Developing a Spatial Sound Experience Framework for Immersive Heritage Exhibition: Exploring Emotional-Cultural Engagement in Indonesian Cultural Soundscape

Fransiskus Rendy Retanubun

doi:10.63922/ijeter.v4i03.6202

Fransiskus Rendy Retanubun Produksi Film Dan Televisi, Akademi Komunikasi SAE Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijeter.v4i03.6202

Keywords: spatial sound, immersive heritage exhibition, cultural soundscape, auditory immersion, experiential cultural preservation

Abstract

In the era of immersive technology, cultural heritage exhibitions have become more interactive and multimodal. However, even in contemporary immersive heritage studies, the visual remains prominent and the contribution of spatial sound to cultural immersion and experiential engagement has been under-explored. This research seeks to build the framework of the spatial sound experience for the immersive heritage exhibition in Indonesia, by putting the spatial sound as the centre of the experiential medium in the immersive culture environment. The study adopted a qualitative Design-Based Research (DBR) approach and was conducted in an immersive living lab with 15-25 primary and 4-8 expert participants, including sound designers, immersive media designers, exhibition curators, cultural experts, and creative media academics. Data were acquired through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, immersive prototyping, reflective experience notes and expert validation and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results show that spatial sound is relevant for the establishment of spatial presence, environmental immersion, emotional-cultural engagement and experiential heritage interaction. The utilization of Indonesian cultural soundscape components as traditional ambience, ritual sound, environmental audio and localized auditory narratives were proven to augment emotional resonance, cultural familiarity and immersive engagement. The study presented Spatial Sound Experience Framework comprising five interrelated dimensions including spatial sound stimulation, environmental immersion, emotional-cultural engagement, cultural presence formation, and experiential heritage interaction through thematic synthesis and iterative evaluation of the prototype. Theoretically, the study adds the concept of auditory-led immersion in immersive historical contexts and practically, a conceptual reference for immersive exhibition design and experience cultural preservation. The results support the relevance of incorporating spatial sound as a key experience

