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Where Digital Meets Place: Deriving Strategies for Curating Mixed Reality Exhibitions in Public Spaces

Yawei Zhao, Jiaxin Liang, Hao Li, Pan Hui

Abstract

Mixed Reality (MR) technologies are increasingly being used to enrich exhibitions and public spaces by blending digital content with the physical environment in real time. However, little is known about curatorial strategies for embedding MR exhibitions into public spaces or promoting audience experiences. To explore this, we designed and curated a campus-based MR art exhibition, using contextualism as the fundamental concept. We conducted an interdisciplinary expert focus group alongside exhibition viewing to identify opportunities, challenges, and design strategies from multiple perspectives. In parallel, we conducted user studies with general audiences to examine how curatorial strategies foster ex-periential qualities. Our findings reveal insights from both experts and general users along with strategies in curating MR exhibitions and highlight the foundational role of contextualism in curating MR art exhibitions in urban public spaces.

Where Digital Meets Place: Deriving Strategies for Curating Mixed Reality Exhibitions in Public Spaces

Abstract

Mixed Reality (MR) technologies are increasingly being used to enrich exhibitions and public spaces by blending digital content with the physical environment in real time. However, little is known about curatorial strategies for embedding MR exhibitions into public spaces or promoting audience experiences. To explore this, we designed and curated a campus-based MR art exhibition, using contextualism as the fundamental concept. We conducted an interdisciplinary expert focus group alongside exhibition viewing to identify opportunities, challenges, and design strategies from multiple perspectives. In parallel, we conducted user studies with general audiences to examine how curatorial strategies foster ex-periential qualities. Our findings reveal insights from both experts and general users along with strategies in curating MR exhibitions and highlight the foundational role of contextualism in curating MR art exhibitions in urban public spaces.
Paper Structure (61 sections, 13 figures, 6 tables)

This paper contains 61 sections, 13 figures, 6 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background and Related Works
  3. Place-Based Art Festivals and Exhibitions
  4. MR-Based Exhibition Practices
  5. Bringing Contextualism to MR Exhibition
  6. Methodological Approach
  7. The MR Exhibition Design
  8. Contextual Curation
  9. Site Selection.
  10. Contextual Analysis.
  11. Contextual Appraisal.
  12. Identification of Candidate Interfaces.
  13. Curatorial Design
  14. Technical Implementation
  15. Study 1: Focus Group with Experts
  16. ...and 46 more sections

Figures (13)

  • Figure 1: Overview of the Mixed-Methods Framework.
  • Figure 2: Contextualism-guided MR exhibition design flow. Contextualism operates as the overarching principle that links contextual curation (A), curatorial design (B), and technical implementation (C).
  • Figure 3: Contextual analysis of the campus, illustrating how functional zones (land uses), circulation flows, and key landmarks contribute to the overall legibility of the site.
  • Figure 4: Contextual appraisal for the proposed MR exhibition, identifying opportunities and limitations for embedding MR experiences into the site by mapping flows, barriers, and obstacles.
  • Figure 5: Candidate interfaces. Highlighted zones indicate the surfaces and volumes where MR content can be accommodated (A-E). A shows a perspective from the indoor activity center; B and D present human-level views directed toward the central lawn ground plane; C shows a bird’s-eye view of the central lawn area; and E shows a perspective toward the front plaza.
  • ...and 8 more figures