Not unlike cultural repositories and archives, virtual spaces have become extensions of the self. Similar to museums, virtual realities are negotiated, representative, and carefully curated spaces. While many museums have permanent exhibition displays, most also reserve a designated space to use for temporary exhibitions. Years of work and research can go into the creation of a show that may only remain open for several months. While exhibition catalogs delve into and preserve the content and intellectual mission of the exhibition, the design decisions are usually not preserved in a way that is accessible to a greater audience. How can virtual spaces offer practitioners a chance to detail, share, and preserve the design and installation decisions?
Building annotated virtual tours using immersive technologies, which allow users to experience digital facsimiles of the artworks in context, suggests a framework that could preserve thematic research content alongside cataloging and design information. 3D modeling and 360 photo and video capture can illustrate the design and decisions made during the development of an installation giving viewers a sense of the exhibition space and layout. Ultimately, I believe these methods provide a prototype for sharing spatial- and design-oriented epistemologies that promote discussions surrounding the placement of artworks in a physical installation.