Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art

Metaverses and 3D virtual worlds host numerous exhibition spaces that often replicate physical environments skeuomorphically. This study analyzes 26 digital exhibitions—ranging from institutional virtual twins and fully digital museums to independent artist showcases—to investigate approaches to...

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Main Authors: Lucilla Grossi, Luca Guerrini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bologna University press 2025-07-01
Series:DIID
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.diid.it/diid/index.php/diid/article/view/435
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author Lucilla Grossi
Luca Guerrini
author_facet Lucilla Grossi
Luca Guerrini
author_sort Lucilla Grossi
collection DOAJ
description Metaverses and 3D virtual worlds host numerous exhibition spaces that often replicate physical environments skeuomorphically. This study analyzes 26 digital exhibitions—ranging from institutional virtual twins and fully digital museums to independent artist showcases—to investigate approaches to 3D spatial design for the exhibition of digital art pieces. Findings show that only a minority (10/26) adopt speculative spatial strategies, while the majority embraces reality-mimicking, showing a clear tendency to replicate real-world spaces. We investigated the technological processes behind the creation of these spaces to understand how the intrinsic characteristics of the tools used potentially influence design choices, embedding presets that favor replication. Despite the widespread use of similar technological frameworks, some exhibitions stand out as speculative cases, demonstrating the possibility of experimental and critical spatial innovation. This contrast highlights the fact that while technology shapes and sometimes constrains design, it does not determine it entirely; creative appropriation can push the bound- aries of virtual exhibition design beyond mere copies of the physical world.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1594-8528
2785-2245
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Bologna University press
record_format Article
series DIID
spelling doaj-art-41ea5e279d20443aad45cad0529348e12025-08-20T03:58:48ZengBologna University pressDIID1594-85282785-22452025-07-018510.30682/diid8525gDesigning Digital Spaces for Digital ArtLucilla Grossi0Luca Guerrini1Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi VanvitelliPolitecnico di Milano Metaverses and 3D virtual worlds host numerous exhibition spaces that often replicate physical environments skeuomorphically. This study analyzes 26 digital exhibitions—ranging from institutional virtual twins and fully digital museums to independent artist showcases—to investigate approaches to 3D spatial design for the exhibition of digital art pieces. Findings show that only a minority (10/26) adopt speculative spatial strategies, while the majority embraces reality-mimicking, showing a clear tendency to replicate real-world spaces. We investigated the technological processes behind the creation of these spaces to understand how the intrinsic characteristics of the tools used potentially influence design choices, embedding presets that favor replication. Despite the widespread use of similar technological frameworks, some exhibitions stand out as speculative cases, demonstrating the possibility of experimental and critical spatial innovation. This contrast highlights the fact that while technology shapes and sometimes constrains design, it does not determine it entirely; creative appropriation can push the bound- aries of virtual exhibition design beyond mere copies of the physical world. https://www.diid.it/diid/index.php/diid/article/view/435Spatial designDigital art exhibitions3D virtual worldsMetaverseDigital art
spellingShingle Lucilla Grossi
Luca Guerrini
Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art
DIID
Spatial design
Digital art exhibitions
3D virtual worlds
Metaverse
Digital art
title Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art
title_full Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art
title_fullStr Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art
title_full_unstemmed Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art
title_short Designing Digital Spaces for Digital Art
title_sort designing digital spaces for digital art
topic Spatial design
Digital art exhibitions
3D virtual worlds
Metaverse
Digital art
url https://www.diid.it/diid/index.php/diid/article/view/435
work_keys_str_mv AT lucillagrossi designingdigitalspacesfordigitalart
AT lucaguerrini designingdigitalspacesfordigitalart