Digital Kunstkamera: 18th Century: A Virtual Documentary and Artistic Reconstruction Experience

The virtualization of museums is in a phase of active development, with institutions seeking relevant and original forms. At the same time, the number of projects dedicated to the reconstruction of past museum expositions is not as substantial as one might hope. How can we accurately reconstruct a museum’s appearance and exhibitions with limited source materials? How can the reconstruction process be consistent with the historical image of the museum and its digital strategy? The scientific study of the appearance of the museum, the preparation of digital content, and the artistic solution of the image in the virtual environment were carried out by the employees of the Kunstkamera’s Laboratory of museum technologies. The issues of museum bureaucracy, the preservation of objects, information, and the integrity of the approach to the formation of digital funds of the museum are solved through the implementation of the project within the museum and the involvement of specialists from outside for the final assembly of VR. The concept of a universe within a single room, which gave rise to a universal museum like the Kunstkamera, has evolved into the creation of the Laboratory of Museum Technologies, enabling the development of complex technological projects within the museum itself.