The Celts – images, myths, gods

In a joint collaboration, the Munich State Archaeological Collection, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and the virtual reality agency videoreality/TimeLeapVR have developed a digital extension of a previously analog exhibition on the Celts. Students from the “Augmented and Virtual Reality Design” and “Expanded Media” courses and the museum team have transferred the exhibition “The Celts – Images, Myths, Gods” into a virtual world that brings the visual language and art of a bygone era to life digitally.

The virtual exhibition is based on the analog special exhibition “Die Bilderwelt der Kelten”, which was on display at the kelten römer museum manching, a branch museum of the Archäologische Staatssammlung, in 2018/19. The digital extension “The Celts – Images, Myths, Gods” takes visitors – or rather users – into the world of the Latène culture, which significantly shaped the cultural and artistic heritage of Central Europe from the 5th to the 1st century BC. The experience shows users the diversity and richness of Celtic art and lifestyle. It also highlights the unique ornamentation and styles that were shaped by Etruscan, Greek and Scythian influences. In the game, users discover impressive figurative representations that were common for the Latène period. The typical animal creatures and mythical motifs of the time are also described and information on their symbolism is provided. Interested visitors are given an in-depth insight into the world of the Celts, their religious-mythical meanings and the multi-layered symbolism of their art. While the analog exhibition focused on passive viewing, the digital version now encourages active interactivity.

The student project took place at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in the winter semester of 2023/24. Six students worked on the project over the course of a semester from November 2023 to February 2024 as part of the “Virtual Reality Project Management” course. During this time, they created an impressive virtual web experience and generated a lot of enthusiasm. Prof. Dr. Rupert Gebhard, Collection Director of the State Archaeological Collection and lecturer at LMU Munich, said: “In 25 years at the university, I have never seen a comparable student project of such high quality.” The collaboration with the museum was initiated by lecturers Julian Hölgert and Michael Gödde from the virtual reality agency videoreality / TimeLeapVR. Their plan was to enable students to gain practical experience in a realistic project environment.
When designing the project, care was therefore taken from the outset to ensure that the framework conditions were as real as possible. A fictitious project tender from the Munich State Archaeological Collection gave the six students the opportunity to deal with realistic customer requirements and adapt to them. A perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate their skills in a professional context. In consultation with the State Archaeological Collection, they independently developed the concept and created an innovative cultural experience that blurs the boundaries between past and present and between physical and digital space. With the help of the Unity game engine, a 3D environment was created in which visitors can explore a mysterious, misty forest, a Celtic grove. This grove is filled with 3D models of Celtic artifacts in the game “The Celts – Images, Myths, Gods”. On the one hand, users receive information about the location, material, dimensions and a description of the objects. The descriptions also explain the symbols of the objects shown. The game also includes a task for users. They have to record the objects they find in a digital notebook. By clicking on the notebook, the information on the collected objects can be called up again. This is a fun way to learn about the culture and symbolism of the Celtic world.

Some of the objects shown in the virtual world are original exhibits from the holdings of the State Archaeological Collection. The remaining virtual objects, however, were mainly created by the students themselves, who thus had the opportunity to contribute their imagination. During the project, the interdisciplinary, dedicated team, consisting of Md Zunaed Alam Tanim, Paul Lakos, Bruno Müller, Oscar Pohl, Lars Skogseide and Charlotte Paulsen, was scientifically supervised by Dr. Brigitte Haas-Gebhard and Dr. Holger Wendling from the Archaeological State Collection in Munich. Julian Hölgert and Michael Gödde are proud of their students and praise them: “They did a great job under extremely tight time constraints! Working with a real customer is a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
The web experience “The Celts – Images, Myths, Gods” opens up a new dimension of cultural experience and makes the exhibition “Imagery of the Celts” accessible worldwide in a playful and interactive way. The project impressively demonstrates the possibilities of digital communication of cultural assets and serves as inspiration for future virtual exhibition experiences. From Thursday, July 11, anyone can access the web experience via the website of the Archaeological State Collection and immerse themselves digitally in the world of the Celts.

The museum managers have also planned a Celtic weekend for September, which will combine the digital and analog elements in the museum. The Celtic Weekend will take place on September 14 and 15 at the Archaeological State Collection in Munich. The program is currently still being finalized.