Virtual Reality Application for Fostering Interest in Art

There is concern within the cultural community about the decreasing number of people, especially young people, visiting museums and cultural institutions. To fight this trend, new ways of accessing art are needed. We believe that technologies like virtual reality can greatly foster the relationship between users and works of art. In this article, we present an elaborated virtual reality experience, ImmersArt, whose aim is to take users literally inside a work of art and the creative universe of its creator. The motivational impact of this tool was empirically analyzed and compared with other formats for experiencing art such as illustrated books and audiovisual presentations. The study suggests that young people are more motivated to study artwork when using virtual reality.