References

Andringa, Tjeerd C. “Appraising the Sonic Environment: A Conceptual Framework for Perceptual, Computational, and Cognitive Requirements.” Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 6 (2025): 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060797.
Boboc, Răzvan Gabriel, Elena Băutu, Florin Gîrbacia, Norina Popovici, and Dorin Mircea Popovici. “Augmented Reality in Cultural Heritage: An Overview of the Last Decade of Applications.” Applied Sciences (Switzerland) 12, no. 19 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199859.
Chong, Hwei Teeng, Chen Kim Lim, Abdul Rafi, Kian Lam Tan, and Mazlin Mokhtar. “Comprehensive Systematic Review on Virtual Reality for Cultural Heritage Practices: Coherent Taxonomy and Motivations.” Multimedia Systems, 2021, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00530-021-00869-4.
Derda, Izabela. “Museum Exhibition Co-Creation in the Age of Data: Emerging Design Strategy for Enhanced Visitor Engagement.” Convergence, 2023, 135485652311745. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231174597.
Fialho, L, J Oliveira, A Filipe, and F Luz. “Soundspace VR: Spatial Navigation Using Sound in Virtual Reality.” Virtual Reality, 2021, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10055-021-00597-0.
Grinfeder, Elie, Christian Lorenzi, Sylvain Haupert, and Jérôme Sueur. “What Do We Mean by ‘Soundscape’? A Functional Description.” Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.894232.
Hartono, Patrick, and Stevie J Sutanto. “Algorave Music Practice in Indonesia: Paguyuban Algorave.” Organised Sound 28 (2023): 185–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1355771823000390.
Hasegawa, Yoshimi, and Siu-Kit Lau. “Audiovisual Bimodal and Interactive Effects for Soundscape Design of the Indoor Environments: A Systematic Review.” Sustainability 13, no. 1 (2021): 339. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU13010339.
Hong, Joo Young, Jianjun He, Bhan Lam, Rishabh Gupta, and Woon Seng Gan. “Spatial Audio for Soundscape Design: Recording and Reproduction.” Applied Sciences (Switzerland) 7, no. 6 (2017). https://doi.org/10.3390/app7060627.
Jaco, Amandine Afonso, and Brian F G Katz. “Spatial Knowledge via Auditory Information for Blind Individuals: Spatial Cognition Studies and the Use of Audio-VR.” Sensors 22, no. 13 (2022): 4794. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22134794.
Krah, Eva-Susanne. “Feeling Virtually Present Makes Me Happier: The Influence of Immersion, Sense of Presence, and Video Contents on Positive Emotion Induction.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 26, no. 4 (2023): 238–45. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0245.
Mariette, Mylene M., David F. Clayton, and Katherine L. Buchanan. “Acoustic Developmental Programming: A Mechanistic and Evolutionary Framework.” Trends in Ecology and Evolution 36, no. 8 (2021): 722–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.04.007.
Mediastika, Christina E, Anugrah Sabdono Sudarsono, Sentagi Sesotya Utami, Teguh Setiawan, James Mansell, Revianto Budi Santosa, Army Wiratama, Ressy Jaya Yanti, and Laurence Cliffe. “The Sound Heritage of Kotagede: The Evolving Soundscape of a Living Museum.” Built Heritage 8, no. 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00145-0.
Mendoza, María Antonia Diaz, Emiro De La Hoz Franco, and Jorge Eliecer Gómez Gómez. “Technologies for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage—A Systematic Review of the Literature.” Sustainability 15, no. 2 (2023): 1059. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021059.
Mudicka, Stefan, and Roman Kapica. “Digital Heritage, the Possibilities of Information Visualisation through Extended Reality Tools.” Heritage 6, no. 1 (2022): 112–31. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6010006.
Neidhardt, Annika, Christian Schneiderwind, and Florian Klein. “Perceptual Matching of Room Acoustics for Auditory Augmented Reality in Small Rooms - Literature Review and Theoretical Framework.” Trends in Hearing 26 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1177/23312165221092919.
Pervolarakis, Zacharias, Emmanouil Zidianakis, Antonis Katzourakis, Theodoros Evdaimon, Nikolaos Partarakis, Xenophon Zabulis, and Constantine Stephanidis. “Visiting Heritage Sites in AR and VR.” Heritage 6, no. 3 (2023): 2489–2502. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6030131.
Privitera, Alessandro Giuseppe, Federico Fontana, and Michele Geronazzo. “The Role of Audio in Immersive Storytelling: A Systematic Review in Cultural Heritage.” Multimedia Tools and Applications 84, no. 16 (2025): 16105–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-024-19288-4.
Searchfield, Grant D. “Tinnitus What and Where: An Ecological Framework.” Frontiers in Neurology 5, no. DEC (2014): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2014.00271.
Selim, Gehan, Monther M Jamhawi, Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem, Shouib Nouh Ma’bdeh, and Andrew Holland. “The Virtual Living Museum: Integrating the Multi-Layered Histories and Cultural Practices of Gadara’s Archaeology in Umm Qais, Jordan.” Sustainability 14, no. 11 (2022): 6721. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116721.
Spadoni, Elena, S Porro, Monica Bordegoni, I Arosio, L Barbalini, and Marina Carulli. “Augmented Reality to Engage Visitors of Science Museums through Interactive Experiences.” Heritage 5, no. 3 (2022): 1370–94. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5030071.
Theodoropoulos, Anastasios, and Angeliki Antoniou. “VR Games in Cultural Heritage: A Systematic Review of the Emerging Fields of Virtual Reality and Culture Games.” Applied Sciences (Switzerland) 12, no. 17 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178476.
Wanti, Linda Perdana, Oman Somantri, and Titin Karyati. “Utilization of AR Technology for The Development of Speech Therapy Applications by Optimizing Marked-Based Tracking Method.” Kinetik: Game Technology, Information System, Computer Network, Computing, Electronics, and Control 6, no. March (2023). https://doi.org/10.22219/kinetik.v8i1.1584.
Wu, Lingyi, Riji Yu, Wei-Hsiang Su, and Shishu Ye. “Design and Implementation of a Metaverse Platform for Traditional Culture: The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng.” Heritage Science 10, no. 1 (2022): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-022-00828-w.
Zhang, Wei. “Virtual Museum Scene Design Based on VRAR Realistic Interaction under PMC Artificial Intelligence Model.” Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences 0, no. 0 (2023). https://doi.org/10.2478/amns.2023.1.00200.