Review written by Amy Lee
Overview
The Covid-19 pandemic had its impact on every industry, and the arts industry was no exception. This is where VOMA got its start. VOMA, or “Virtual Online Museum of Art,” is the first fully interactive virtual museum. The creator is Stuart Semple, who first had this idea in the 90s. However, technology was nowhere near the level of advancement that it is today, so his idea was not able to come to fruition until 2020.
Because VOMA is not an actual building, it paves the way for many unique benefits. For example, the architecture of the virtual building would be difficult, if not impossible, to create in real life. Additionally, new exhibitions can be showcased more easily and frequently because there are no concerns about space, transportation, or maintenance costs.
When I first heard about VOMA, I was particularly captivated by its accessibility. Being completely free and online, this museum is accessible to a larger group of people than traditional museums. Therefore, there is no average user. Guests from all over the world with an internet connection and appreciation for art can take part in this experience. The beauty of VOMA is its diverse range of artists that get to showcase their work and the global audience that comes to view it.
When visitors first enter the website, there is a large VOMA logo in the top left corner and a banner saying “Welcome to VOMA. VOMA is a museum for everyone.” Visitors can click the button to enter and are presented with the choice to enable or disable video.
Figure 1: Screenshot of entrance screen for VOMA. Source: VOMA.
The scenic outdoor background makes users feel like they are actually in front of a museum and about to walk in. Before users enter, the webpage gives quick, visual instructions on how to navigate through the museum:
Tap on the info button on the bottom right to get all the info on the museum
Tap circles on the floor to move around
Drag to look around
Expand the map by clicking the pin drop icon
Teleport to places using points on the map
Tap on artwork to view and pinch to zoom in and out
Hit the info button to learn more about the artwork
Hit the speech bubble in the café to chat with others
Figure 2: Outside view of VOMA. Source: VOMA.
The first thing that I noticed when I entered the virtual space was the noise. The sounds of the water and the wind were in sync with the video, making the immersive qualities of the museum that much greater.
Cons
There were still some cons caused by the museum being fully virtual. There were lagging times between each movement that I made. Sometimes, I would click on an artwork to view it, but the image would not load and I would just see a white square. The writing on the wall was also hard to read due to the small text and pixelation, as seen in the image below. Even when clicking on the writing to read it more close-up, the image resolution was just a little bit blurry.
Figure 3: Screenshot of wall text at VOMA. Source: VOMA.
Every guest’s experience quality may be different depending on their internet connection and internet quality. While VOMA addresses the large issue that is a lack of accessibility on a wider scale, there are still some cracks that remain, particular for those with limited or without internet access. However, these are problems on a larger scale and are mostly out of VOMA's control.
There are also risks of the website server crashing. The first time that the website was launched, the website crashed because so many people were trying to access it at the same time. If a new temporary exhibit was featured and too many people were to try entering the museum, could the website crash again? While this is an issue that can be fixed, it may turn some guests away completely.
Pros
On the flip side, there are so many pros to VOMA. First off, anyone with an internet connection will now be able to view, appreciate, and learn from art through this experience. It is completely free and has a relatively intuitive and well-designed interface that makes it easy for people to follow.
It also solves the customer pain point related to waiting times. Guests no longer need to wait in line and experience the hassle of buying tickets. Instead, they can simply enter the website and start their journey. During the time of Covid-19, VOMA allows people to visit a museum from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
One of the best aspects of VOMA is how it takes immersion to a higher level by integrating the sounds of nature in the background and a 360-degree virtual view that the guest is able to control. It further imitates features of an actual museum with its chat feature. With a global audience, guests can socialize with other visitors and share their thoughts. Finally, it has a zoom functionality that allows the guest to get very close to the artworks, read about their history, and view at their own individual pace. In a real museum, guests may feel pressured to move along because there are other people behind them, but with VOMA, this issue is nonexistent.
Finally, the artwork that is showcased in this museum is extremely diverse, including pieces by women and BIPOC artists. The choice to highlight these artists takes a step towards increased representation and makes their work visible for appreciation.
Figure 4: Screenshot of artwork within VOMA. Source: VOMA.
The Virtual Museum Landscape
VOMA will continue to feature temporary exhibitions and add more galleries that showcase diverse artists. Not only is it great for visitor retention since they are more likely to come back to view new art, but it is great for spreading awareness and educating. There is clearly a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding VOMA. Over 130,000 people tried to enter the museum during its launch. Gabrielle Leung, the associate editor of HypeBeast, stated that VOMA addresses “the problems of attending museums with social distancing measure in place, but also more complex issues about who has access to major cultural institutions in the first place.”
Many museums have had to adapt to the pandemic in order to make their exhibitions accessible to the public. Existing museums with a physical location, such as the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, have created virtual museums on their websites. Guests can enter virtually and walk throughout the entire museum as they would in real life.
Figure 5: Screenshot of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s virtual museum. Source: Smithsonian.
Other new alternatives are Instagram museums. In the wake of Covid-19, CAM, the Covid Art Museum, created the world’s first museum of art born during the pandemic. It is fully housed on the Instagram social media platform, and all artists can submit their work to the museum with the hashtag “CovidArtMuseum.” It features works that exhibit representations of Covid and pandemic life from artists all over the world, boasting over 165,000 followers in just the span of a year.
The world of art and museums is changing with new technology and platforms made available. However, the pandemic has shown how fragile this industry can be, and museums are responding quickly to adapt to, challenge, and revolutionize traditional ways. VOMA is making major advances in the arts industry by turning museum experiences digital. I can only imagine what kinds of greater advancements there will be with the integration of even more interactive elements.