SUP Heritage

Global impact 2 Book of Articles Heritage

Contents

Introduction 6 Fact Sheet 7

Local Actions 9

San Bartolo-Xultun Regional Archaeological Project 10 All about local museums: EU-LAC-MUSEUMS 12

Be.CULTOUR: sustainable local tourism and more! 14 HUB-IN, a sustainable way to protect historic urban areas 16 CC Community-Driven Heritage Initiatives 18 Conserve & Manage 19

Values in Heritage Management: 20 Emerging Approaches and Research Directions20 Keeping It Modern, conserving modern heritage 22 Concrete heritage: conservation with CONSECH20 24

ICCROM webinar Heritage Building Information Modeling 26 Effective marble conservation: HAP4MARBLE project 28 IPERION HS 30

Toolkit 32

RE-ORG organise your collections’ storage! 33 Dowload the free Marketing Guide by Museum Next 34 ICOM’s advice for museum day 2022 35 New: Museums and Heritage Student Volunteering Toolkit 36 PANORAMA-Nature and Culture 38 Protecting heritage in conflict 39

Education 41

PITCHER Preventing Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage 42 Teaching with Europeana 44 What it is and Why we love it 44

Play and learn with Art- Tate 46

I DIG Dinosaurs: Wyoming Dinosaur Center 48

Digital learning in the pandemic, cultural heritage resources 50 by and for educators 50 EuroClio: learn and teach history and heritage 53

Digital& Tech 54

Archaeogaming: Video Games as Archaeological Sites 55 Virtual Heritage: A Guide 58

Digital Heritage Hub 61

Built with Bits 2, Brussels: Creating Virtual Spaces 63 Archaeoinformatics 64 Cultural Relations in the New Normal 65

an informative handbook 65

A playful talk series: Animal Crossing: New Digital Humanities 68 Your Next Podcast Binge: Peopling the Past 70

MetoDHology: a resource you need! 71 Japanese Association for Digital Humanities 72 DOORS (Digital incubatOr fOR muSeums) 73

Curating: NFTs 74

Towards a National Collection: 77 massive digital access to heritage 77 Digital Collections Audit and audiences 80

Experience a cultural memory: MEMEX APP 81 Immersive Storytelling: a project to follow 83 Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments 85 Documenting Architectonic Heritage in Conflict Areas 87

The case of Saint Marina 87

Periegesis: Pausanias’s works going digital 90 Constructing the Sacred: 92 Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara 92 A museum you can visit today: Museum of Contemporary Emotions 94

Well-being 95

Archaeology as Therapy 96 Heritage, Health and Wellbeing Report 101 Museums, museum professionals and Covid-19: 3 ICOM report 103 Report Culture in Crisis 104 impacts of Covid-19 on the UK cultural sector and where we go from here 104

TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure 106

Exhibition Reviews 107

Review: Vision & Virtuosity 108

Review: POWER UP 112

Review: Van Gogh: Self-Portraits 114

Review: Francis Bacon: Man and Beast 117

Review: Eternalising Art History: From Da Vinci to Modigliani 120

Review: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms 123

Review: Home Galleries and Rooms Through Time 126 Exhibition Review: The Making of Rodin 130

Explore! 134

Visit and learn from Rab Archeological (T)races 135

Discover 111 Places: Guidebooks 137

Explore religious heritage: Religiana 138 Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen 140

Explore the museum world form inside 140

7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe 142

2022 World Monuments Watch 143

I want to learn more 144

Webinar: 3D reconstructions for story-telling and understanding 145

CC Global Summit 2021 147

GLAMers: Digital transformation through youth participation 148

Letters to a Young Archaeologist 149

Our favourite talks: Museums, Games & Play Summit 150

Have you digitised your collection yet? 152

The World in Florence 153

1st International Festival of World’s Cultural Expressions 153

ICOMOS Culture-Nature Prize 155

The Best in Heritage Conference 156

Online Forum: Integrated Approaches to the Dissonant Heritage in Europe 157

Conference against the trafficking of cultural property at the Louvre 158

Decolonising Museum’s Websites: Event 159 Climate.Culture.Peace conference 160

Post-Pandemic Hiring In The Art World - Art Evolve 162

Fire risk mitigation- ICCROM workshop 163

Webinar: Rethinking Textile Conservation 164 ICCROM Lecture Series 164

Notes

•

As a heritage asset has a multidimensional definition, we will refer to a heritage place/object/document/intangible etc. simply as heritage.

•

•

The design stays true to the page’s theme and presentation.

“I want to learn more” is a segment at each article’s end that features additional and helpful resources.

• The document is available for digital and print publications, with slight adjustments to fit each format.

Open Access July 2022

Designed and Edited by Athina Gkouma

Free publication no earnings are made of images or print verion sales

Introduction

The second annual edition of articles posted by Local Approach.

The book offers a curated presentation of our 2021-2022 content to create an easier format for our readers while serving as our private encyclopedia.

Articles are organised into areas of interest, available primarily digitally with the option of purchasing an adapted print version at cost. The book will be on early release for Patrons during the summer and available on Academia and Issu in the fall 2022. Our first publication How to Heritage is readily available in those outlets.

Our Book 1

How to heritage is a curated selection of the articles published throughout the 1st year of Local Approach,2020-2021.Serving as an introductory guide to heritage management and information on the cultural sector’s development for all.

The book was conceived as an anniversary gift for our patrons for their continuous support.

The articles are grouped into sections according to their themes that help bring the page’s content into context. We emphasise participatory approaches for professionals and communities to work and protect heritage together.

The book is available in print and digital formats.

Read online or dowload on Academia

Authors

Athina Gkouma

Owner

Based in France, Heritage management Consultant and Artist.

Anastasia

Papaonisiforou

A London based exhibitions expert with an MA in Curating and Collections and a background in Fine Arts.

Fact Sheet

Heritage Management

Who We Are

Local Approach is a Patreon page run by a group of professionals in heritage and culture This space offers help and advice on cultural heritage management for passionate individuals and local communities seeking to protect their cultural treasures. The page launched on July 2020 through the Patreon platform and continues today. Winner of 2022 Coup de Coeur du Public du Prix Innovation du Club Culture et Management.

Articles

More than 200 articles published!

We write articles in lay English on several topics around heritage, such as digital and artificial intelligence, projects, participatory archaeology, papers, webinars, guides and many more. Meant to help and learn how to self-manage cultural assets for professionals and individuals.

Monthly Memberships

Support our work! €3

Help us continue posting about heritage, get one week early access to our posts.

Save the Day €10

Help us continue to research, join our Discord community and keep this community growing, get early access to all content and a print copy of our annual book!

Let’s talk about your heritage! €16.50 Introduction to discuss on discord your needs for a plan to manage your or your community’s heritage asset.

Help me plan €50 We offer to discuss your heritage needs, and create a short proposal based on preliminary research for the management plan.

Research me this €250 Do you have a project on art, culture or heritage? Do you need help? We can do the research according to your needs!

Local Actions

San Bartolo-Xultun Regional Archaeological Project

The project began in 2001 with the discovery of murals that attracted new interest in the region with their research documentation and conservation.

San Bartolo-Xultun Regional Archaeological Project (PRASBX) is an exciting project in Guatemala involving archaeology, art conservation and environmental initiatives with the local community.

The project investigates two sites largely reclaimed by the tropical forest; San Bartolo, 4th century BCE with the earliest Maya writing evidence and Xultun, a vital city during the 5th-9th centuries CE.

Currently, the investigation expanded to anthropogenic impacts on local ecology. The archaeological research continues with ceramic analysis, radiocarbon dating effort and lidar data.

Conservation includes environmental and condition monitoring of underground murals and stucco friezes, “initiatives span in situ artworks and architecture, as well as SBX materials at the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología (MUNAE), Guatemala. “

©PRASBX

The nearby communities are very involved with the project with initiatives “ pandemic relief, accessible educational materials on SBX, and a long-term site management plan.”

Our take

You can learn more about the project through their resources page!

The project covers all aspects of modern and innovative archaeology and conservation, ensuring participatory approaches and considering environmental impact factors. The site and murals are marvellous, as is the project in itself, being indeed a benchmark for heritage management projects.

