Hybrid Experience Space for Cultural Heritage Communication

Abstract

Cultural heritage institutions like the museums are challenged in the global experience society. On the one hand it is more important than ever to offer “authentic” and geographically rooted experiences at sites of historic glory and on the other hand the audience’s expectations are biased by daily use of experience products like computer-games, IMAX cinemas and theme parks featuring virtual reality installations. “It’s a question of stone-axe displays versus Disney-power installa-tions” as one of the involved museum professionals point it, “but we don’t want any of these possibilities”. The paper presents an actual experience design case in Zea Harbour, Greece dealing with these challenges using hybrid experience space communicating cultural heritage material. Archaeological findings, physical reconstructions and digital models are mixed to effectively stage the interactive experience space. The Zea Case is a design scenario for the Museum of the Future showing how Cultural Heritage institutions can reinvent the relation to the visitor and the neighbourhood. While Hybrid Experience Space can be used for Cultural Heritage Communication in traditional exhibitions we have reached for the full potential of on-site deployment as a hybrid experience layer using Google Earth and mobile technology.