Virtual Veronese

Bringing Italian Art History to life in Virtual Reality with The National Gallery, London

Virtual Veronese is an R&D immersive prototype created by StoryFutures, Focal Point VR and The National Gallery. The Gallery had an ambition to tell the story behind some of the paintings that hung on its walls, linking them to their original exhibition context. StoryFutures partnered with The Gallery to design a brief that would allow a creative exploration of the painting and rich audience insight into how visitors would respond to immersive experiences.

The project developed an AR and VR experience that allowed visitors to experience Veronese’s work in its original 16th century setting. It also told the story behind the painting in a creative, immersive way. The prototype was designed to appeal to under 35s, particularly British visitors. For all visitors, the aim was to create an engaged and emotional experience that enabled the Gallery to test different approaches to storytelling and blended the physical environment of the National Gallery with the virtual environment of the Church of San Benedetto al Po, in 1562. Participants could choose between two experiences: one story-led, told the monks of San Benedetto al Po; and one-curator led, told by Dr Rebecca Gill herself. We then teste