I want to learn more:

San Bartolo-Xultun (SBX)

Areas of Research

Project History

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All about local museums: EU-LAC-MUSEUMS

EU-LAC-MUSEUMS is a research project on small museums and their communities from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to map their practices and help preserve their tangible and intangible heritage.

The project offers local and community museums practical information and tools on sustainability, communication and storytelling, technology, inclusion, education.

Small museums often lack the resources to keep up in comparison to larger institutions especially, on financial and environmental sustainability, adapting to digital and technological demands that affect their relationship with visitors and their community engagement.

EU-LAC-MUSEUMS provides a collaborative space for small museums to share their local stories and heritage and learn the best practices available for them through a variety of resources. Notably, the project has webinars, virtual tours and a web portal that collects data as :

• “Iconic objects identified as representing each community (community icons)

• Legends and folk tales

• Family albums

• Testimonials (life cycles, identity values, etc.

• Migratory movements

• Social development and archaeological community landmarks

• Community and sustainable museums: paradigmatic examples”

Furthermore, several guiding documents are available on their website, here are our must-read recommendations:

Strategic Planning and Comprehensive Management Model of Cultural Heritage. Implementation in Territory Museums [EN]

Manual on creating 3D objects for community museum use

Practical guide “On Community and Sustainable Museums” containing Bibliography on Ecomuseums, Community-Based Museology, Heritage Management & Sustainable Tourism

Our take

EU-LAC-MUSEUMS is truly an exemplary initiative. Local museums safeguard the stories and heritage that establish the identity of individuals and their communities. The project creates an international support system that preserves heritage and offers much-needed resources.

I want to learn more: Resources

Community Museology and Sustainability Timeline

Conceptual model

EU-LAC-MUSEUMS

ICOM-Discover the world of small, local museums and their communities in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean

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Be.CULTOUR: sustainable local tourism and more!

Circular Cultural Tourism in this project describes a model for sustainable and equitable regional development.

Beyond CULtural TOURism is a European programme aiming “towards a human-centred and circular tourism economy” surrounding cultural heritage and landscapes.

For this achievement, the project targets underused and lesser-known cultural assets at the same time decreasing the over-tourism in other sites through the reduction of resource consumption and promotion of green strategies.

The project emphasises local community empowerment in addressing these issues and strengthening the benefits of cultural heritage promotion as well-being, identity and diversity.

The project has six objectives, market impact assessment at a local, regional and national level, creating six pilot ecosystems sharing knowledge and using the project’s methodology and tools, resulting in 6 Action Plans for sustainable and circular tourism with “Heritage innovation networks”. Development and testing of prototype human-centred and placespecific innovations for the pilot sites, creating policies for the use of EU funds supporting cultural tourism. The project will contribute to cultural Europeanisation through educational and promotional activities in the pilot sites.

Be.CULTOUR identified areas of impact in cultural sectors as:

• Rural Co-Living: authentic rural experiences in villages and participation in traditional activities such as agriculture and landscape maintenance.

• Sensorial Heritage Experience: learning local intangible heritage with educational activities based on the five senses.

• Contemporary Meanings Of Heritage: generating emotional experiences for the community and locals with gamification and virtual travel experience.

Spiritual Travel Experience: revolving around religious heritage and its promotion with “pilgrimage routes, spiritual retreats, and other diverse ways”.

Nature As Heritage: natural heritage experiences as astro-tourism and highlighting natural biodiversity.

Industrial Heritage Experience: promoting industrial and contemporary heritage sites.

Transformative Travel: educational activities centred around selfimprovement.

Remote Working Destinations: engaging remote workers in new destinations supporting the local economy.

Proximity Travel: promoting local travel close to one’s domain.

“ Post-Cultural Tourism”: embracing visitors as temporary residents in active cultural and artistic places.

The project’s innovation areas provide fruitful ideas for local tourism development and can instigate new initiatives for areas, which can help boost cultural heritage sites and support the local economy in a sustainable way. The communities of practice within the project are:

• Aragon, Spain

• Basilicata, Italy

• Larnaca, Cyprus

• Västra Götaland, Sweden

• Vojvodina, Serbia

• Romania-Moldova, Cross-Border Region

I want to learn more:

Be.CULTOUR

Results

Community of Interest

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HUB-IN, a sustainable way to protect historic urban areas

HUB-IN, Hub of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is an EU funded project focusing on preserving and transforming historic urban areas (HUA) through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Watch HUB-IN: Hubs of Innovation & Entrepreneurship for the transformation of Historic Urban Areas 2-minute video about the project.

The project considers socioeconomic needs and protects parts or the entirety of a city with intact authenticity and integrity of architectural, historic and monumental value.

Building sustainable business and financing models with the local community for the conservation of cultural heritage.

Starting with 8 pilot cities the project studied 40 cases from 17 European countries.

Outcomes

HUB-IN has produced several interesting and useful publications you can read in Library as HUB-IN “Current Landscapes” Report.

HUB-IN Geo Tool is an interactive resources tool, based on the project’s case studies, to explore historic urban areas, its’ first draft is available here. Cities include:

• Belfast

• Brasov

• Genoa

• Grand Angouleme

• Lisbon

• Nicosia

• Slovenska Bistrica

• Utrecht

In February 2022, HUB-IN Atlas comes to fruition where users can access good practices and insights into “fields of governance, finance and social innovation.”

Our take

HUB-IN not only plays an active role in preserving historic areas but, also, develops and offers tools to local communities to take an active role in the protection of cultural heritage. Their publications offer insights into entrepreneurship and financial sustainability making benchmark models available to everyone.

I want to learn more:

Hub-in

HUB-IN Leaflet

HUB-IN Geo Tool

HUB-IN Framework Overview

HUB-IN- Heritage Tribune

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HUB-IN, a sustainable way to protect historic urban areas

CC Community-Driven Heritage Initiatives

CC Community-Driven Heritage Initiatives

They offer the following definition:

“Community-driven heritage initiatives are defined as collective projects where community members meaningfully contribute to a heritage-related common cause which promotes the interests of the community and/or the greater public.”

Working Group is a 2022 project by the Creative Commons to identify how these initiatives to benefit CC and the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums).

To this end, the working group launched a survey for digital projects and tools to create a best practice and common problems report from the collected data published on the CC platform and host a webinar.

Our take Creative Commons has launched several projects supporting GLAMs and cultural heritage, adding it as a point to their annual summit.

This initiative will bring to light worldwide participatory heritage practices in the digital domain, which will give incentive to communities to create, protect and promote their heritage with access to digital tools and best practices. Moreover, the working group will bring global visibility to community heritage projects cementing participatory heritage management as a practice. Local Approach, at our core, advocates for community-driven heritage and cannot wait for the report’s release.

I want to learn more:

Can you share a digital heritage project (or tool) that involves community members?

CC Community-Driven Heritage Initiatives Working Group

Creative Commons

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Values in Heritage Management: Emerging Approaches and Research Directions

Values in Heritage Management: Emerging Approaches and Research Directions is an open-access publication in Getty’s Virtual Library reviewing values-based methods in conservation. The publication addresses values in heritage policy and practices, related challenges, and critical areas for developing new approaches.

Values-based management, in essence, is identifying a monument’s values and finding appropriate management and conservation practices accordingly. To learn more, you can read our article DIY Values Analysis

The publication sites several policies defining the field and understanding the nature and importance of values, participatory processes, social outcomes and underlying problems.

Beyond covering the theoretical background of heritage values, the publication offers perspectives from the field and different cultural settings, notably with inputs from the UK, China, Arabic-Islamic Traditions and indigenous views. Furthermore, it analyses values in dark heritage, natural heritage conservation and heritage economics.

Our take

At Local Approach, we believe that values-based approaches are the key to unlocking the potential of heritage and leading to participatory practices with stakeholders and the community through mapping. Values in Heritage Management gives a comprehensive outlook of how values work in heritage management and the supporting theoretical background. We recommend adding it to your reading list and toolkit.

