Virtual reality (VR) emerged as one of the defining technologies of 2016. At the Naju National Museum’s special exhibition Conservation Science: Safeguarding Our Cultural Heritage (July 5 – September 18, 2016), visitors were invited to experience cultural heritage through immersive VR.
This exhibition showcased over 50 cultural artifacts, including three National Treasures such as the Gilt-bronze Standing Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, alongside the actual conservation processes. The final section, Experiencing Conservation Science, was designed as a laboratory-like space where visitors could wear lab coats, solve puzzles modeled after museum artifacts, and explore VR content.
Wearing a head-mounted display (HMD), participants could immerse themselves in 180° VR films, experiencing conservation work from a first-person perspective. Many described it as if they were physically piecing pottery shards together. Another interactive station allowed visitors to “clean” corrosion from a gilt-bronze crown by moving their hands above a sensor box, which synchronized with a 3D motion controller to render changes on the VR screen in real time.
These high-tech experiences—sponsored by companies such as Galaxy Korea, NVIDIA, and Carl Zeiss Korea—proved especially popular among younger audiences. They offered both an entertaining and intuitive introduction to the often unfamiliar field of conservation science.
The museum’s VR program was also featured at the 2016 Creative Economy Festival (August 26, Hanyang University, Seoul), co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. Selected as a representative project by the Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center, TRIC presented this VR content, which was recognized for creativity and excellence by digital and ICT specialists.
By integrating digital innovation with cultural heritage, the exhibition broadened public understanding of conservation science and demonstrated new possibilities for accessing and appreciating cultural heritage beyond the museum setting.
