Generating a virtual tour for the preservation of the (in)tangible cultural heritage of Tampines Chinese Temple in Singapore

Abstract

There is a growing use of digital and visualisation technologies in the documentation and preservation of cultural heritage sites. Using the Tampines Chinese Temple in Singapore as a case study, this paper presents a detailed methodological framework to create virtual tours for the preservation of both the physical built environment and intangible historical and sociocultural elements within the space of cultural heritage sites. Tangible data used in the creation of the virtual tour produced for the temple comprise spherical images collected via a 360° camera and two-dimensional (2D) high-resolution images obtained via a digital single-lens reflex camera. The tour also showcases intangible aspects of the temples cultural heritage, derived from references made to multiple sources, namely interviews with personnel involved in the management of heritage sites (e.g. the temple secretary) as well as historical archives (e.g. National Archives of Singapore and publications produced by the temple). In so doing, this paper promotes the importance of incorporating intangible elements of cultural heritage sites into a unified interface. This method is advantageous as the relatively low pricing of the chosen software, and the use of a 360° camera and digital single-lens reflex camera enhances accessibility for heritage practitioners and facilitate future applications.