I want to learn more:

Values in Heritage Management: Emerging Approaches and Research Directions - Edited by Erica Avrami, Randall Mason, Susan Macdonald, and David Myers

Our related articles

DIY Values Analysis

Place or Space: The site and the great outdoors Participatory mapping in heritage Public Archaeology: our way to go Participatory Archaeology: common roadblocks

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Values in Heritage Management:

Keeping It Modern, conserving modern heritage

“Keeping It Modern,” is an international Grant by the Getty Foundation that supports projects contributing to the conservation of modern architecture. Modern architecture encompasses structures like the iconic Sydney Opera House and several influential structures of the 20th century.

Since 2014 77 projects in 40 countries were supported, with the final awarded in 2020, the projects promote the protection and conservation of twentieth-century architecture. The technical reports are freely available through the Keeping It Modern Report Library.

Modern architectural heritage is at risk as innovative and cutting edge materials and practices were used to bring them to life, however, heritage professionals lack the data and research for their conservation.

The supported projects merit outstanding architectural significance and contribute to conservation. Through the grants management plans, maintenance and long term conservation are examined and made available. The projects and reports serve as benchmarks for similar initiatives around the world and expand heritage as we know it.

The Getty Art and Ideas podcast recently released the “Protecting Modernist Architecture for Generations to Come” podcast with Antoine Wilmering, senior program officer at the Getty Foundation, discussing the importance and ongoing impact of Keeping It Modern. You can listen to the podcast and learn more about the project and the effort to protect modern architecture.

Our take

Heritage is not static but rather evolving in tangible and intangible ways. The needs and philosophy of society are captured through the architecture of the time. Keeping it Modern sets the groundwork to take action and protect modern heritage but also to look with a fresh perspective what is the meaning of heritage.

Concrete heritage: conservation with CONSECH20

Concrete heritage does not share the same recognition and conservation as other tangible heritage. While several concrete monuments exist, their significance lies in architectural or historical values. Rarely, if ever, you will hear the words uttered: “I need a little culture, some nice concrete building neighbourhood will do the trick”.

Concrete defined life for the better part of the 20th century mainly due to its material properties. On the one hand, artists and architects used concrete to push forward the discipline. Its easy use prompted the construction of numerous social projects worldwide, as affordable housing or recreation.

In effect, outside of aesthetics, concrete structures document their inhabitants’ needs at the time.

The project progresses with case studies from Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the Netherlands working on policy, monitoring and keeping public engagement at the heart of the project.

The policies in development focus on participative management strategies and conservation proposals to ensure community engagement in future projects on concrete heritage protection. Furthermore, the project works on “an Atlas of standardized terminology of deterioration patterns and promotes the use of Monument Diagnosis and Conservation System (MDCS), an interactive support tool for the inventory and monitoring of damage to a monumental building.”

Public involvement carries on with an interactive platform inviting the audience to contribute photographs, information and other forms of documentation. The platform will be open access meaning all collected data, therefore, have an open-access GIS form connected to European modern architecture databases.

Our Take

Concrete played a defining role in our history and art, for better or worse, it is a part of our heritage. Whether out of necessity or aesthetic choice, concrete buildings is a shared feature of cities internationally and their conservation should see more recognition.

Heritage, no matter its materiality, is the embodiment of our identity and society, therefore deserving equal care.

I want to learn more:

CONSECH20

CONSECH20: CONSErvation of 20th-century concrete cultural Heritage in urban changing environments

Sophia and CONSECH20

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ICCROM webinar Heritage Building Information Modeling

Heritage Building Information Modeling webinar hosted by ICCROM on 23 June 2022 aims to popularise the use of Building Information Modeling for conservation in historic and heritage buildings. The webinar offers a panel of international experts conveying a holistic view of the practices implemented worldwide.

Heritage Building Information Modeling is the adaptation of Building Information Modeling used in architecture for heritage management and conservation. Building Information Modeling (BIM) improves the design and construction of buildings through the creation of a 3D model holding various data and information. The model is not stagnant and develops along with the project offering insights into computational design, energy analysis, environmental impact analysis, light and daylight analysis, material costs, ER and AR and more. BIM provides a visual presentation of physical buildings while sharing information with collaborators thus speeding up the decision-making process and design.

BIM utilises the results of laser scanning and photogrammetry of heritage buildings producing engineering drawings, 3D models and automated documentation.

Heritage BIM (HBIM) is gaining more and more ground in recent years with applications in the restoration and reuse of buildings. Historic and heritage buildings comprise a variety of structures and designs, each representing vallues and the societal needs at the time. Their conservation is an intricate process with plenty of considerations, which do not apply to contemporary building design and materials. The global efforts for sustainable and green heritage further make the case for HBIM when retrofitting a building.

Our Take

HBIM is an extremely useful practice for heritage conservation its use, however is limited in the global spectrum. ICCROM’s webinar will introduce more heritage managers into the practice and hopefully inspire HBIM use in future projects.

I want to learn more:

ICCROM Watch the webinar recording - Heritage Building Information Modeling : A tool for conservation, management and recovery

BIM4Heritage

Integrating HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling) Tools in the Application of Sustainable Retrofitting of Heritage Buildings in Egypt by Laila M.Khodeir,Dalia Aly, Shaimaa Tarek.

Heritage Building Information Modelling .- Edited by Yusuf Arayici, John Counsell, Lamine Mahdjoubi, Gehan Nagy, Soheir Hawas, Khaled Dweidar

Building Information Modeling and Heritage Documentation by Stephen Fai, Katie Graham, Todd Duckworth, Nevil Wood, Ramtin Attar

A Scan-to-BIM Methodology Applied to Heritage Buildings by Gustavo Rocha, Luís Mateus, Jorge Fernández and Victor Ferreira

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Effective marble conservation: HAP4MARBLE project

The prevention of marble degradation and available treatments were limited in terms of efficacy, compatibility and durability. Some of the main threats are sugaring, soiling, dissolution and bowing that this treatment tackles.

HAP4MARBLE was a research conservation project, concluded in 2018, developing a new treatment for marble artworks. Marble, as monumental and permanent as it appears, in reality, suffers from high degradation from the environment magnified by climate change.

The project synthesised an invisible HAP(hydroxyapatite) coat, which protects against weathering processes.

HAP4MARBLE project

Multi-functionalization of hydroxyapatite for restoration and preventive conservation of marble artworks. (2015-2018)

HAP, hydroxyapatite, is a calcium phosphate, the main component of human teeth and bones less soluble than marble. The biometric treatment is crack and pore-free, maintaining self-cleaning over an extended period. Application on the marble’s surface prevents dissolution and heat damage.

A research fellowship funded by the EU in collaboration with Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, University of Bologna, Princeton University and the University of Göttingen. The international multidisciplinary collaboration merged materials science, biomaterials, micro-mechanics and petrophysics with cultural heritage conservation. Dr Enrico Sassoni was the beneficiary of the fellowship conducting training through research. Furthermore, the research accompanied several Outreach Activities promoting heritage conservation and science.

ILUCIDARE Special Prizes 2021 shortlisted the project in June..ILUCIDARE is a European project aiming at heritage innovation and diplomacy under Horizon 2020 for three years. Partners mainly form Europe with a shared vision work to reward best practices and promote their aims within the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards

Our take

HAP4MARBLE is a fantastic and encompassing conservation initiative. The treatment itself has started to be actively applied across Italy hopefully, more people will learn about it. Moreover, the research project itself serves as a great learning environment example, covering different fields and countries resulting, evidently, in innovative and vital heritage tools.

I want to learn more:

HAP4MARBLE

Invisible coating to protect Europe’s priceless marble artworks

Research Activity

ILUCIDARE Special Prizes 2021: 9 projects in heritage-led innovation and international relations shortlisted

International network for Leveraging sUccessful Cultural heritage Innovations and Diplomacy, cApacity building and awaREness raising

ILUCIDARE project on heritage-led innovation and diplomacy kicks-off in Leuven

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IPERION HS

IPERION HS is a European project on sustainable heritage science offering “instruments, methodologies, data and tools for advancing knowledge and innovation” with a network of interdisciplinary researchers.

Within IPERION, professionals gain access to service platforms ARCHLAB, FIXLAB and MOLAB.

IPERION HS and hosting benchmark proposals submitted to them. To access the platforms, one must create an account and browse their comprehensive catalogue.

ARCHLAB: data from European museums in multiple formats and “reference materials, analytical data and conservation documentation.”

FIXLAB: offers access to heritage immovable science facilities.

