Open Heritage is just one of several online-available recreations of cultural heritage sites. It presents 26 different sites as realistic, explorable 3D locations, including locations in “parts of the Roman city of Pompeii, Native American cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde in southern Colorado, and the 1000 year old Temple of Kukulcan in the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá.” These sites, unlike some others, look at how they look now, compared to how they may have looked when they were being actively used. Along with Google’s Open Heritage service, several other institutions have toyed with their own versions of VR recreations, including TIME and National Geographic. TIME’s work, which was actually a preview for a film by British director Christopher Nolan, used VR to transport the user into the Battle of Dunkirk during the second World War. National Geographic’s immersive virtual reality experiment looks into Viking culture, placing the user in the middle of a Viking “fighting pit”. While these two examples are action-packed, VR is also being used by arts and cultural organizations for more observational purposes, such as the aforementioned site recreations. Australian archaeologist, Simon Young, for example, created a VR recreation of several different Roman ruin sites. The VR experience allows visitors at these Roman ruins to look through their VR and see what the site once looked like centuries back. Young’s recreation can be accessed via smartphone and plugged into a portable smartphone VR headset. 

These smartphone VR headsets, and other recently popularized VR headsets, have changed the means of accessibility towards VR, making it much easier for cultural institutions to find and use immersive reality experiences in “educational, explorative, and exhibition enhancement purposes.” Virtual reality is a rapidly changing and growing technology, but the creation of these portable headsets has laid a baseline for museums and other institutions to use and work off of. According to an article by Erik Champion and Mafkereseb Kassahun Bekele, what actually engages the user “is related to the ability of the virtual environment to enable engaging experiences as a result of the combination of immersivity and intuitive interaction with the cultural context in the virtual environment.” The relevant cultural context and immersivity of VR in this application is what enhances the learning experience for the user, and for the most part has been able to be made accessible to museums that otherwise would not have any representation of these sites or their artifacts. 

The use of VR recreations for cultural heritage sites has become crucial in preserving public memory, with many being at risk of destruction. One main concern for preservationists is the destruction of war in countries such as Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria, and the loss being inflicted when it comes to the existence of heritage sites in these regions. In a statement made by Michael Danti of the Syrian Heritage Initiative at the American Schools of Oriental Research, he described the destruction of war as “the worst cultural heritage emergency since World War II…here we see how technologies can be used not only to document the making – and unmaking – of heritage, but also to rebuild it; both materially and in the imagination.” In Syria, specifically, the Islamic State “has sped the pace of looting by encouraging professional looters with heavy machinery and archeological knowledge to dig archeological sites in return for payment to [the Islamic State] of a 20% ‘tax’ on the value of what they find.” Not only does this looting bring them profit, so in turn they encourage the destruction, but it also serves as a violent reminder that there is no alternative in their world. This is where the creation of virtual realities surrounding these heritage sites is growing in importance.

As of 2016, virtual reality and cultural specialists have been working together to recreate these sites to preserve their existence in time after their destruction at the hands of militant groups. The Institute of Digital Archaeology, a joint project between Oxford, Harvard, and the Museum of the Future (Dubai) created a 3D virtual model of a Roman arch destroyed by the Islamic State in Palmyra, Syria. The recreation was based on photos from archaeologists and tourists alike before the site’s destruction, and after it’s initial translation into a VR experience was able to be carved into marble by robots programmed based on the model. Something that is also important to note with this technology, however, as highlighted by artist Morehshin Allahyari in Legal and Ethical Considerations for Digital Recreations of Cultural Heritage by Erin L. Thompson, is that we must consider power structures and “how it’s different when Westerners or tech companies save cultural things compared to someone else who actually comes from the culture.” Sites and antiquities that are recognized within these countries, but perhaps not the greater Western culture are subject to neglect in these projects. This is just one of several ethical considerations when using these technologies to recreate cultural heritage sites. 

In Legal and Ethical Considerations for Digital Recreations of Cultural Heritage, Thompson highlights further considerations similar to Allahyari, including “the political uses of representation and interpretation of cultural heritage; the accessibility or lack thereof of digital representations; the violence to the ‘authentic’ or ‘real’ that the virtual  might  inflict; the correct approach to data transparency and sharing; and the ease both of manipulation and surreptitious capture of digital images.” Concerns also often include political exploitation of the sites, that these VR experiences will be built by engineers that have had little interaction or no real connection with the physical sites themselves, and that they will overall be modeled after Westernized perspectives. These heritage sites, as well as their antiquities, “are not protectable by copyright; at thousands of years old, they are in the public domain many times over,” giving almost anyone that wants permission to form a recreation without the necessary thought to history, detail, and cultural consent. 

