An Immersive Experience : Communicating the Past using AR/VR at Gamla Uppsala and Uppåkra Archaeological Centre.

Abstract: In the age of digitization, the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality as digital supplements to the traditional museum visit become much more frequent. The author of this study investigates development process, and the way history is communicated through the Gamla Upsala AR/VR and Uppåkra VR experiences. The development processes are analysed through the lens of design thinking perspective. The analysis of history communication through digital experience focuses on reflecting the concepts of performance of knowledge, archaeological imagination and narratology, and time travel. The research is based on qualitative material gathered from institutions (Gamla Uppsala Museum and Uppåkra Archaeological Centre) and software developers (Disir Productions AB and Elkington Communications AB) responsible for the creation and use of the digital experiences. Based on the answers, a comparison of the results from is provided, with the help of the theoretical framework. In the discussion, the author places the problematics of the design, production and communication of history through digital tools into a broader context, as well as discusses the extent to which they are reflected in the Gamla Uppsala AR/ VR and Uppåkra Archaeological Centre VR. Additionally, the study debates probable solutions for using VR/AR in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.