Digital carnival as a cultural asset

Music, jester's calls, masks, hats, bells and the babble of voices of many women, men and children at the roadside. Wherever you look, the spectacle of the historical procession in Villingen is awe-inspiring. However, the viewer is not standing in Villingen, but sitting on a swivelling armchair in one of the domes of the Bad Dürrheimer Fool's head He has taken a seat and is wearing VR glasses. The images he sees are a 360-degree recording of the real move, which means that just like in the real world, he sees something different as soon as he turns his head. The 360-degree sound further emphasises the illusion, as the sounds he perceives "move" with his turns.

The Association of Swabian-Alemanic Carnival Guilds would like to install the VR technology described above on a large scale in the Narrenschopf. "The new technology will allow museum visitors to really immerse themselves in carnival," explained Professor Ullrich Dittler from Furtwangen University at the most recent meeting of the district committee for education and social affairs.

To realise this, the Narrenschopf uses the tried and tested forms of communication and interaction of social networks: In a virtual museum, they present carnival exhibits in thematically organised chapters. Users are invited to upload their own carnival experiences via images, texts, videos etc. on the respective topics and thus reflect them back to the museum. Supplemented by interactive formats such as the virtual carnival band, the aim is to stimulate dialogue between users.

360° films have also been created to allow visitors to experience Fastnacht all year round. These are available via two different presentation channels - VR glasses and a projection dome. Similar to the starry sky in a planetarium, the hustle and bustle of carnival is projected onto a dome around the viewer.

The virtual presentations are also intended to invite visitors to enter into a dialogue with the museum and contribute their own experiences and impressions of the exhibition.