AR and VR in cultural institutions

Abstract

The use of augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) to experience and perceive cultural heritage is less adopted by museums, libraries, archives and cultural institutions than other fields. There may be concerns that AR/VR have the potential to stop visitors from attending in person (Coates, 2020). However, in 2020, many museums have started to offer virtual tours of their collections during the global COVID-19 pandemic. This, in fact, has forced in different moments the closure of most museums and institutions. In the following reading, the difference between those digital technologies and why cultural institutions are using them now will be described.