an understanding of the dynamic and complex nature of values and significance, as attributed to our cultural heritage, and the efforts involved in presenting their message to everyone, particularly non-specialist public, in the most legible way possible. This is particularly relevant with respect to the social role of museums as agents of cultural instruction, especially when considering the importance that modern society attributes to culture in a continuously globalised world. This theoretical framework provided the necessary background for the researcher to then focus his study upon investigating visitor behaviour at two local museums that have incorporated different forms of digital media in presenting the different exhibits: the Cittadella Experience at The Cittadella, Gozo, and the National War Museum at Fort St. Elmo, Valletta. The methodology used consisted of questionnaires and observational analysis. The questionnaires were handed directly to the visitors and the observations were discrete and did not interfere with the visitors visit. From these investigations, the researcher concluded that due to the unprecedented capability of creating hyper-realistic immersive situations together with different degrees of interactivity with the real and virtual surroundings, as well as other users in the space, MR media has the potential to qualitatively improve the visitor museum experience, especially with regards to their overall enjoyment, and higher information retention. However, such powerful innovations and the unprecedented affordances which they brin(:l are also accompanied by numerous risks. One needs to be careful not only of the physical fragility and short shelf-life of the equipment itself, but more importantly of the conceptual challenges involved. In such a delicate field as cultural heritage, it is very easy to become mesmerized by such technological innovations, and disregard the complex, abstract, and dynamic values and significance of heritage resources.