Representation Of Cultural Heritage Research Articles

The symbolic politics of cultural heritage: a view from Portugal

This paper highlights the centrality of the social representation of cultural heritage for the symbolic legitimization of a regime and the foundation of its social and cultural policies. The relevance attributed to history, its codification into heritage and the formation of a collective memory are indeed arenas of social practice, power and hegemony. The Portuguese example is a good one, because one can compare contrasting visions of the authoritarian regime of Salazar and those of the new and current democratic order. We examine how the Portuguese democracy has reconstructed a national consensus regarding the interpretation of national history and identity; we consider the role of the new interpretation in the redefining of the Portuguese placement in the world system; and some conclusions will be tentatively drawn from this case study.  

OPTIMIZATION OF VR APPLICATION IN TEXTURING CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. The research question underlying this short essay refers to the possibility of realizing through a well-established workflow a high level of immersivity in the VR representation of Cultural Heritage to be used as a working tool by architects and renovators as well as heritage scholars. At present active or passive 3D scanning techniques are a known reality where the choice of data acquisition system depends both on the final purpose and characteristics of the object to be surveyed. With the maturity achieved in point cloud acquisition, post processing phases and the development of BIM-based systems, the model has given the possibility to become a repository of information related to the existing, to be used for maintenance or renovation processes. If the model can represent the existing with a certain level of detail, it can be assumed that a differentiated Level of Immersivity can be organized depending on the specific needs it intends to fulfil. In the context of renovation or preservation of Cultural Heritage, the potential offered by VR becomes more interesting when it can provide a realistic portrait not only of the geometry, but also of the materiality and state of preservation of the buildings. This research opens new possibilities to develop tools to aid designers and renovators in degradation analysis, intervention projects, and scheduled maintenance. The research question starts analyzing the possibility of creating photorealistic immersive environments that are easy to access, organized based on surveys of existing heritage buildings using specific datasets.

Individuality and the collective in AI agents: Explorations of shared consciousness and digital homunculi in the metaverse for cultural heritage

<p class="a">The confluence of extended reality (XR) technologies, including augmented and virtual reality, with large language models (LLM) marks a significant advancement in the field of digital humanities, opening uncharted avenues for the representation of cultural heritage within the burgeoning metaverse. This paper undertakes an examination of the potentialities and intricacies of such a convergence, focusing particularly on the creation of digital homunculi or changelings. These virtual beings, remarkable for their sentience and individuality, are also part of a collective consciousness, a notion explored through a thematic comparison in science fiction with the Borg and the Changelings in the Star Trek universe. Such a comparison offers a metaphorical framework for discussing complex phenomena such as shared consciousness and individuality, illuminating their bearing on perceptions of self and awareness. Further, the paper considers the ethical implications of these concepts, including potential loss of individuality and the challenges inherent to accurate representation of historical figures and cultures. The latter necessitates collaboration with cultural experts, underscoring the intersectionality of technological innovation and cultural sensitivity. Ultimately, this chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of integrating large language models with immersive technologies and situates these developments within a nuanced cultural and ethical discourse. By offering a comprehensive overview and proposing clear recommendations, the paper lays the groundwork for future research and development in the application of these technologies within the unique context of cultural heritage representation in the metaverse.</p>

Perception of Digital Restoration and Representation of Cultural Heritage -Focusing on Simulation and Simulacra

Perception of Digital Restoration and Representation of Cultural Heritage -Focusing on Simulation and Simulacra

Development of Immersive Cultural Practices in Ukraine in the Context of Metamodernism (2015-2023)

The article is devoted to the study of the specifics of the formation and development of immersive cultural practices in the modern Ukrainian socio-cultural space in the context of the establishment of metamodernism. Features of immersive practices in modern theater art, video art, exhibition activities, representation of cultural heritage are highlighted. The peculiarities of the development of immersive cultural practices in the Ukrainian socio-cultural space in accordance with the national specificity of the manifestation of metamodernism are revealed. The transformation of the content and form of cultural practices popular in Ukraine (multimedia art exhibitions, installations, exposition activities of art museums, preservation and representation of cultural heritage) through the prism of the phenomenon of immersiveness has been studied.

