A phygital approach to cultural heritage: augmented reality at Regaleira

Abstract

<p>In the last two decades, contemporary society has been conceptualized and discussed around the assumption that digital technologies are its most defining feature. Jean Baudrillard’s take on the Fable of Borges suggests a replacement of the physical world by a virtual experiencing life, setting the tone for a pessimistic and somewhat fearful attitude towards technological development. On the verge of the dissemination of disruptive innovations that can be described under the “umbrella” of Internet of Things (IoT), we observe not a replacement, but a deep and complex intertwining of online and offline experiences, sketching the contours of what can become a phygital society. This alternative conceptualization of our contemporary society, combined with the possibilities of technological development, affords new opportunities for the expression and experiencing of culture, and also for the creative industries. In our research, we explore the impact of one augmented reality (AR) app designed for one of the landmarks of the Portuguese cultural heritage, Quinta da Regaleira. We explored this single-case study using qualitative data collection techniques, aiming to discuss the positive and negative outcomes of this innovation, both for the dynamizing of cultural heritage, and for the visitors. The article provides useful information for heritage spaces that wish to follow this path. It describes the main steps to be taken in the production of content and provides examples of the narrative model that helps people to visit the space and obtain information, knowing stories relevant to the past and present of the cultural heritage. The objective is to clarify, finally, due to the research developed in the Quinta da Regaleira case study, what kind of stories and experiences can be narrated, the strengths of this application, its limitations, and paths for future investigations.</p>

The phygital transformation: a systematic review and a research agenda

“…We detected the different nouns associated with a neologism. The label phygital was used in connection with context (Turco & Giovannini, 2020;Stankov & Gretzel, 2020;Klaus, 2021, Liu et al, 2022 or spaces (Bazzanella et al, 2014;Neuburger et al, 2018;Shalini et al, 2021), objects, applications (Andrade & Dias, 2020;Lupetti et al, 2016), shopping experience (Ballina et al, 2019;Due & Toft, 2021;Silva & Cachinho, 2021), customer journey (Mele et al, 2021;Mele & Russo Spena, 2022). The following sections describe the four items in-depth by offering an interpretative framework.…”

Tradition, Inclusive Innovation, and Development in Rural Territories

“…What is shown, in a general sense, in ESPON ( 2020) that is an important study (using official statistics and not case studies), highlighting the economic impact of cultural heritage, mainly through the tourism sector. Additionally, there are similar case studies in Portugal (Andrade & Dias, 2020), Spain (Gomez-Oliva et al, 2019), or Italy (Paniccia & Leoni, 2019), which denote the territorial configurations that operate effectively.…”

The changing face of retailing, 1980–2020

“…Recently, many studies have discussed customers' Phygital experience and its contribution to retailers' growth (Moravcikova and Kilestikova, 2017;Nofal et al, 2017;Van Tichelen, 2019;Andrade and Dias, 2020;Goretti et al, 2020;Turco and Giovannini, 2020;Terenzi and Vignati, 2021). Considering there is intense competition in the sector, retailers tend to use interactive websites to attract more consumers (Lee et al, 2010;Daliri et al, 2014).…”

“…Recently, many studies have discussed customers' Phygital experience and its contribution to retailers' growth (Moravcikova and Kilestikova, 2017; Nofal et al. , 2017; Van Tichelen, 2019; Andrade and Dias, 2020; Goretti et al. , 2020; Turco and Giovannini, 2020; Terenzi and Vignati, 2021).…”