MOLAB: gives access to mobile equipment for measurements, investigations and multi-modal diagnostic projects.

IPERION HS offers a Heritage Science Journal with open contributions. Their publications are open access through openAIRE and zenodo. Proposals are submitted through several calls with the 5th call April 30th, 2022 – September 30th, 2022 and 6th call October 1st, 2022 –February 28th, 2023.

Our take

IPERION HS offers access to resources and technological services that bridge heritage manage and sciences. Their platform allows users to use equipment and tools that can make a difference in their practice. These are especially useful for conservation projects as FIXLAB provides a comprehensive materials analysis.

Toolkit

RE-ORG organise your collections’ storage!

RE-ORG Method helps museums and collections reorganise their storage rooms in creative and safe ways, helping especially those at risk. Offered by ICCROM.

The method includes the following tools taking you step by step through the process:

• Self-evaluation tool - EN

• Workbook -EN

• Worksheets - EN

• Additional resources - EN

The method is used by the CollAsia programme an educational programme for heritage professionals in Southeast Asia. During the Pandemic, ICCROM launched I nternational Course on the Reorganization of Collections Storage in Museums of Southeast Asia an online course that run in 2021 with 10 museums developing their RE-ORG projects.

Our take

RE-ORG is a vital tool for museums as the artefacts on display is only a small part of the collection most of which are in storage. Given the challenges of the pandemic and climate change, the method is a powerful and accessible resource that can help several collections continue to safegaurd heritage.

I want to learn more:

RE-ORG

Method

RE-ORG Fundamentals: Introduction to the RE-ORG Method Video

The CollAsia programme

Improving museum storage in Southeast Asia

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Dowload the free Marketing Guide by Museum Next

Museum Next just released their thorough guide on marketing for museums. “The complete guide to Digital and Marketing tools” written by Devon Turner spans 156 pages in a conscience and easy manner that will help improve your approach to marketing !

Click the link and register to get the guide in you email. Since we cannot spoil the contents here or offer an overview here are some of the things you will find:

• Audience and Content Planning

• Social Media

• Website

• Driving Traffic

• Tools

• Branding

• Examples

We especially found useful the suggestions for mailing, analytics and platforms available and highly recommend you add it to your toolkit!

Marketing is one of the essential parts of running any type of organisation, as it promotes its missions, values and ways to communicate with your audience. Museums and entities for impact aims are for and with their community, reaching and communicating with them is necessary and therefore a good marketing strategy is a must for success!

I want to learn more:

Dowload the free Marketing Guide by Museum Next

New to marketing? Why not start with our article Marketing outline; essential for heritage management

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ICOM’s advice for museum day 2022

Museum day is coming on 18 May, this year ICOM shares a communications kit to help all museums participate and celebrate!

ICOM also hosts the interactive Official International Museum Day Map where Museums can register their events. Museums can participate by filling out the OpenAgenda . This year the map allows to register an event under a subtheme that could bring positive change to the community with:

The power of innovation in digitisation and accessibility The power of sustainability

The power of community building through education

I want to learn more:

Communications Kit

How to participate in International Museum Day 2022

Is your museum organising a special event for International Museum Day?

Register it on our interactive map to join thousands of museums worldwide in unleashing the power of museums!

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New: Museums and Heritage Student Volunteering Toolkit

Museums and Heritage Student Volunteering Toolkit, published 25 August 2021 by GEM , is a comprehensive guide written by Holly Bastable, an MA student at Kingston University Museum & Gallery Studies. The toolkit is an excellent resource for volunteers in culture, as covers in-depth all aspects of volunteering in the UK.

The culture sector depends heavily on volunteering as part of their values, for-impact, and structure, non-for-profit. Volunteering is not a replacement for paid or entry-level positions, rather individuals sharing the institution’s values. Furthermore, there is rarely comprehensive guidance on volunteering either for or from organisations.treatment tackles.

This toolkit aims to help students interested in volunteering understand the framework. Student Volunteering offers experience in the sector and assists in narrowing down specialities for further studies. Whether you are a volunteer or have a volunteer workforce, it is worth consulting or using this toolkit as a starting point for your guide.

The toolkit covers:

• Reasons for volunteering

• Guiding Principles and Ethics

• How to be a successful Student Volunteer

• Benefits

• Time Management

• Budgeting

• Documentation

• ypes of Volunteering, with their benefits and challenges

• Types of Jobs: Collections Management, Archives, Exhibition and Interpretation, Education and Outreach, Operation and Visitor Services

• Checklist

• Q&A

• Stories

• Resources

• Glossary

Our take

The toolkit is a one-stop shop for student volunteers giving a clear picture of the reality of the tasks and expectations, written by an experienced student. From an institutional point of view, this type of guidance is long overdue. Almost all museums and galleries offer volunteer positions, their advertisement and up-front information, however, are seldom as detailed as this guide, which raises the question of why are similar guides not in place already? Internationally and as standard practice.

Institutions in the sector that employ volunteers need to reevaluate their policies and offer helpful resources. A volunteer is not un-paid work, they dedicate valuable time and are often qualified from their studies.

Volunteering is, in essence, philanthropy thus deserves the same attention as donors and staff. Student Volunteering Toolkit patreon

PANORAMA-Nature and Culture

PANORAMA is a platform for sharing experiences, cases and solutions to conservation and sustainability topics. One of their thematics is NatureCulture coordinated by ICCROM, ICOMOS, IUCN; the thematic covers cases where cultural heritage and nature conservation are linked.

The approach is part of the World Heritage Leadership Programme with”The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) support the implementation of the World Heritage Convention as Advisory Bodies to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)”.

The programme uses the World Heritage Convention to enhance conservation and management of heritage, with a broad scope of conservation practices and working with the communities and experts supporting them, bringing innovation and excellence to World Heritage.

Through the Panorama platform, you can explore more than 350 solutions here, and search by region ecosystem, theme or challenges. Their approach is place and peoplebased, meaning participatory management and sustainable development of heritage sites.

Our take

World Heritage Sites are often managed solely by government agencies, and only recently, participatory heritage management has started to reach them. The platform is a great tool to share your experience and help others protect their heritage or find ideas on how to improve your local heritage today!

I want to learn more:

Nature-Culture Solutions

PANORAMA about IUCN Website

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Protecting heritage in conflict

The devastating effects of war encompass heritage destruction; often, heritage assets are targeted as part of nationalistic narratives to obliterate one’s cultural identity and relation to values and places. The international bodies in charge of heritage protection and promotion have produced several publications and projects to mitigate the threat.

Notably, Endangered Heritage: Emergency Evacuation of Heritage Collections and Cultural Heritage in Postwar Recovery are two valuable publications that can help heritage professionals in areas of conflict protect our cultural goods. Recently translated by UNESCO, ICCROM and the Maidan Museum in Ukraine, covers when and how to evacuate collections under threat. The chapters are:

1 Assess

• Asses the threat

• Block and prevent the threat from entering

• Prioritise and prepare a list of objects first to be evacuated, based on their materials and size and weight

2 Prepare

• Safe location and route (large, sanitised and with no pest/ mould infestations, airy, secure against theft or vandalism, safe transportation of the objects)

• Official Permission

• Forming a team (documentation, handling and packing, transportation, temporary storage)

• Assignment of a unique number and location code (the institution site code (letters), floor number, room number, cabinet or shelf number)

• Prepare emergency evacuation inventory.

• Gather supplies

• Identify workspace

• Safe transportation

3 Document, pack and move

4 Relocate and store

The publication is in an easy to read format, broken down into steps with helpful tips and resources.

Cultural Heritage in Postwar Recovery consists of papers from the ICCROM Forum of October 2005; the papers analyse the impact on cultural heritage, reconstruction and seven case studies. Below are some notable chapters that give further insight into the topic.

1. The thread of continuity: cultural heritage in postwar recovery

2. Cultural destruction by war, and its impact on group identities

3. Postwar reconstruction and the recovery of cultural heritage: critical lessons from the last fifteen years

4. Divided cities and ethnic conflict in the urban domain

5. Hmong postwar identity production: heritage maintenance and cultural reinterpretation

Our take

War has always plagued humanity and brings utter destruction in its path; heritage signifies resilience and peace, maintaining collective memory and identity. Efforts to protect heritage in periods of conflict mark the perseverance of people during the hardest and ugliest of situations. We wish to see a world where war is a foreign topic and publications like this are not a necessity.