A Review: How Deep Learning Technology Impacts the Evaluation of Traditional Village Landscapes

Recently, the deep learning technology has been adopted in the study of traditional village landscape. More precisely, it’s usually used to explore the representation of cultural heritage and the diversity of heritage information. In this study, we comprehensively reviewed these deep learning-related literatures for the evaluation of traditional village landscapes. E.g., the landscape image recognition led by the pixel-level semantic segmentation algorithm and image feature extraction technology enable user-centred exploration and make cultural heritage digitally and visually accessible. By suggesting a analytic framework using the pixel-level semantic segmentation algorithm and extracting image features, we attempted to identify the physical attributes and spatial characteristics of traditional village landscapes and further simulate the value perception thinking of experts and the public. Besides, we analysed the impact factors and correlation mechanism of spatial attributes to provide a scientific basis and technical support for the protection and utilization of traditional villages.

Extraction of Event-Related Information from Text for the Representation of Cultural Heritage

In knowledge representation systems for Cultural Heritage (CH) there is a vast amount of curated textual information for CH objects and sites. However, the large-scale study of the accumulated knowledge is difficult as long as it is provided in the form of free text. By extracting the most significant pieces of information from textual descriptions of CH objects and sites and compiling them in a single comprehensive knowledge graph, conforming to a standard would facilitate its exploitation from multiple perspectives including study, presentation and narratives. The method proposed by this research work was to employ Natural Language Processing, and reinforcement learning for semantic knowledge extraction, and a knowledge representation standard of the CH domain for the knowledge graph thus making the extracted knowledge directly compatible with linked open data platforms and CH representation systems.

The ‘national’ imagining of contemporary Taiwan: the representation of cultural heritage from the Japanese colonial era

ABSTRACT This study aims to discuss how the government and society of Taiwan have appropriated the heritage from Japanese colonial rule into the discourse of Taiwanese culture to bolster the national identity of Taiwan. The interconnected theoretical concepts of ‘imagined communities’ and ‘nationalising the past’ ground the analytical framework of this study. With a focus on the ‘selective’ presentations of the colonial heritage in historic Tainan City, this study explores how the official and social discourses have trivialised, reorganised, simplified, and recontextualised the historical intricacies of legacies of the Japanese colonial era through the process of heritagisation. The research results suggest that the meaning of colonial legacies has been shaped and reshaped from being a mark of the dark past and deprivation to constitute a glorious contribution fulfilling the discourse of multi-faceted Taiwanese culture. This case also suggests the possibility for a post-colonial society to extricate itself from a mimicking mentality and to redevelop their culture discourse as a buttress of the national identity.

What do they make us see: a comparative study of cultural bias in online databases of two large museums

PurposeLarge cultural heritage datasets from museum collections tend to be biased and demonstrate omissions that result from a series of decisions at various stages of the collection construction. The purpose of this study is to apply a set of ethical criteria to compare the level of bias of six online databases produced by two major art museums, identifying the most biased and the least biased databases.Design/methodology/approachAt the first stage, the relevant data have been automatically extracted from all six databases and mapped to a unified ontological scheme based on Wikidata. Then, the authors applied ethical criteria to the results of the geographical distribution of records provided by two major art museums as online databases accessed via museums' websites, API datasets and datasets submitted to Wikidata.FindingsThe authors show that the museums use different artworks in each of its online databases and each data-base has different types of bias reflected by the study variables, such as artworks' country of origin or the creator's nationality. For most variables, the database behind the online search system on the museum's website is more balanced and ethical than the API dataset and Wikidata databases of the two museums.Originality/valueBy applying ethical criteria to the analysis of cultural bias in various museum databases aimed at different audiences including end users, researchers and commercial institutions, this paper shows the importance of explicating bias and maintaining integrity in cultural heritage representation through different channels that potentially have high impact on how culture is perceived, disseminated, contextualized and transformed.

РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЯ КУЛЬТУРНОГО НАСЛЕДИЯ: СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ПОДХОДЫ

Based on extensive research material, the article reveals topical issues, modern approaches to the concept of cultural heritage representation. The ways of managing cultural heritage are considered, since the representation of cultural heritage, the choice of ways of this representation are part of the management of cultural heritage. In the modern era, one of the first places is the use of digital technologies for the representation of cultural heritage. And here a number of problems arise, including those of a legal and even political nature. For example, post-colonial discourse addresses the need for access to digitization of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples. For the Russian Federation, where 40 indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East live, the issue of digitizing their tangible, intangible cultural and natural heritage is of particular importance.

Rethinking culture and creativity in the digital transformation

ABSTRACT The relationship between culture and economy is facing a new phase based on an increasing connection between culture, creativity and technological innovation. A New Era is beginning where cultural organisations may face different challenges that emerged from the diffusion of digital technology. The digital revolution has pervaded and transformed not only various industrial sectors, but the whole of society. The most evident consequences are in terms of new forms of representation of cultural heritage, growing creative capacity and new market niches. This edited collection seeks to enlarge this debate with the aim of offering a wide discussion of topics related to the role of new technologies and innovation for cultural and creative sectors and organisations. In particular, the objective is twofold: (a) understanding new dynamics generated by digital transformation and how they may affect the cultural and creative industries and organisations; (b) identifying the new challenges in the development of new trajectories for cultural and creative sectors in the Digital Era.

