Virtual Reality offers new perspective on (Dutch) colonial cultural heritage

Virtual Reality reveals hidden layers of Dutch colonial heritage and offers new perspectives on our history.

VR offers new perspective on (Dutch) colonial cultural heritage

Dutch colonial cultural heritage has many hidden layers. More and more museums are now offering perspectives that were largely distorted or overlooked in the past. Virtual Reality (VR) technology, particularly the recent Social VR, can provide people with powerful new perspectives and experiences, thus helping to overcome long-standing prejudices. Researchers from the Smart Societies impact coalition have been working closely with curators and other staff from the Rembrandt House Museum within the research line 'Inclusive Interactive Heritage' over the past few years to recreate the exhibition 'HIER: Black in Rembrandt's Time' in VR. During a meeting in May, they presented their results.

The aim of the exhibition was to offer a respectful, individualized perspective on people of colour in the Netherlands, from the 17th century to the present day. Thanks to the VR version, an interested audience can still view the exhibition. Additionally, it gave the researchers the opportunity to measure user experiences and attitudes in a reliable way. During the visit, representatives from the Rembrandt House Museum got an inside look at the VR exhibition. The discussions highlighted the importance of designing VR interactions in collaboration with museum curators and staff from their educational departments to ensure that the technology truly supports the exhibition's intended narrative.

Personalised access to cultural heritage

At the meeting, Delaram Javdani Rikhtehgar presented the results of her research into personalised access to cultural heritage. In this study, 31 university students and staff viewed the 'HIER: Black in Rembrandt's Time' exhibition while their viewing behaviour was tracked. The research shows that visitors are inclined to seek information about the historical and social context of the artwork, the artist's intentions, and the stories depicted in the artwork. Interestingly, the users' viewing behaviour, such as the time spent observing a specific painting, can indicate their level of interest. Building on this finding, a conversational agent will be developed to guide visitors and deliver tailored information based on their individual interests.