Virtual Exhibitions: What do we win and what do we lose?

Virtual reality (VR) promises to allow for replicating the physical world. As consequence, it is used in the context of digital curating to enable remote exhibition visits. In this paper, we are exploring what visitors win and what they lose in virtual exhibitions compared to their original. We created a virtual representation of a physical exhibition those values highly depend on its authenticity by being located in an original historical place and showing only original artefact. In a user study, we compared the exhibition experience of the physical with the virtual exhibition and gathered ideas about how the pure virtual exhibition can be augmented using digital media. Afterwards, we conducted an interview with museum experts. We discussed the results and ideas proposed in the first experiment. In conclusion, we summarise potential application for augmented VR exhibitions and highlight their values and limitations.