Playfulness, Realism and Authenticity in Cultural Presence: A Case Study of Virtual Heritage Players

The intersection of virtual reality (VR) and cultural heritage, also described as Virtual Heritage (VH), is an example of a disciplinary 'cross-fertilization' between arts and technologies (Roussou, 2007: 225). Technological advances in communication systems have accelerated the advent of new aesthetic experiences. Digital technology has created a novel perceptual dimension for the viewers of VH that Erik Champion calls cultural presence (2006). The idea of immersive art goes back to the classical world, and it now reappears in the immersion strategies of today's virtual art (Grau, 2003: 25). In order to investigate the aesthetic effects of cultural presence for the player in VH, this research takes 神游敦煌 (Shenyou Dunhuang) 2018, a popular VH project from HTC Steam VR platform as a case study. The 敦煌莫高窟 (Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes) were included in the 'World Cultural Heritage' list by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as representative achievements of Buddhist art in ancient China. This research draws on data elicited through focus group discussion after the group's members had experienced the VH. The researcher organised a group of participants playing Shenyou Dunhuang to discuss their aesthetic experience. The discussion text was encoded via Nvivo software. The aesthetic experience of the participants is examined and discussed through the frame of three sub-concepts: playfulness, realism and authenticity. In so doing this research discusses how the ambivalence of immersion and distance in art reception influences players' cultural presence in VH. Keywords: Virtual reality, Presence, Virtual heritage, Art reception