A neurological study conducted by the Cuseum agency and MIT questions the appreciation of art through virtual and augmented reality. The results show that the experience is similar or even exacerbated in comparison with real work.
The neurological study, entitled “Neurological Perceptions of Art through Augmented & Virtual Reality” was conducted for 10 months. The neurological activity of nine foreign participants from the artistic and cultural sector was observed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts using electrodes.
Each participant had to visualize works of art in four different forms: in virtual reality, in augmented reality, in the photo and in real life (a work hung at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts). The works concerned were Impressionist landscapes and portraits as well as abstract works. They were selected to be “emotionally similar”.
Augmented reality creates the most brain activity
The results of the EEG (electroencephalogram) showed that the aesthetic experience was not disparaged when work was viewed digitally. The researchers even observed that the extent of brain activity was greater in the case of increased achievement.
In the short term, the participants kept a similar memory of the works for all the supports. In the long term, on the other hand, it is the works viewed in augmented reality that have been best memorized.
The study concludes: “Although the results of this study could have shocked Walter Benjamin *, they demonstrate how technology has improved the digital experience in art and show that digital interfaces have the potential to ‘amplify the visitor experience of the museum’.
* In 1935, the art critic and historian declared that any reproduction disparaged art.