I want to learn more:

Endangered Heritage: Emergency Evacuation of Heritage Collections

Cultural Heritage in Postwar Recovery

UNESCO and ICCROM join forces with the Maidan Museum of Kyiv to support Ukraine’s museums

Protecting Cultural Heritage in Ukraine

ALIPH: an initial envelope of USD 2 million to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage and support its heritage professionals

Building an Emergency Plan, A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Institutions- Compiled by Valerie Dorge and Sharon L. Jones

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PITCHER Preventing Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage

The project will create a new model targeting youth illustrating how they can support the fight against illicit looting and trafficking of cultural properties. PITCHER will address school teachers building their capacity and awareness on the topic. The project will create a framework and methodology, leading to the design and testing of open educational resources online and offline based on STEAM Education. Furthermore, the project will aid schools in providing their students with the necessary thinking and tools to tackle this problem in adulthood. Teachers will receive help in lesson and workshop planning on the subject utilising current European digital collections.

PITCHER is an EU funded project aiming to provide open educational materials for teachers for new learning courses on the prevention of illicit trafficking of cultural goods. The project is in its starting phase and we curiously await their work

PITCHER follows the recommendations of the NETCHER EU project on the looting of cultural goods, emphasising the need for more educational awareness on the subject. At the academic and professional level, the cultural sector is well versed in the topic, however, at a local and regional scale, the individual’s perspective varies. Unfortunately, people often accidentally discover cultural goods, especially in regions with rich history, and sell or keep them instead of alerting cultural organisations. Thus, creating an educational framework supporting the topic at earlier levels in life will promote the protection of cultural goods and dissuade looting Awaiting the creation and release of the educational materials PITCHER’s website has assembled resources available on the topic. These entail the NETCHER project, international policy publications and more.

Our take

The illicit trafficking of cultural heritage is an important topic to address, institutions worldwide make consistent efforts to inform and handle the issue, change needs to occur at a local and earlier level. PITCHER’s approach to introducing to educators and schools means to offer learning experiences is a remarkably big

step in the fight against looting and trafficking of cultural goods. As it builds a sound foundation of understanding the values of cultural heritage, providing the incentive of their long-term and extensive benefits, such as identity and social cohesion, over the short term gain of looting.

I want to learn more: PITCHER Resources

Lynn Meskell-Archaeology Under Fire- Nationalism, Politics and Heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East

Philip L. Kohl, Clare Fawcett-Nationalism, politics, and the practice of archaeology

Antomarchi et al-Teaching Risk Management of Collections Internationally

ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums

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Add prevention in looting and trafficking of cultural goods to your classroom!

Teaching with Europeana What it is and Why we love it

Formal education systems in Europe and internationally vary significantly. Moreover, extracurricular activities and “learning by project” are not the norm in many schools resulting in the teacher’s personal capacity to find, enhance and implement the curriculum. The aforementioned is mainly due to the lack of official channels for teacher training, resource sharing, acceptance of gamification and interdisciplinary teaching.

Teaching with Europeana is an online educational blog for teachers sharing their classrooms’ experiences with innovative learning scenarios.

Teaching with Europeana offers an inclusive space where teachers can share learning scenarios they implemented with the experience and receive feedback from other educators. Notably, the site offers a catalogue of learning scenarios and stories of implementation . The activities structure encompasses Europeana resources and encourages gamification, hands-on learning, observation and critical thinking.

Some of our favourite activities, to give you an example, are:

Escape Room with Miró

“Thorugh playing, the students will learn aspects of the Spanish painter and his differences with other European painters.”

Culture Cure: trauma and healing across time and space

“Culture Cure is focused on:

a) showing how multicultural artists or traditions have portrayed different kind of traumas and healing through history (connectivity, cultural awareness, empathy); b) connecting online and offline artifacts in an hybrid learning activity (edutainment, gamification); c) providing new tools and skills to students; d) helping students connect with their emotions and thoughts while giving them tools to express them or understand them (storytelling, augmented reality, project method) in a hope to be a useful and creative way to empower both students and culture. “

Curators Corner – Students as Art Historians

“The teachers set up an individual meeting room for each group, then the groups were introduced with the following study questions and needed to search for answers:

• What were the typical features and characteristics of the art direction?

• What kind of subjects did the artists describe?

• What factors in society influenced art?

• What phenomena or thoughts of the time have influenced the art trend?

• How were people portrayed in art?

• How did the style differ from the art of the previous/next era?

• Who commissioned the art?

• Who were the sponsors and patrons?

• Where was the art placed?

• What are the examples of visual art, architecture, music, fashion?” There are so many more activities we loved, but there is not enough space to add them.

Our take

Euroapeana is at the forefront of education, communication and cultural management. All their activities emphasise storytelling and innovation. We believe that cultural heritage’s nature is chiefly educational, as we visit museums and sites to learn, remember and connect with the past. Teaching with Europeana is a great tool to transmit cultural values as well as integrate art and culture into education at the museum, school, or homeschooling.

I want to learn more:

About Teaching with Europeana

Catalogue of learning scenarios

Stories of Implementation

Guidelines for writing a Story of Implementation for the Teaching with Europeana blog

Submit a Story of Implementation for the Teaching with Europeana blog

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Play and learn with Art- Tate

Tate’s spaces host one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary and modern art pieces, accompanied by a firm commitment to art education with activities on-site and online.

The Tate galleries, UK, offer educational resources for artists, teachers and children with a vast online space where you learn through themes, theory and practical activities.

Through Tate, you and your family can create and explore your art world, having lots of fun! At least at Local Approach, this constitutes fun, and there is a fair chance you do too if you are reading this.

Here are a few brilliant picks:

Coursework guides

These guides help students, their educators and artists to learn and teach art by theme. These are especially beneficial as the user explores diverse art movements and techniques not bound by the chronological order teaching often used by educational institutions. Take a gander at the “ Myths and Legends Coursework Guide” or “ Materials Coursework Guide” to start your artistic journey.

Tate kids

Make Art is a series of activity guides designed for kids to learn and create art. Each guide offers an overview of the activity, the time you will need to complete it, a walk-through of relevant and influential art pieces, resources and the process step by step.

Furthermore, you can share your finished “oeuvre d’art” at Tate. You do not have to be a kid to enjoy these activities; creating does not have an age limit, after all. Get started with “ Have Fun with Textures”, it’s only an hour.

Play and have fun with art as advertised is a collection of fun games and quizzes on art beyond Pictionary. You can paint online and share with the Tate gallery (if you are under thirteen).

A fun game is Swingaling , where you play with Wassily Kandinsky’s Swinging to life, clicking and dropping elements of the painting.

The quizzes are fun and utilise humour to learn and play; try out Quiz: Art Joke Challenge! where you guess the punchline on art joke.

Made with Street Art. (Pro art tip, don’t click on anything you don’t mean to)

Tate has a lot more resources, which truly impart artistic values and processes without effort. Understanding contemporary art often requires studying the artists’ life and conceptual approach that involve complex and advanced ideas. These programs allow everyone to experience and enjoy art. Alternatively, they also serve as a great past time during the day, provide a tiny dose of art insight and education for the moment when you learn which Harry Potter character you are or what fruit or vegetable-.

I want to learn more:

Student-resource

Coursework guides

Make Play and have fun with art

Create like an artist

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I DIG Dinosaurs: Wyoming Dinosaur Center

Wyoming Dinosaur Center is a museum, laboratory and active dig site at Thermopolis, USA. In 1993 fossil collections were unearthed at Warm Springs Ranch, prompting scientific research. The numerous finds required storage or display rather than shipping them to natural history museums around the States, a museum was built near the site opting to keep them locally. Having dinosaurs in your backyard is, after all, local heritage.

The center is unlike most natural history museums or museums in general, as they affirm their commitment to research and education throughout their activities. The center offers one of the most memorable and unique visitor experiences.

Dig For A Day

As advertised,visitors can participate in the center’s active dig!

(YES, YOU CAN HELP DIG UP DINOSAURS)

The area around the center is rich with fossils and bones and its creation being active field research continuing to this day, what better way to impart the scientific methodology than fieldwork?

