Warmth in the chest, light in the past: kama muta in the design of digital cultural heritage

Digitization in the field of cultural heritage has become a hot topic of discussion, particularly with the development of new media formats, such as immersive technologies. This study explores the emotional design in the digital cultural heritage context using kama muta (a sudden emotion, moved by love) as the entry point. This research follows modern psychology and anthropological research that uses the term to designate a theoretically defined emotional experience centered on the sudden intensification of communal sharing. By interpreting the concept of kama muta and critically reviewing the emotional design in digital heritage, this article proposes a framework inspired by kama muta based on communion and temporal structure. It proposes that digital cultural heritage go beyond generating just ‘an immersive visual spectacle,’ and towards thinking about how ‘communion and temporal rupture’ could enable deeper cultural resonance. This article primarily focuses on theoretical aspects, but also provides new ideas for the emotional design of practical digital cultural heritage experiences.