Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses

Art experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance isalso placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums andgalleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality(VR) in museum contexts has been increasing. This has solicited enormous research interest ininvestigating any eventual differences between looking at the same artifact either in a real context(e.g. a museum) and in VR. To address such a target, a neuroaesthetic study was performed inwhich electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate and skin conductance) wererecorded during the observation of the Etruscan artifact “Sarcophagus of the Spouses”, both in themuseum and in a VR reproduction. Results from EEG analysis showed a higher level of the WorkloadIndex during observation in the museum compared to VR (p = 0.04), while the Approach–WithdrawalIndex highlighted increased levels during the observation in VR compared to the observation in themuseum (p = 0.03). Concerning autonomic indices, the museum elicited a higher Emotional Indexresponse than the VR (p = 0.03). Overall, preliminary results suggest a higher engagement potential ofthe museum compared to VR, although VR could also favour higher embodiment than the museum.