How it works?

Registered visitors travel 10 minutes away from the museum to participate in any of the four daily digs, staff members are available to help and answer questions. Lucky visitors who find a dinosaur fossil learn with the help of technicians the documentation and preservation processes, with their Name, the bone and location recorded in the bone registry. (NO you do not get to keep it) Staff and visitors have found over 11,000 fossils and bones, meaning that participants get a unique chance to contribute to scientific research.

Moreover, the center offers multiple educational activities for all ages and resources for educators. Here are some examples of their work:

Kids Dig: 25 children age 8 to 12 spend a day learning the full process, from prep to casting

Shovel Ready: a short guided experience from the museum to the dig site

Paleo Prep: learn the basics of preparing fossils in the lab, participants get their workstations and work on their fossil

Dinosaur Academy: high school students enjoy a 5-day course learning fieldwork, excavation and lab work. Specifically: Environmental Deposition, Mapping, Dig Site Excavation, Specimen Identification and Skeletal Structure, Fossil Preparation and Preservation, Collection Management, Museum Display Presentation

On-line

Learn more about the research in the discipline

Teacher Resources include distance learning with virtual field trips, lesson plans and activities that Bring dinosaur fun into your classroom.

Student Activities - scavenger hunts.

Our take

A museum is not defined by its ability to display objects but educate. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center pulls all the stops to teach and engage visitors inviting participation in the scientific process. Furthermore, keeping the finds open to the public and the collection on-site maintains an active connection to natural heritage and local identity. Working with dinosaurs is a fascinating topic attracting visitors, unlike other museums, the Center does not limit itself to its collections’ importance but go above and beyond to share their values and keep their audience involved. From public archaeology to public palaeontology!

I want to learn more:

Wyoming Dinosaur Center

Programs

Contribute

If you want more exciting Dinosaur-Museum content, be sure to check out the Prehistoric Road Trip series

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Digital learning in the pandemic, cultural heritage resources by and for educators

“Digital learning in the pandemic, cultural heritage resources by and for educators” is a collection of learning activities by European Schoolnet and Europeana. The book offers a comprehensive breakdown of learning scenarios on art, diversity and inclusion, environment, history, language, music, philosophy and steam.

Each activity is ready to be implemented with detailed information including age, time, materials for online and offline. The guide offers educators in museums and classrooms a way to merge the digital and physical learning environments and address cultural topics that since 2020 are less accessible with the closure of most cultural outlets.

One of the first activities presented is “Developing a culture for Museums in Health and Well-being: Mentalisinng the inside story”, a project-based learning exercise for 10-12-year-olds and their families over four, 1h30, sessions online and offline.

Museums are becoming recovery spaces from the COVID-19 pandemic for our mental health and social interactions. This activity demonstrates how this transition takes place and the benefits of keeping in touch with art.

Here is a summary to demonstrate to you what to expect from the guide and cultural education today:

The educator selects digital artworks from the museum collection in one concept for the groups to work.

Resources: Online

• Padlet for brainstorming

• Popplet for organising information

• Mentimeter for checking participants’ understanding

• Zoom for an online video conference

Offline

• Large pieces of paper, markers, and “art boxes” full of drawing supplies

Session 1

“Look at the picture” where each group works with four selected photographs, following the groups answer a set of questions to imagine and come into the place of the people photographed. After a short discussion, there is a reflection through art, drawing the impressions and sharing them. The educator shares the historical information of the artwork at the end of the session.

Session 2

Participants are reflecting on the previous session and sharing their everyday life examples. Breaking into smaller groups, participants select images from Europeana Special galleries using specific keywords and attach 3-4 feelings to them, thus creating their “Feelings Gallery” and museum. The session closes with discussion and evaluation.

Session 3

Begins with a mindfulness exercise and artmaking activity by drawing their emotions at this moment and sharing them. Participants then discuss the artworks and how they would experience it from within and as the creator. The educator shares the artwork’s background and information to compare with the groups’ findings, closing with an evaluation.

Session 4

Participants bring an object found outdoors and split into groups to explore Europeana’s Galleries. The session continues with a mindfulness exercise and writing a short paragraph about what they feel. At the end of the session, they create a collage of all the creations and evaluate their experience.

Benefits

Our take

This resource is invaluable to educators and the public, as it presents opportunities to learn, experience culture and deal with the effects of the pandemic in creative ways. In the past two years, museums’ mission and purpose have shifted towards educational and social spaces. This shift is necessary for our society to pull through the isolation and hardship of our reality within the pandemic. Recommend this publication to your local museum or cultural centre whether you are an educator or love museums and heritage.

I want to learn more:

Digital learning in the pandemic, cultural heritage resources by and for educators

Europeana Classroom

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EuroClio: learn and teach history and heritage

EuroClio- European Association of History Educators, founded in 1992 and including 47 countries provides resources, events and capacity building for Educators in history and citizenship education.

The association researches the needs in teaching and learning history, heritage and citizenship, the research is a fundamental part of their activities. Their activities include advocacy for quality education and connecting educators in Europe and intergovernmental organisations. Their work features a design of educational resources with a diverse group of professionals. Furthermore, EuroClio offers courses on professional development through workshops, on-site learning and networking, as well as organising Annual Conference.

The educational resources offered sercve as excellent tools for heritage education, as history and citizenship are core elements of heritage. Some notable activities are:

• Historiana: is a platform for virtual learning and mixed formats, hosting several activities and subjects as well as digital tools.

• Past Times – Talking and Teaching History: is a podcast series for educators

• Contested Histories: bridging contestations of public spaces’ historical markers, promoting social inclusivity and cohesion. There are multiple cases to examine as well as stories, such as Ncome and Blood River Monuments on Ncombe River in Nquthu-Dundee

Our take

EuroClio is an innovative organisation keeping up with the constant evolution of society, heritage and history. Their platform and activities greatly aid educators to advance in their field and offering quality materials to their students. History and heritage are fundamental courses in education from early childhood to adulthood, EuroClio makes efforts to assure these intricate topics are accessible and inclusive.

I want to learn more:

EuroClio

Educational resources

Professional development courses

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Archaeogaming: Video Games as Archaeological Sites

While the vast majority of heritage institutions are only now discovering video games as an educational and engagement resource, video games are, in fact, heritage. A video game is an environment built to be used or even inhabited by digital communities.

Archaeogaming is a blog on archaeology and video games, created in 2013. The blog discusses archaeology as featured in video games as well as interpretation of video games as archaeological sites. Games and virtual heritage are a growing concept within cultural heritage and archaeology.

Archaeogaming highlights the conceptual similarity between archaeology and video games, serving as a discussion platform for topics such as:

• Games about archaeology

• Archaeology as an in-game skill or character

• Design and functions of environment and objects

• Study of video games as archaeology

Moreover, the blog offers an extensive academic Bibliography on the topics, Resources and the Archaeogaming book.

A particularly interesting piece is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour Stations Spatial and Temporal Locations of Featured Static Images discussing the pedagogical attributes of the game Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and the Discovery Tour static image metadata and points of interest. Learn more:

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour Stations: A Temporal Map

Static Image Temporal Locations in the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour

Static Image Spatial Locations in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour POIs

Andrew Reinhard, who created Archaeogaming, interprets video games as archaeological sites given their striking definition similarities. To begin to understand, we can ask:

what is an archaeological site?

A physical site built, holding evidence of its’ uses and significance, which can be studied.

What is a virtual site?

A virtual site is intangible with the same properties; furthermore, its’ uses and culture within the game setting are similar to archaeological sites. Video games and archaeological sites have more in common:

• data collection,

• social change through technological innovation,

• mapping (by players or developers) or through physical properties as servers,

• conservation, server maintenance or updates and patches

In the publication “ The Interactive Past Archaeology Heritage and Video Games*, Video Games as Archaeological Sites, Andrew Reinhard elaborates further:

“I propose the following points in an attempt to further define and defend the concept of video games as archaeological sites:

1. A video game is a discrete entity where its place can be defined as the space in which the game is installed (not necessarily its installation media).

The past activity is the coding that created the game. Its elements can be directly observed and manipulated, part of the record of the game.

