Interactive Digital Engagement With Visual Artworks and Cultural Artefacts Enhances User Aesthetic Experiences in the Laboratory and Museum

Domicele Jonauskaite (Corresponding author), Nele Dael, Loïc Baboulaz, Laetitia Chèvre, Inez Cierny, Nicolas Ducimetière, Anna Fekete, Pierre Gabioud, Helmut Leder, Martin Vetterli, Christine Mohr

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

Digital technologies reshape the way we interact with our environment, including with artworks. Advanced computational imaging solutions allow having extremely high-resolution digital reproductions of artworks outside museums, presumably increasing artwork engagement. We tested whether exploring such reproductions via an interactive interface heightened aesthetic appreciation and enhanced recognition. With this interface, observers can move, turn, zoom, and relight the digital reproductions (http://artmyn.com/; https://osf.io/3srfw/). In Study 1, 82 participants explored paintings in the laboratory. In Study 2, 63 participants explored precious cultural artefacts in the museum. In both studies, participants’ aesthetic appreciation (interest, pleasure, intensity, subjective learning) was higher towards artworks they had explored interactively as compared to non-interactively or as physical objects, highlighting the advantage of the tested technology. However, we found no evidence that interactive exploration improved artwork recognition. More studies are needed to learn when and why digital interaction is beneficial above and beyond subjective aesthetic evaluations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1369-1382
Number of pages14
JournalInternational Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
Volume40
Issue number6
Early online date24 Nov 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 501001 General psychology

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