Virtual Tours in Ukrainian Art Projects: Between Pandemic and War

Abstract

The article is devoted to a review of virtual tours accompanying exhibition art projects in Ukraine. The role of design and software in their creation is analyzed. The aim of the study is to identify effective design approaches in designing virtual tours, to establish the degree of interdependence of the virtual object and the object represented in real time. The research methodology is determined by the methods of general scientific comparative studies and art analysis. The basis of the research is a review of virtual tours of exhibition projects of the Mystetskyi Arsenal (Kyiv, Ukraine). The scientific novelty of the study is stipulated by the identification of design aspects in the creation of virtual reality as well as – the criteria which allow us to assert the existence of stylistic differences that distinguish different virtual tours. Conclusions. As a result of reviewing and comparing virtual tours to exhibition projects in the Ukrainian art space we conclude that they are of high quality, in particular, the degree of reproduction of real time with appropriate detail and information content. In this way, this product allows not only to become familiar with show exhibits, but also to get an idea of its holistic concept. This is achieved, on the one hand, thanks to high-quality and optimal software, and on the other hand, by means of creative design which allows you to identify both the actual slice of the project and its artistic component. In the best examples the latter is filled with the developed means of combining virtual reality and video installations. However, it should be noted that the virtual tour still plays a role of accompaniment and does not replace the event itself which should take place in real time and real space, because, as in any way of transmitting artistic content via electronic media a significant part of the energy potential of the art object is lost. However, the advantages of virtual tours are their informational and suggestive component and the possibility of widespread dissemination of projects. The particular relevance of virtual projects can be predicted in the near future as there is a need to visualize and update the reflections of artists associated with the unprecedented for the XXI century. phenomenon in Europe – Russia’s war against Ukraine with large-scale war crimes, acts of genocide and the deliberate destruction of the cultural heritage of an independent state. The formation and development of such initiatives in Ukraine are considered in several examples in the article.