2. Video game installation media (e.g. a tape, cartridge, or disk) are not only artefacts, but also archaeological sites. Just as with real-world sites, installation media are bounded within the confines of the physical space containing smaller entities that comprise the media, adding a level of cohesiveness to all of the digital parts that make up the overarching game. These directories, files, structures/hierarchies are all themselves discrete entities, but combine to create a unified whole, just as a site is defined by its boundaries and the sum of its parts. The game media were created by one or more people for others to inhabit, creating a culture around those players who choose to inhabit the space of the game (e.g. the community of players in the original MUD in 1978). The game media become part of the archaeological record upon production and leave behind evidence in the form of material remains, as well as a documented history of occupation by both developers and players.

3. The game-as-played, which is accessed via installed digital media, is also an archaeological site. The game-as-played is its own world in which one or more players interact, and which contains its own digital artefacts, either created via errors in code, or created as artificial constructs to be perceived by players as actual representations of real-world things that can be manipulated in game-space. Past activity includes, at the extragame level, updates, patches, bug-fixes, mods, and expansions. At the in-game level, past activity includes the actions of one or more avatars and their effects on the game-space, whether it be moving in-game items from one place to another, or the destruction or construction of something semi-permanent in the virtual world.”

Our Take

Video games are heritage and ought to be acknowledged as is virtual heritage. While we agree that video games are similar to archaeological sites, perhaps future academic typology could be site research tangible and intangible. We find that new terminologies are necessary that encompass narrative, format 2D or 3D, spatial navigation along with their social impacts and communities. Archaeogaming already sets the foundations that inspires dialogue in the heritage, humanities and video games research; and offers fun topics for archaeology and gaming buffs (like us). We plan to explore the subject in-depth and delve into the Bibliography!

I want to learn more:

Archaeogaming

*Video Games as Archaeological Sites”, pg 99, Treating digital entertainment as built environments, The Interactive Past: Archaeology, Heritage & Video Games by Angus Mol, Csilla Ariese, and Aris Politopoulos - we mentioned the publication in our article Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna): a fantastic heritage game; the publication offers fascinating chapters, which we hope to write more about!

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Our related articles: How-to: heritage video gaming Gaming: a heritage learning tool

Virtual Heritage: A Guide

This publication answers a real need in the field of digital humanities as virtual heritage and digital archaeology are very recent practices lacking, therefore, policy and guidelines.

Virtual Heritage: A Guide is a comprehensive publication covering all aspects of digital and virtual heritage. The guide includes technologies available, practical examples, conceptual and ethical considerations.

We have initially covered the subjects in our past post “Virtual Heritage: what now?”, specifically, the available technologies and their current place in the museum environment as a communication and engagement tool.

Here is an overview of the chapters:

1. Speculating the Past: 3D Reconstruction in Archaeology: details the methods, advantages of 3D approximations as a presentation method. With 3d reconstruction, a user creates a model based on a real archaeological artefact or theory. This chapter covers the history, definitions, processes and uses of 3D reconstruction. For example, video games offer interactive visitor experiences and better present archaeological information through 3D approximation. While the practice is promising, further research is needed on the theoretical background and tackling the ever-present issue of inaccurate heritage representations.

2 . Photogrammetry: What, How, and Where: covers 3D digital models through image-based 3D modelling photogrammetry software. Photogrammetry is a cost-effective solution in comparison to 3D reconstruction or laser scanning. Furthermore, the chapter proposes several examples of commercial services and applications supporting massive data processing and many free and open-source tools. Image-based 3D modelling has many benefits as a digital documentation and preservation tool.

3 . Animating Past Worlds: discusses heritage interpretations with immersive digital worlds. Specifically, the chapter describes the basics of animation, detailing visual effects, movement, textures, lighting, rendering and elements necessary to bring an environment to life. Offers several examples of games, software and uses. Furthermore, this chapter puts forward the danger of virtual environments being misconstrued as accurate historical representations..

3 . Animating Past Worlds: discusses heritage interpretations with immersive digital worlds. Specifically, the chapter describes the basics of animation, detailing visual effects, movement, textures, lighting, rendering and elements necessary to bring an environment to life. Offers several examples of games, software and uses. Furthermore, this chapter puts forward the danger of virtual environments being misconstrued as accurate historical representations.

4 . Mapping Ancient Heritage Narratives with Digital Tools: describes the digital Periegesis project that uses Pausanias’s second-century CE Periegesis Hellados text as a database for analysis and mapping. This chapter points out that Pausanias’s spatial (re)imagining of Greece can be a narrative interpreted through digital tools for identifying, visualising and analysing spatial data.

5. Hybrid Interactions in Museums: Why Materiality Still Matters: presents hybrid interactions in museums where digital tools successfully transcend the physical and multisensory attributes of museum collections. The chapter offers several examples of projects and stresses the importance of incorporating tangible and complex elements of heritage into digital design.

6 . Video Games as Concepts and Experiences of the Past: discusses the growing field of archaeogaming and describes the value of video games and playing with the past, past play. Additionally, this chapter contains case studies of Assassin’s Creed, Never Alone, RoMeincraft and No Man’s Sky Archaeological Survey.

7. Mixed Reality: A Bridge or a Fusion Between Two Worlds?: displays the benefits and applications of Mixed Reality (MxR) from both the view of virtual heritage and as an immersive technology.

8 . Getting It Right and Getting It Wrong in Digital Archaeological Ethics: offers considerations of the archaeological ethics on the digital tools and methodologies used.

9. Evaluation in Virtual Heritage: focuses on the evaluation of virtual heritage, its importance, dimensions (user experience, usability, perceived usability, engagement, accessibility and learning), possible approaches and methodologies for assessment.

10 . Preserving Authenticity in Virtual Heritage: reviews virtual heritage as a preservation tool and examines how authenticity, one of the fundamental values of cultural heritage, fits in this context.

Our take:

Whether you are a heritage professional or learning the process and tools of virtual and digital models and environments this guide is a must-read.

Virtual heritage is rapidly growing along with new technologies, however, adapting is not feasible for all heritage institutions, let alone developing the policies and methodologies necessary. We hope to cover the topics discussed in further detail with future posts.

I want to learn more:

Virtual Heritage: A Guide, edited by Erik M Champion

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Digital Heritage Hub

During the pandemic, cultural institutions embraced digital strategies to sustain their institutions, as visiting museums were not available with ticketing, a vital income source being obsolete.

Small heritage organisations lacked the digital capacity to undertake new activities. Digital Heritage Hub provides answers to pressing questions helping the sector overcome these issues and helping small organisations to keep up with current digital trends

Digital Heritage Hub addresses the digital questions of small and medium-sized organisations through its website. Broken down into four themes Digital Engagement, Digital Content, Digital Leadership and Digital Planning.

Here is an overview of the themes

Digital Engagement

This theme covers digital engagement activities, starting with marketing and communications, tools such as websites, email and social media, analytics, visitor data and segmentation. Following fundraising and eCommerce and hosting online events and activities. The theme also includes recruitment and working with digital volunteers as well as accessibility, inclusion and sustainability.

Digital Content

The theme focuses on the creation of quality social media content, collection digitisation and more. This section offers how-to guides, toolkits, videos and podcasts. Furthermore, best practices and legal and ethical considerations are available.

Digital Leadership

The theme guides organisations in strategic objectives in adopting new technologies and enabling more efficient work practices, transforming the existing structure. Introducing diversity and inclusion and staff development.

Digital Planning

This theme pertains to adopting new systems, software and applications that support the organisation’s operations. New business models and plans, new digital services and using data in decision making are part of the theme. Moreover, according to the regulatory frameworks, the theme addresses how digital technology can help the organisation become more sustainable environmentally.

Our take

Digital Heritage Hub is a must for digital learning in heritage organisations; the Q&A format and languages allow for fast and effortless understanding of digital development concepts and methodologies. The themes are expertly divided and can help address the individual needs of each instituion. We recommend adding Digital Heritage Hub to your toolkit today!

I want to learn more: Digital Heritage Hub on our patreon page

Built with Bits 2, Brussels: Creating Virtual Spaces

Built with Bits 2, Brussels, is a European program helping the creation of virtual spaces to address social, cultural and educational topics. The project identifies local heritage concerns, working with the students of LUCA School of Arts to create virtual spaces with digital heritage in a joint effort to learn virtual space creation and connect cities to Brussels.

