By: Daniel Fusch

Virtual reality (VR) has evolved beyond its initial applications in entertainment. It’s now being used across various industries, may it be for training surgeons in complex procedures or helping architects visualize designs in 3D before breaking ground. One of its applications lies in the world of cultural institutions. Hammer & Anvil, an immersive media company driven by a team of passionate filmmakers and technologists, believes VR is fast becoming an essential tool for the future of museums.

The global museum landscape is changing. Institutions are under increasing pressure to compete with the fast-paced, visually rich digital world that their audiences experience every day. In Canada, museums generated about $1.1 billion in revenue in 2020, reflecting interest. Meanwhile, in the United States, visits to Smithsonian museums and institutions reached nearly 17 million in 2024. These are significant features.

For many institutions, particularly smaller ones, encouraging repeat visits is a challenge. “Most museumgoers tend to visit an exhibit once, maybe twice,” says Nelson Dunk, Hammer & Anvil founder. “If there’s no new content or dynamic programming, visitors might not return. This is where we think VR proves its value. It can refresh exhibit spaces and offer a new dimension of engagement.”

Hammer & Anvil has observed how museums aim to be immersive, which is often applied to any digital installation or interactive touchscreen, but Hammer & Anvil wants the audience to be truly transported into another world. “For us at Hammer & Anvil, immersive should mean complete sensory transport, and we want to take museums to that next level,” Dunk states.

Utilizing extremely high-resolution 360° video, cinema-quality surround sound, and photo-realistic animation, films are a shared experience that transports the audience into a new world. One moment, they can be standing at the foot of a paleontological dig site. Next, they can be floating among the stars orbiting an alien world. For museums, this means providing a sense of awe and wonder that traditional exhibits, no matter how beautiful, can’t replicate.

VR also gives museums the ability to keep content fresh and relevant. Exhibits no longer need to rely on costly renovations or traveling collections to offer something new. With a growing library of virtual experiences, museums can swap out their programming every few months easily. This flexibility can turn a static exhibit space into a rotating portal of discovery. This is valuable, given that more audiences seek novelty and personalization in their experiences.

There’s also a financial incentive. VR opens up a new revenue stream through premium ticketed experiences. Institutions can offer high-quality, limited-run virtual experiences that attract both new and returning visitors instead of investing in large-scale renovations or building new galleries. Thanks to flexible licensing models, even smaller regional museums with tight budgets can now access premium content. The scalability of VR levels the playing field, empowering museums of all sizes to deliver cutting-edge programming.

Museums seeking to adopt VR can rely on Hammer & Anvil. The company boasts of its Advanced Learning Immersive Cinema Experience (ALICE) platform. It’s a fully managed VR theater system. It requires minimal training, runs on a single-button start, and comes with dedicated technical support. “We’re giving museums a way to offer their visitors an incredible experience through a temporary exhibit model, without a long-term investment in technology or capital expenses. We provide extra headsets, replacement services, and remote troubleshooting for the duration of the exhibit, offering a reliable solution and not just a flashy tool,” Dunk remarks.

The company’s commitment to storytelling is at the core of this approach. Hammer & Anvil is filmmaker-led, unlike many in the VR space that focus only on technology. “Our team includes directors, animators, designers, and editors who approach every project with the same narrative care as a feature film. We believe it’s not enough to show visitors something incredible. They need to feel a part of it,” Dunk shares.

This dedication is apparent in the company’s growing VR film library. Whether descending into the ocean’s depths in The Deep Unknown, standing on alien planets in Strange Worlds, or brushing dirt from ancient bones in Unearthing, every experience is built with the intention of giving visitors a shared, immersive journey into a living, breathing world.

It’s not stopping at documentaries. Hammer & Anvil’s upcoming slate includes reenactments, educational narratives, and even biopic-style content. This diversity helps ensure that its partners have access to fresh, engaging experiences that match their mission and audience. With new films released regularly, museums can build programming calendars that evolve with the seasons, trends, or school curricula, keeping visitors engaged year after year.

Ultimately, Hammer & Anvil stands as a trusted partner in storytelling through virtual reality. It works with museums from initial setup to long-term planning to craft meaningful, immersive journeys that spark curiosity and bring education to life. Dunk states: “We understand that for technology to succeed in a museum setting, it has to be more than just impressive. It has to be easy, adaptable, and sustainable.”