###### Abstract
This participatory dimension empowers the public to influence decisions on which sculptures, if any, should be physically materialized, fostering a sense of co-creation and democratic involvement in urban planning. * Educational potential: AR can also function as a pedagogical tool, offering innovative ways to engage with art and urban design. Immersive experiences allows users to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between sculpture and spatial context, thus enriching educational frameworks in these fields. The significance of this study lies in assessing the specifically categorized content presented in AR using a validated set of questions corresponding to three relevant categories: engagement, engrossment, and total immersion. While the existing literature includes numerous studies that use standardized questionnaires to evaluate user experience in order to analyze design choices and gain insights into the design, usability and functionality of virtual reality (VR) and AR applications, the core contribution of this research represents a form of extension to those studies. It aims to identify the potential of AR technologies as tools for presenting and evaluating artworks in public spaces, specifically from the perspective of user immersion in AR content. One of the studies using standardized questionnairesto evaluate smart artifacts presented through five different methods (online, VR, AR, lab, and in situ) suggested that the chosen method significantly affects the study results [17]. In this sense, this research emphasizes the relationship between users and AR content, as well as the potential for qualitative evaluation of the content itself. In other words, the study seeks to answer questions regarding the ease of use of AR applications for observing virtual networks in a real-world environment and the degree of user engagement. Finally, the research aims to explore the distinctions in the methods used to create the 3D models of the sculptures, with a particular focus on the conceptual and practical differences between digitized and digital forms, as well as between figurative and abstract art representations. The study focuses on evaluating the perception of artworks to determine whether there are differences in immersion and engrossment between digital sculptures and digitized sculptures, as well as between figurative and abstract art representations. The focus on this relationship stems from the desire to determine whether there exist some intangible qualitative characteristics of virtual sculptures. The underlying hypothesis suggests that participants will exhibit stronger reactions, whether positive or negative, toward digitized sculptures that also exist in reality. Additionally, the authors aim to identify which group of sculptures generates a higher level of immersion, assuming that sculptures rated more favorably by participants will also demonstrate greater levels of immersion. In this context, the research questions can be summarized as follows:  
1. Does AR technology have the potential to engage users with virtual artworks in real public spaces? 2. Are there significant differences in immersion levels between digital and digitized objects in AR when presented within real public environments? 3. Are there significant differences in immersion levels between figurative and abstract art in AR when presented within real public environments? 4. Does the level of immersion with art in AR influence user preferences for particular artworks in public spaces? Based on these research questions, the following hypotheses were formulated:  
* H1: AR technology can effectively engage users with virtual art in real public spaces. * H2: Digitized objects, due to their realistic appearance, evoke stronger levels of engrossment (along with emotional attachment and focus of attention), and higher total immersion (including presence and flow). They are perceived as more authentic in AR environments compared to digitally created objects.