Improved Interaction of BIM Models for Historic Buildings with a Game Engine Platform

For the purpose of the conservation and representation of cultural heritage, the development of a visual interactive environment to provide an integrated application suitable for collecting a wide range of big data information from historic blocks is regarded as an effective solution. In this study, the existing modeling of wooden building information is imported into a game engine as a practical study for the design of a user-friendly interactive interface design, a Unity integration platform is built, a Revit external application is developed, and cloud services architecture is set to solve the transmission and integration of information models between different platforms. In addition to strengthening the future application of historic building information modeling, this visual information-based interactive environment can help enhance communication and subsequent management of repairs, and bring opportunities for sustainable management and diversified applications to the research field of historic building restoration.

Traditional Folklore: Representation Issues

The article examines the traditional folklore as an area of intangible cultural heritage. The characteristic of traditional folklore as the core of traditional culture is given, its signs and functions are revealed. The main spheres are highlighted – cultural and leisure and educational, within which the representation of traditional folklore is carried out. The importance of using virtual communication as one of the forms of representation of cultural heritage, in particular traditional folklore, under modern conditions is emphasized.

Digital Representation of Cultural Heritage and Coffee Culture by Chinese Indonesian And Malaysian Coffee Brands

Coffee is called Kopi in both Indonesia and Malaysia. It was said to be introduced to these two countries during the period of colonisation. Various studies (i.e., Robelt McStocker, 1987; Jeff Neilson & Felicity Shonk, 2014; Cheryl Chang & Ian McGonigle, 2020) have discussed the coffee industries, coffee consumption and political economy of livelihood opportunities in these coffee-producing regions. In her book titled, "Coffee Culture: Local Experiences, Global Connections", Tucker (2010) asserts that "coffee is a material substance, but culture infuses with social and symbolic meanings" (p. 6). Both Indonesia and Malaysia demonstrate their own patterns of appreciation on coffee culture and cultural heritage in digital formats in a modern setting. According to Jambunathan (2019), upward mobility in coffee-business families in these regions is playing a role, as well-educated younger generations have successfully propelled new technique and advance application on numerous aspects of coffee business. Keywords: Website Communication, Coffee Culture, Cultural Heritage, Indonesia, Malaysia

Dramatising Cultural Diversity: Youth Theatre as a Performance of Local Memory and Identity in a Multiethnic Environment

Abstract This article presents a comparative analysis of two ethnographic case studies conducted in local theatres in the Slovak town of Komárno and the British city of Coventry. These two locations are very different – one is a small town on the Slovak-Hungarian border and the other an urban centre in the Midlands region of Britain – and yet they are both characterised by the multiethnic and culturally diverse composition of their populations. The two youth theatres in question are also distinct in their genres: one bases its performances on folklore traditions, whereas the other is an avant-garde physical theatre. At the same time, the productions of both groups manifest a deep involvement in the representation of cultural heritage and the current social issues in their respective locations. Drawing on anthropological conceptualisations of theatre as a form of ritualised performance (see Turner, 1969, 1982; Schechner, 1985, 1993), this paper explores the processes and contexts of the enactment of past conflict and/or violence presented by the two theatrical groups in order to engage with traumatic events in local (and national) history. These processes, which embrace the values of cultural diversity and inclusion, are important for the construction of community identities. The liminality of ritualised performance enables actors and audiences to cross social (including ethnicity and class) and temporal boundaries. They reproduce memories of past violence to make sense of present tensions, such as growing nationalism and xenophobia, and to project their vision of the communal future. This often results in the contestation of the very meaning of place, community and belonging. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that such artistic interpretations of the local past and heritage are instrumental in shaping the identities of the participating youth. The comparison of the two cases also reveals noticeable differences between cosmopolitan and ethno-cultural discourses, which are prevalent in imagining the place, history and heritage of Coventry and Komárno respectively.