Virtual reality recreations, as an artistic response to these cultural heritage destructions, serves as an important tool moving forward for many nations and their unique cultures. These recreations “stand as symbolic representations of a society’s existence and have paid the price over the eons,” with many of these projects being created out of pure necessity of saving public memory of these sites that could soon be lost forever. While the creation of these VR experiences are at risk of numerous ethical considerations, including the perspective, political view, and accessibility, the correct intention and balanced collaboration can complete VR cultural heritage recreation projects that are relevant and non-exploitative. With the use of best practices, such as clearly marking VR experiences based on who made it versus presenting it as a completely neutral representation, and to provide annotations to the viewer within the experience that educated them on conflicting theories or aspects of the representation that may differ. Allowing viewers to make their own informed decisions based on these annotations could certainly be a solution for these experiences when being presented by organizations that are not necessarily deeply connected to these heritage sites. Overall, these uses of the medium with historical preservation as a driving factor are an important aspect of virtual reality creation that should not be overlooked despite the ethical considerations, with many of these concerns being able to be addressed if the works are to go to larger public audiences. With meaningful collaboration around the project, VR professionals and historians alike can build an experience that is adequately true and reflective of its home culture.

VR PRIMER

Virtual reality, or VR, creates a simulated environment where the user is immersed in a reality other than their own. They can interact with this artificial 3D environment, and in current VR experiences the environment adjusts to the user’s movement to visually change, just like perception changes in real life when looking in different directions or moving around.

Although commonly thought of as a 21st-century invention, VR can be traced back to 1838 when Sir Charles Wheatstone created a stereoscope, using mirrors to create a 3D viewing experience.

VR is most often presented with goggles the user wears to be immersed in the simulated environment. These range from cardboard models used in tandem with a smartphone, to large headsets that contain speakers for additional auditory immersion. Many are used with some kind of gloves or hand controllers so hand movements are captured in addition to head movements. The Oculus 2 headset, by Meta (formerly Facebook), was the bestselling VR headset in 2020.

VR has many applications in a variety of fields. Video games is one of the most popular applications, putting gamers in the middle of the action. Training is another use case–Walmart famously uses VR to train its HR Associates, as it provides a hands-on experience instead of learning something by reading. It has also found a place in therapy as PTSD patients use VR as a form of exposure therapy. The arts have more recently leveraged VR as a tool to enhance their practice.

PRECURSOR: IMMERSIVE THEATER

Before VR made it to the theater world, immersive theater gained popularity over the past decade with productions like Sleep No More (Punchdrunk Theater) leading the charge. Immersive theater brings the audience into the action; instead of being distanced from actors and sets by a divide between stage and seats, the production is taking place around the audience with no distance barrier. This immersive experience helps introduce more sensory experiences for the audience, with senses of “real space,” time, and movement. By having more senses activated, audiences are more engaged and have stronger ties to what they’re experiencing.

There is also an element of engaging directly with actors in the immersive theater space. In a typical theater setting, an audience member is sitting and watching a stage, akin to watching a screen. There is no direct human interaction, just human perception. When immersion is layered on and an audience member can interact with an actor, even talk to them in many cases, their human hardwiring for social interaction is activated, and the experience becomes more intimate and engaging. Instead of narrowing an audience’s world to what’s onstage, this expands their worlds by layering elements on top of it.

Immersive theater is successful in heightening audience experience without the assistance of VR. However, VR amps up the engagement and emotion to bring the benefits of immersion to the next level.

VR IMMERSION & EMOTIONAL RESPONSE

VR brings immersive theater to the next level–not only is the audience surrounded by what’s happening in the production, VR makes it so they are completely immersed into a different reality and POV. Audiences can get completely lost in the narrative because they are 100% immersed, and not experiencing distractions that could take them out of the present.

There is little to tell the audience they’re actually just in a theater venue or home on their couch. This effectively transports the audience and contributes to what’s referred to as a “place illusion,” where the audience feels like they’re actually experiencing a situation, despite knowing they put on VR goggles and aren’t really in that situation. This creates sensory perceptions and bodily memories that would happen as if the audience member was truly in the physical environment, prompting a new level of understanding and empathy for a situation other than their present reality.

Several studies have measured how audiences emotionally react to VR theatre experiences versus non-VR theater. While non-VR theater typically elicits some kind of emotional response from the audience, when the audience is experiencing theater in VR emotions, they experience more “tangible and personal” emotions from their close proximity to the production.

He et al. presented test subjects with two theater experiences: one filmed in 2D to simulate viewing a stage from a typical seat in the audience, and one of the same subject matter presented in VR. The study, which measured emotional response with surveys as well as EEG measurements, found that VR led to a higher sense of presence, higher engagement, and higher emotional response (both self-reported and physiologically-measured) versus the 2D experience. Tian et al. ran a similar study between 2D and VR stimuli and came to the same conclusion that physiologically-measured emotional arousal was higher in VR.

