Organization: Cultural institution established in order to: collect and protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage; inform about the values and contents of the collected collections; disseminate basic values of history and culture; shape cognitive and aesthetic sensitivity and enable the use of the collected collections.

Project proposal:

Despite digitization projects implemented in European museums for more than a decade, resulting in a systematic and relatively rapid growth of digital reproductions of museum artefacts, “museums still do not function as ‘creative content creators'”. The development needs of museums related to digital transformation require acting on non-standard methods, which will eventually allow for the development and implementation of an optimal range of functional ICT solutions. Implementing digital solutions to support the reception of cultural content requires the ability to build an engaging relationship with the audience by recognizing the mechanisms that determine the success of digital formats in accessing culture.

The main goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of cultural institutions to implement a digital layer using virtual and augmented reality to enhance the experience of visiting a museum. The project intends to develop an implementation guide for the AR/VR layer in the museum with its pilot implementation.

It is envisioned that the technological innovation, as a whole, will utilize a variety of technologies including mobile solutions, VR or the WWW

New digital formats of art perception using AR/VR layer and online access to digital cultural content will contribute to strengthening audience engagement, audience development through, among other things, deepened experience, new quality of perception, possibility of creative experimentation in digital environment, and increased accessibility of cultural content for people with special needs, such as people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A special educational path will be developed using the AR/VR layer, allowing to control the amount of sensory stimuli, and the content will be provided in a way adapted to the needs and cognitive abilities of the audience. The VR application for people with ASD will act as a safe tool to break down any barriers to visiting the museum.

The project provides an opportunity for cultural and creative sector organizations to collaborate internationally, experimenting to create innovation based on the viewer experience, which aims to transform audiences into active participants by providing a new format for perception and opportunities for creative processing of cultural content through interaction in a digital environment. The cooperation with creative sector entities assumes a form of open innovation, thus enabling the transfer of knowledge, good practices and joint building of creative competences. The project will contribute to the promotion of European cultural heritage and building an audience beyond the borders of the partner countries. A narrative approach will be used to achieve shared value, create awareness of common culture and history. The use of storytelling will increase the effectiveness of communicating European cultural heritage and build a common space of perception based on digital transmission of engaging micro-stories.

Partners currently involved in the project: Syscare Arte Sp. z o.o.

Contact:
Muzeum Okręgowe w Rzeszowie (The Regional Museum in Rzeszów)
W: www.muzeum.rzeszow.pl; www.muzeum.rzeszow.pl/en
Maciej Matysiak, museums@gdsity.com
Anna Molter, amolter@muzeum.rzeszow.pl