Immersive Phygital Technologies to Interpret a Counterfactual World War II Invasion

Abstract Despite the rich historical heritage of the island state of Malta, there is still no widespread application of the principles of new museology and digital humanities by local memory institutions. The relatively new phygital approach of combining both physical and digital interpretations of heritage can bring new impetus to the field, especially through extended reality. Malta’s role in World War II as a British colony in the Mediterranean generated a practical project that combined the use of traditional scale models, miniature figures, dioramas and human reenactment with their capture through cinematic virtual reality and 3D capture. The narrative is based on the counterfactual Axis invasion of Malta in 1942. Autoethnography and participant observation were used to gather primary data for practice-based research, given the researcher’s expertise in scale modelling and historical reenactment. Traditional physical and digital approaches to heritage interpretation are not only complementary but can also be successfully presented in a hybrid/phygital exhibition format. Scale modelling, usually considered a hobby, can be scientifically applied to heritage interpretation and supplement ER. Furthermore, the interpretation of phygital heritage is a relatively new area of research. This research underscores the potential of integrating digital technologies, physical artefacts and post-colonial perspectives to transform the storytelling of heritage through extended reality immersive experiences. This is one of the first practice-as-research attempts to study this possibility. In addition, it proposes a new model for applying this innovative phygital approach to heritage interpretation.