Interestingly, the effects of VR may be more of a subconscious impact than audiences realize – a study by Pozharliev et al. found that while test subjects did not self-report a heightened emotional response to VR advertising versus non-VR advertising, physiological measures like EEG did indicate heightened emotional arousal. So, even if audiences don’t consciously feel like a VR theater experience is impacting them differently than a non-VR experience, their brain is likely responding differently.

Notably, these studies did not present an interactive VR experience where the audience members could interact live with others; instead audiences interacted with a 360-degree pre-filmed world. Layering on direct interaction has even more implications for the audience.

VR IMMERSION WITH INTERACTIVITY

VR can make audiences part of the production itself, interacting with actors and helping to shape the show. Theater is typically a passive experience for the audience, in that they’re just watching. As a participant, they’re not only consuming the art but making it alongside actors and those behind the scenes. This enables a more communal theater experience, which is said to help contribute to the emotional catharsis that’s a large part of the goal of dramatic narrative.

The Under Presents have presented several VR theater experiences (one featured in the above video), and their actors have reported that they are able to respond to audience cues, like body language, that they would not be able to pick up on when distanced from the audience in typical theater setting. The actors adapt their acting live as a response, meaning the audience truly impacts the production. No passive viewing in site.

VR THEATER & EMPATHY

In addition to heightened emotional response, VR can enhance the empathetic response of audiences. Empathy is one of the often-touted benefits of theater–audience members can empathize with characters onstage, often seeing and understanding viewpoints and experiences other than their own. Theater can open audiences’ eyes to new perspectives.

VR can bring this to the next level, thanks to the total immersion. Being up close and personal with characters, sometimes even perceiving the production from the point of view of the character, helps form a more empathetic bond with the work being presented.

Cristofi et al. aggregated many surveys focusing on VR and highlighted the finding that VR experiences enable “perspective taking,” a psychological driver of empathy where someone perceives a situation from the perception of someone else. The studies provide support that this does enhance audiences’ empathetic responses and, in specific applications, reduces prejudice towards stigmatized groups.

In practice, this seems to be the case. At NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Drama program, students are collaborating in VR. Students participating highlight their experience that as an audience member, you’re truly experiencing a situation like a character is, leading to stronger empathy than in a non-VR setting.

However, scientific findings are still emerging as VR becomes more popular. In 2021, a meta-analysis of all known studies on empathy in VR provided support that while VR enhances empathetic response, it’s limited to emotional empathy. Meaning users can feel compassion towards others’ points of view, but VR is not enabling users to truly imagine others’ perspectives (which would then elevate the experience to cognitive empathy) more so than non-VR applications do. The research points to the need of imagination to more actively construct and understand another’s experience, which can be done with active engagement, such as talking to others in the immersive experience.

LOOKING FORWARD

The use of VR is still in its early stages, especially with theater applications. VR remains a cool new technology that draws in audiences with its novelty, especially as presenters seek to upgrade the at-home theater experience thanks to COVID-19, but it can achieve more than just novelty.

We know that theater is an important tool in our world for looking at society under a lens and understanding different perspectives, and there is evidence to suggest that VR can help theater do this more effectively. Science points to the importance of active interaction to engage with the VR theater world, as is done by The Under Presents in their work, with University of Iowa as another example (featured above). Maybe it won’t achieve critical mass in the theater industry, but growing experimentation with it suggests it’s here to stay. It’s up to us to keep innovating with the new capabilities VR can provide.

References

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Barn Theatre. Edward II VR | Full Performance Virtual Reality | Relative Motion & Barn Theatre, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGrntK9pE8c.

Christofi, M., and Despina Michael-Grigoriou. “Virtual Reality for Inducing Empathy and Reducing Prejudice towards Stigmatized Groups: A Survey.” 2017 23rd International Conference on Virtual System & Multimedia (VSMM), 2017. https://doi.org/10.1109/VSMM.2017.8346252.

Culture Whisper. “Enter a Virtual Reality at the Young Vic.” Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.culturewhisper.com/r/theatre/young_vic_vr_draw_me_close/13002.

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Martingano, Alison Jane, Fernanda Hererra, and Sara Konrath. “Virtual Reality Improves Emotional but Not Cognitive Empathy: A Meta-Analysis.” Technology, Mind, and Behavior 2, no. 1 (June 17, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000034.
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Pozharliev, Rumen, Matteo De Angelis, and Dario Rossi. “The Effect of Augmented Reality versus Traditional Advertising: A Comparison between Neurophysiological and Self-Reported Measures.” Marketing Letters, May 10, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-021-09573-9.

Tian, Feng, Minlei Hua, Wenrui Zhang, Yingjie Li, and Xiaoli Yang. “Emotional Arousal in 2D versus 3D Virtual Reality Environments.” PLOS ONE 16, no. 9 (September 9, 2021): e0256211. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256211.

University of Iowa. New Theater Experience Blurs Line between Reality and Virtual Reality, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPnWR7Fg6c.

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