Virtual Reality (VR) Interactions With Multiple Interpretations of Archaeological Artefacts

Increasingly, the incorporation of 3D printed artefacts into Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences is of interest to Cultural Heritage professionals. This is because virtual environments, by themselves, cannot convey information such as the physical properties of artefacts within the environments. This paper presents a methodology for the development of VR experiences which incorporate 3D replicas of artefacts as user interfaces. The methodology is applied on the development of an experience to present various interpretations of an urn which was found at the edge of a cliff on the south east coastal area of the United Kingdom in 1910. In order to support the understanding of the multiple interpretations of this artefact, the system deploys a virtual environment and a physical replica to allow users to interact with the artefacts and the environment. Feedback from heritage users suggests VR technologies along with digitally fabricated replicas can meaningfully engage audiences with multiple interpretations of cultural heritage artefacts.