METHODS OF DIGITIZATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE. THE CASE STUDY OF THE TERME DI DIOCLEZIANO

Abstract. The city of Rome looks like a succession of stratifications that have led to the formation of an architectural panorama that is unique in the world. The different eras and architectural styles that have defined the city in the two millennia of history make each of its parts unique. The punctual, areal and linear archaeological complexes unequivocally define the fabric of the city. The research investigates the theme of the analysis and representation of cultural heritage. It focuses on urban coexistences, not valued or in need of a new approach that modifies the way in which we relate. The research focuses on the way in which monumental archeologies interact with the contemporary urban fabric. The case study taken into consideration, to understand the archaeological survey methodologies for the digitization of cultural heritage, is the monumental complex of the Terme di Diocleziano in Rome. The ultimate goal is therefore to define an integrated survey methodology through which it is possible to set up a digital development work for archeologies. A development that is not limited to the two-dimensional representation of architecture but also three-dimensional, and informative at the model and geographic systems level.

Heritage preservation in the post-digital era: How much information is enough?

Digital media have revolutionized the practice of scholarship from archives to the creation of content. Continuing into the next decades, the application of digital technologies will remain a pivotal component to cultural heritage research-creation projects. Heritage preservation by means of virtual heritage or digital heritage broadly refers to the use and application of computational tools and methods to humanist fields of study. It embraces a transdisciplinary approach to inspire new research initiatives, while at the same time employing digital media technologies for content creation and sharing across the public space. This article provides an overview of the information design process applied to the digital preservation and re-presentation of cultural heritage. It employs principles of digital heritage to create a matrix of cultural heritage content within the themes of legacy, transmission and transformation. The intangible nature of world heritage is of increasing concern. How that can be preserved and how it becomes sampled and preserved in digital archives for the future are key questions, originating from the inquiry – How much information is enough? This article endeavours to illuminate that question though an exemplar research-creation project, showcasing the materiality of the digital, its embodiment, agency and the resulting impact on the audiences it seeks to inform.

Is a Dialogue of Cultures Possible in the Era of Globalization and Digitalization?

The article presents an analysis of the materials of the International Scientific Conference “Dialogue of Cultures in the Era of Globalization and Digitalization” held in Yekaterinburg on the basis of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin. The conference was attended by representatives of universities and cultural institutions of five countries: the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, Hungary, the Republic of India, and the People’s Republic of China. The Russian Federation was represented by both the Central District and the regions of the Far East, Siberia and the Urals, as well as a number of autonomous republics: Buryatia, Mordovia, Sakha-Yakutia, and the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. The number of conference participants, despite the difficult situation of the pandemic in which we all found ourselves, was indicative — 78 people, including 38 doctors of science and 25 candidates of science representing various humanities disciplines, ten university teachers, three postgraduate students and two independent participants.The conference materials were divided into four sections in accordance with the statement of scientific problems: 1. “Sociocultural Issues and State Cultural Policy in the Era of Globalization”, 2. “Issues of Preservation and Representation of Cultural Heritage of Different Peoples”, 3. “The Internet as a Space for Dialogue and Polylogue of Cultures. New Media Technologies”, 4. “Education and Creativity in the Era of the Digital Revolution”. The conference was attended by many famous scientists — representatives of the humanities of leading Russian universities.All the materials and speeches of the scientific conference show that it resulted in proof that only culture and intercultural dialogue in the era of chaos and contradictions of the globalized world can neutralize international conflicts and lead the world to harmony and mutual understanding.

A Malaysian cultural heritage digital compendium

In this paper, we present a case study/overview related to the exhibition of our cultural heritage projects at the Digital Heritage Congress 2018 (DH, 2018) in San Francisco, USA. The authors provide highlights of the information design process applied to the preservation and re-presentation of cultural heritage via digital media. This exhibition presented a collection of the research-creation work carried by the Centre for Research Creation (CRCDM) at Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It focused on disappearing indigenous tangible and intangible heritage as well as an approach for the use of digital media to build new forms of user experience and raise awareness. Visitors encountered a variety of immersive content comprising unique exemplars of Malaysian cultural heritage, storytelling and craft traditions.

INTEGRATED SURVEY FOR TENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE VAULT OF THE CHURCH OF SAN NICOLA IN MONTEDORO

Abstract. This paper presents some of the results obtained from the integrated use of 3D surveying techniques and illustrates some types of analysis and graphic representations that can be conducted and reproduced. The case study concerns the church of San Nicola in Montedoro that is one of the oldest in the city of Martina Franca in the province of Taranto (Italy) and presumably dates back to the fourteenth century. The work consists of a survey with different integrated methodologies, the creation of thematic tables all in order to allow a structural analysis.The contribution shows how this approach is not intended for a single case study, but starting from it can be extended to other contexts that present similar criticality and potential, often recurrent in the field of the survey and representation of cultural heritage.