Project Details
Museums are traditionally thought of as physical spaces that preserve and display objects removed from their time. Since the 1990s, the notion of a physical space has been challenged with the rise of virtual museums. From Apple’s 1992 “The Virtual Museum” CD-ROM to the British Museum’s virtual rooms in the 2010s, these digital environments have progressed from novelties to immersive audience experiences with help from advancements in computer graphics and audiovisual capabilities. These virtual worlds also allow visitors to study and admire collections from afar, attracting audiences historically unable to visit the physical institution.
While many museums have created virtual experiences well after their physical locations are established, a handful of museums first launch online. Such is the case with the recently opened Museum of Diversity (MoD), a London–based organization dedicated to celebrating “the diverse cultures and heritages that emerged from Africa as a means to educate, inspire and foster.” In October, timed with the United Kingdom’s Black History Month celebration, the museum launched its virtual experience to support its mission while its physical building remains in the works.
Led by founders and couple Troy and Kuku Richards, whose professional backgrounds include nonprofit and corporate finance, leadership, and business development and management, the MoD was conceived in 2014 as a cultural institution focused on Black and minority communities in the U.K. While the United States has around 150 museums (BlackPast.org provides a list of institutions) dedicated to Black history and culture, the U.K. has a handful of resources (see this list compiled by London-based designer Tihara Smith). The country’s absence of permanent institutions recognizing Black history creates an educational need, particularly for children and teens, says Troy, who wants “young people to be part of the learning process and create their own stories.”
In 2017, Troy reached out to Trevor Morriss, principal of London-based architecture and design studio SPPARC, to design a building for MoD. The two had met previously, and SPPARC’s approach and commitment to diversity seamlessly coincided with MoD’s mission. Financial constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project, so the team decided to create a virtual space that would allow MoD to reach an audience more quickly. Because MoD would be SPPARC’s first-ever virtual project, the design team began by seeking “to understand the philosophy of the museum and apply points of principle and DNA to the project,” Morriss says. Though a virtual space is not contained by scale, it still requires a logical plan of progression for a successful user experience. The “approach and experience are the same for designing a virtual and physical space,” he says. “It must be civic, inspiring, and natural.”
A central amphitheater with honeycomb-tiled steps marks the heart of the virtual MoD. Visitors can navigate through the space to experience eight surrounding gallery portals containing exhibits, prerecorded talks, and autoplay videos on education, culture, music, sports, arts, humanities, migration, and innovators. The honeycomb shape extends to volumes on the ceilings, floors, and walls emphasize the galleries’ themes of sustainability, nature, community, and connectedness. Chosen for its perceived structural strength, the honeycombs are accentuated by different textures and colors, defining seating, exhibits, and other programmatic elements.
Furthering the objective of extending MoD’s reach beyond a physical destination, SPPARC designed roving exhibition pods to be transported into schools and urban communities. The pods, expected next spring, will help promote the museum’s mission and current exhibitions.
In addition to creating the virtual MoD environment, SPPARC had to ensure the experience was accessible to visitors. Designed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, MoD’s virtual space translates across multiple platforms—such as desktops and mobile devices—and can be used in different capacities, including individual exploration and classroom presentations. Still, a sizable, albeit shrinking, population remains without adequate internet access or the tech skills to navigate the platform—tools not necessary for visiting a built destination.
Another drawback of a virtual space is its initial design cost. While generally less expensive to create than a physical environment, high-end digital experiences require significant capital. The number of multiple user logins can be limited by the availability of bandwidth, which is costly. Though MoD’s virtual museum is available to the public, an additional £250,000 (approximately $330,000) is needed to complete technological upgrades, which would alleviate site issues when hosting multiple visitors.
MoD plans to open a physical space within the next five years, though the exact location remains to be determined. At a cost of £5,000 per square meter (approximately $600 per square foot), the built space, when completed, would become the primary museum, though the virtual environment will remain an active component. Reproducing human interactions and emotions in a virtual environment is difficult, Morriss says: “We, as humans, crave the physical space.”
Recent advancements in technology, including VR headsets and immersive realities, have made digital experiences more authentic for users. Though high-tech equipment remains expensive, it does help foster a compelling educational and emotional experience. MoD has used such technologies to present Black history to students, politicians, and corporations, with mostly positive feedback.
The pandemic has “contributed and accelerated the importance of virtual spaces,” Troy Richards says. With plans for future local collaborations, the virtual MoD is allowing the organization to achieve its mission of celebrating Black history while reaching new audiences throughout the U.K. and beyond.
