The Future of Heritage Storytelling
As part of the 3D-4CH project, Sound & Vision is working on digitising cultural heritage in the form of 3D models. We do this not only to preserve heritage for the future, but also to share heritage stories in meaningful ways with a wider audience. How? By bringing 3D models of cultural heritage to life in eXtended Reality (XR). During the Storytelling & XR workshop at the 3D-4CH Winter School, we explored how XR can be used in meaningful ways.
As part of the 3D-4CH project, Sound & Vision is working on digitising cultural heritage in the form of 3D models. We do this not only to preserve heritage for the future, but also to share heritage stories in meaningful ways with a wider audience. How? By bringing 3D models of cultural heritage to life in eXtended Reality (XR). During the Storytelling & XR workshop at the 3D-4CH Winter School, we explored how XR can be used in meaningful ways.
Lately, many European initiatives are exploring future-proof forms of cultural heritage preservation. And for good reason: preservation offers protection against physical wear and tear and unexpected damage — for instance through war or natural catastrophe. One of these emerging preservation technologies is 3D modelling. By creating highly detailed digital replicas of objects and sites, 3D models help safeguard cultural heritage for future generations.
But preservation is only part of the story. 3D digitisation also opens new possibilities for making cultural heritage more accessible and visible. Digital objects can be viewed beyond the physical boundaries of museums and archives, and can travel into classrooms, libraries, and public spaces. The question then becomes: how can these 3D assets be activated in ways that are meaningful for audiences?
eXtended Reality (XR): see beyond what’s on display
Many digitization initiatives focus on the technology behind creating 3D models, but technology alone does not create impact. To shape meaningful immersive XR experiences, we developed the interactive workshop Storytelling & XR for the 3D-4CH Winter School. In the workshop, we explored how storytelling can strengthen the technical practice of 3D digitization. Participants set out to work on scenarios based on 3D models of cultural heritage that can be experienced in XR.
What we learned by building scenarios together
The workshop revealed a number of shared patterns and insights that point toward future opportunities for heritage storytelling with XR. Across many of the ideas, XR was imagined as a way to 1) go somewhere inaccessible, 2) travel back in time, or 3) make absent or invisible heritage present again. Participants consistently saw immersive technology as a means to restore context: reconnecting objects to their original locations, revealing hidden layers of meaning, or evoking atmospheres that no longer exist.
Several exploratory concepts illustrated this potential. For example, participants explored how fragmented wall paintings could regain meaning by being digitally re-embedded in their original architectural settings, or how medieval churches could be experienced through immersive walking tours enriched with sound and atmosphere. Other ideas focused on using AR to closely examine small objects (such as coins) or on creating playful mixed-reality experiences that introduce children to archaeology as a profession.
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Making heritage collections visible and accessible
Sound & Vision is one of the largest digitized media archives in the world. We continuously seek innovative ways to make our collections more visible and accessible. In doing so, we act as a knowledge partner for the sector by actively sharing our expertise and new methodologies with other heritage organizations.
Previously, we worked on projects such as TRANSMIXR, in which we explored how visitors can experience archival material in immersive ways. With 3D-4CH, we build on this work. We explore how digitized (3D) collections can be presented through XR in new ways to make heritage more broadly accessible.
The Online Competence Centre
This workshop was just the beginning. Later this year, Sound & Vision will host co-creation sessions in the context of 3D-4CH, bringing together heritage professionals from diverse backgrounds to further shape immersive experiences that meaningfully connect with organisations’ target audiences.
The scenarios will become part of the 3D-4CH Competence Centre, an engaging online platform offering dynamic learning, practical resources, and cross-sectoral collaboration – driving preservation, education, and innovation of the European cultural heritage sector. The competence centre recently launched. Are you curious about upcoming events? Do you want to follow an online course? Or are you looking for good practices? Make sure to take a look!
