How does a skeptical curator focused on storytelling in a non-profit gallery engage with eXtended Reality (XR)?
What expertise does a rebellious curator focused on the environment in a virtual-only museum bring to their organization?
These were just some of the questions explored during a recent interactive session on the potential of XR in curatorial practice. Hosted as part of the TRANSMIXR project, with a special focus on Cultural Heritage, the activity invited curators from the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision (NISV) to imagine themselves in new curatorial roles by rolling dice to develop unique personas tasked with navigating the evolving world of immersive media.
From these imaginative roles, several key themes emerged.
Ethics and Critical Engagement with XR
Many curators wrestled with ethical concerns around immersive technology. Questions of privacy, data security, and the environmental impact of XR surfaced as key considerations (Note: the XR4HUMAN project is a key advocate in this domain and TRANSMIXR partners have been actively engaging in discourse regarding the Code of Conduct they are developing). Some, like the rebellious archivist “Dirk ‘The Data Decimator’ Duivenaar,” saw XR as an essential tool for global reach—though not without its risks. Others, like the skeptical non-profit gallery curator “Skeptomai,” took a more cautious approach, balancing curiosity with criticality. These perspectives highlight the need for responsible and transparent integration of XR in cultural practice.
Experimentation vs. Risk Aversion
While some curators embraced XR as an opportunity for bold, boundary-pushing experimentation, others hesitated. “Winston de Vries,” a community museum curator, needed to accommodate innovation and institutional concerns alike, often having to persuade both himself and his stakeholders of XR’s value. Meanwhile, “Billy Goodman of the Billy Goodman Happening,” a virtual-only museum curator, thrived in an experimental space, but remained wary of the long-term sustainability of emerging technologies. The tension between innovation and caution is a crucial factor for XR adoption.
Storytelling and Audience Engagement
XR’s ability to enhance storytelling was a major draw for each of the curator personas. “The Community Curator” saw potential in weaving together diverse community narratives into inclusive immersive experiences, while “Skeptomai” viewed XR through the lens of storytelling agility, questioning how it might shape meaning and audience interpretation. Across all personas, the focus remained on using XR to deepen engagement rather than relying on technology for technology’s sake.
As part of sharing the work of the TRANSMIXR project with the curators, we also presented the “Disruptive Innovator” persona; one that rethinks curatorial practice through XR-driven efficiencies. In many ways, the disruptive innovator embodies the spirit of the TRANSMIXR cultural heritage use case itself: challenging traditional exhibition formats, rethinking existing curatorial workflows, and working towards making immersive storytelling more sustainable. To demonstrate this, we introduced our reusable and scalable Virtual Reality (VR) game template. This template is part of our initiative to shift cultural heritage institutions away from expensive one-off experiences and toward adaptable, engaging solutions that foster deeper interaction with heritage collections.
Overall, these speculative personas offered a creative way to explore how XR might shape the future of curatorial work. As the TRANSMIXR project continues to investigate immersive storytelling for cultural heritage, these insights will help inform strategies for meaningful, ethical, and impactful XR integration across diverse institutional settings.
Authors: Gabrielle Aguilar van Gend and Philine Kreuzer from NISV.
