The impact of technology on visitor immersion in art exhibitions : evidence from the Modigliani Art Experience exhibition

The aim of this chapter is to analyze the relevance of immersion in the artistic and cultural contexts with a specific focus on visitors’ experience in the immersive exhibitions, mediated by digital technologies. The first part of the chapter presents some conceptual issues related to the literature on postmodern consumption experiences, focusing on the concept of immersion as a way for consumers to escape their ordinary life routines. The chapter then focuses on the digital technology-driven immersive exhibitions by the integration of digital tools/media and physical artifacts, connected or disconnected to the original site, describing how various exhibitions can enhance the visitor experience and immersion. This classification introduces the subsequent study of the Modigliani Art Experience exhibition. The second part of the chapter presents an exploratory study using an introspection-based research methodology conducted on the Modigliani Art Experience exhibition held at the MUDEC Museum in Milan with the aim of understanding the consumer experience by the characteristics of the immersion process. The final part of the chapter is dedicated to an initial reflection on the impact of these experiential settings on visitor experience and on how arts managers can navigate the emerging era of digital in the museum setting.