Critiquing structural issues in the digital heritage field through satirical narrative in interactive media art: A case study of Heritoid

In one sentence

Interactive artwork Heritoid uses satire and an AR finale to expose structural problems in digital heritage — data monopolization, lack of standards, commercialization.

Abstract

This study investigates the structural contradictions that arise when cultural heritage is preserved and utilized through digital technologies such as 3D scanning and VR/AR. Data monopolization, lack of standardization, and the misinterpretation or commercialization of artifacts remain persistent issues. Rather than offering simplistic technical or institutional fixes, this paper introduces Heritoid, an interactive media artwork that uses satirical storytelling and a playful AR finale to spotlight these concerns. By inviting viewers to "destroy" digital avatars in a performative act, Heritoid underscores the paradoxical fragility of heritage in virtual spaces and demonstrates how critical artistic interventions can shape broader public dialogue.

Source: ISEA 2025 paper (author PDF)

Key facts

• Keywords: digital heritage, interactive media art, satirical narrative, data monopolization and standardization

When this paper is relevant

• You critically examine openness vs. monopolization of digital heritage (3D scan) data
• You need interactive art that uses satire as a critical intervention

Cite

Joonhyung Bae (2025). Critiquing structural issues in the digital heritage field through satirical narrative in interactive media art: A case study of Heritoid. Proc. 2025 Int. Symp. on Electronic Art (ISEA), Seoul, South Korea, May 23–29, 2025. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10202.25284

@inproceedings{Bae2025heritoid,
  title = {Critiquing structural issues in the digital heritage field through satirical narrative in interactive media art: A case study of Heritoid},
  author = {Joonhyung Bae},
  booktitle = {Proc. 2025 Int. Symp. on Electronic Art (ISEA), Seoul, South Korea, May 23–29, 2025},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.13140/RG.2.2.10202.25284},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10202.25284}
}

Machine-readable copy: /papers/heritoid-2025.md