Evoking memory through immersion: the case of the Laocoon cast at Glasgow School of Art
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2020-11-24

Immersion  is  an  approach  increasingly  in  demand  for  visitor  and  cultural  attractions.  This  can  include  the  use  of  a  wide  range  of  technologies,  from  large  video-mapped  in-stallations  for  wider  audiences  to  Head  Mounted  Displays  for  more  intimate  experienc-es,  360  films,  spatialized audio for explorations into Virtual Reality (VR) and Aug-mented Reality (AR) in-site specific contexts. However, there remain a number of ob-stacles to its broader adoption: audience perception, technical constraints, day-to-day operational, investment in technology and  the  demands  of  meaningfully  integrating  rich  and  complex  datasets  into  the  immersive  experience. The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and the digital studio ISOdesign have undertak-en an interdisciplinary pilot project fund-ed by UKs Arts and Humanities Research Council 'Next Generation of Immersive Experiences' funding strand. This paper presents research into immersive representations of place, memory and performance through a prototype interactive exhibit. As source material, the project has used a plaster cast of a renowned classical statue of Laocoon and his sons which was destroyed in the recent fire at the Glasgow School of Art, and this, now lost, artwork forms the basis the case study which this paper will discuss. We will not only detail the co-design development process of the projects primary outputs, an immersive and interactive AR/VR experience, but also the subsequent evaluation and the first steps towards a preliminary set of guidelines to inform work on future projects.


Stuart Jeffrey, Mark Breslin, Lauren Glasgow, Steve Love, Matthieu Poyade, Damien Smith, Jordan Trench