Augmented Reality (AR) Maps for Experiencing Creative Narratives of Cultural Heritage

Abstract

This research investigates how communities can meaningfully connect with Cultural Heritage through creative and digital experiences. It also explores how entry barriers can be lowered for a wider set of audiences to increase their participation in such experiences. For this, the research investigates the use of creative and narrative-based approaches, given the potential for stories to illuminate different viewpoints and interpretations of Cultural Heritage. The paper's main technical contribution is a novel approach for re-telling communities' narratives linked to people, objects, sites and events in the urban landscape as told by the community. The research proposed the novel concept of Augmented Reality (AR) Maps, which are physical maps with augmented digital narratives and delivered through Immersive Web technology. This concept is proposed as a means to document and disseminate the narratives in a way which can enhance the public understanding and appreciation of objects and sites in their communities. The approach has been tested with 32 children in local primary school in the city of Brighton and Hove (UK) in order to understand its suitability for community engagement. The significance of the research is that it demonstrates the potential of both creative and digital approaches for enabling meaningful engagement with the Cultural Heritage, while improving the well-being of the participants as well as their sense of community and place.