The second edition invites you to propose actions which address problems in your city, after which a selection of suitable proposals will match with students of LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Following is a weeklong course on virtual space creation using Europeana’s repository. This leads to creating a virtual space about your city’s issue, where you can suggest actions to visitors and demonstrate how Brussels addresses similar issues, essentially having a virtual twin city.

Our take

The project directly addresses local heritage and builds digital capacity for stakeholders. At the same time creates a network of professionals working together on art, culture, design and education. A key element brought by this project is the underlying of cultural heritage’s core value, connecting with one identity a diverse group of people. The building of virtual spaces connected to Brussels demonstrates to the public how diverse cultural heritage and cities face similar issues and, on the surface, there might not be historical connections societal connections exist having a cross-border collaboration to resolve them. We recommend submitting a proposal to Built with Bits 2 and help expand digital heritage.

I want to learn more:

Proposal Submission 11 July 2022

Built with Bits Brussels: The Library Corner

Built with Bits Brussels kicks off at Festival of the New European Bauhaus

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Built with Bits 2, Brussels: Creating Virtual Spaces

Archaeoinformatics

“The term combines Computational and Digital Archaeology. Computational Archaeology is concerned with mathematical, data-driven solutions to archaeological research questions. Digital Archaeology is more focussed on visualisation, documentation and preservation. So, Archaeoinformatics is a subdiscipline of Archaeology and offers computational and visual solutions for archaeological problems.”

Archaeoinformatics is a website, which in a manner much like Local Approach, offers information, news and reports in the growing field of Archaeoinformatics. Archaeoinformatics describes the connections between archaeology and computer sciences. As they describe it:

The site is a valuable resource for professionals in the field seeking to improve their skills or for new ideas. The page offers topics such as presentation of projects, Archaeogaming, Computational Archaeology, Digital Archaeology and more:

Some of our picks:

• What is Archaeoinformatics?

• 10 things to do, if you are interested in studying Archaeoinformatics

• Creating a course Pt.1: From idea to layout

• Creating a course Pt.2: Course structure

• Female leaders in historical games: Some thoughts on Civ II

• Archaeological Documentation: manual or digital?

• RTI for documenting ceramic sherds

• Site Catchment Analysis – A scripted PyQGIS solution

• Combining SfM, RTI and MBI

Our take Archaeoinformatics is an excellent website to learn and explore the field with posts that are free to read and thorough. We recommend adding Archaeoinformatics to your toolkit!

I want to learn more: Archaeoinformatics

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Cultural Relations in the New Normal an informative handbook

Cultural relations platform published “Cultural Relations in the New Normal” on July 8th 2021, as part of their Alteration programme. The handbook features 17 cases studies broken down into process, results, lessons learned and next steps.

The overall theme is digital and hybrid project models and the place of cultural initiatives in the new normal of the pandemic.

Alteration programme is an online events series for cultural professionals. Cultural Professionals from Ukraine, Europe and international participated in the events Running April-July 2021. Alteration hosted two cross-sectoral conferences on “how international cultural relations should adapt to the new normal” and five sectoral online events. The events were on music, literature, visual and performing arts and civil society.

Here is our brief handbook overview:

Themes

1. Digital and hybrid model development calls for flexibility in Cultural organisations, adopting the start ups’ approach of experimentation and trial and error.

2. Enhance good practices sharing, especially for digital and hybrid projects.

3. Ensure planning and budgeting before starting digital projects.

4. Balance the on-screen time to allow for breaks.

5. Participatory and community projects will further grow.

Recommendations

• Digital and hybrid models will be the norm calling for increased accessibility, inclusivity and professional skill-building.

• Instigate tailor-made collaboration programmes.

• Further develop participatory, community, inclusive, ecological and well-being projects.

• Share stories and experiences.

• Peer learning and exchange for digital project development and strategy.

Projects

• Re-Connect Online Performance Festival

• The Intercity Live Festival , an online festival to showcase emerging musicians

• The Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, online film festival

• KulturCafé, a digital platform facilitating bilateral cultural relations

• Every Day. Art. Solidarity.Resistance Exhibition. hybrid visual arts exhibition

• Dance And Wellbeing Campaign , an online arts activity campaign

• International Picture Book Festival , a hybrid book festival

• Museum Without Walls , a digital visual arts exhibition

• Digital Labs Project, an online laboratory focused on capacity building and connecting peers

• Eastern European Music Academy, an online academy for music professionals

• aking the Stage 2.0, an online theatre residency programme

• Artefact: Chornobyl x Madatac, a virtual media art exhibition at an international festival

• Woven Network/ Women’s Network , an online visual arts residency

• Online Culture Camp for Youth , an online youth camp

• Hatathon: Hack the Culture, an online ideathon

• Ukrainian Literature: Rights On! , an online B2B programme for publishers and literary agent

• IETM Multi-location 2020, a hybrid sectoral meeting

Read the handbook detailed presentation on how each project came to be and their learning outcomes, as well as a list of more exciting projects to follow.

Furthermore, the publication offers valuable resources to help improve the evolution of digital or hybrid projects on:

• Tools to organise

• Digital hybrid projects

• Networks mapping

Our Take

Cultural Relations in the New Normal is a comprehensive resource with value beyond cultural professionals. Working or participating in events takes place principally online since the pandemic that format will seemingly continue with hybrid events in the future. Moreover, the projects serve as good-practice initiatives, but most important are fantastic activities to take part in.

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Download our handbook: Cultural Relations in the New Normal

Cultural Relations platform

Alteration programme

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A playful talk series: Animal Crossing: New Digital Humanities

(optional) Dictionary

Animal Crossing is a Nintendo Switch game where the player moves to a village inhabited by animals and partakes in their daily lives (planting, collecting items, socialising) in realtime.

Twitch is a streaming platform where gamers, creators, and many more congregate sharing their activities and engaging with their audience through a very vibrant chat.

Animal Crossing: New Digital Humanities” is a talk series on new topics and ideas in the field of digital humanities by scholars. Streaming on Twitch since 2020, the talks take place in the game’s virtual environment and have open discussions with the audience.

Cultural Heritage is a big part of humanities currently undergoing a massive digital change. The virtual content growth makes it tricky to keep up to date with all the innovations and concepts. Furthermore, the virtual shift is not always well planned or designed for a specific audience, existing or new, as the “Cultural Relations in the New Normal ” handbook points out. Leading to digital creations with a “build it and they’ll come” philosophy that does not apply to the online world.

What do digital humanities, the game animal crossing and twitch streaming have in common?

The series discusses new projects, books or articles, true to form, within a game environment and on a predominately game streaming platform.

Some interesting topics:

• Remixing the Canon: Shakespeare, Popular Culture, and the Undergraduate Editor

• Ottoman Transkribus: Reflections on the Initial Results of HTR+ Model Training for 18th Century Ottoman Turkish Paleography!

• East Asian Studies and the Digital Humanities in 2020

• All your cats belong to me: IIF and Open Access Art

• Books without Books Digitally communicating Materiality

• Beyond hashtags: Critical Research Methods for Digital Humanities

• Custom Design Scriptorium: Remixing Digitized Medieval Manuscripts

Our Take

Animal Crossing: New Digital Humanities is a fantastic example of how our understanding of the discipline and practice changes towards more educational and ludic experiences. Under the humanities distinction fall archaeology, classics, cultural heritage, museology etc. that have an impression of a person reading dusty books in the back of a library, which is hardly ever the case. Digital tools for research and application are prevalent in the field and are expected to grow even further. This series helps professionals stay informed and openly invites discussion and participation from the audience. The game environment and twitch platform make the subject easily accessible to a whole new audience and filter out the misconceptions about the filed of study nature.

I want to learn more:

Animal Crossing: New Digital Humanities

Twitch channel acndighum

Twitter Animal Crossing: New DH @ACNdigHum

Hosts

Quinn Dombrowski is the academic technology specialist at Stanford’s division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages.

Liz Grumbach is the program manager for Digital Humanities and Research at Arizona State University’s Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics.

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A playful talk series: Animal Crossing: New Digital Humanities

Your Next Podcast Binge: Peopling the Past

Peopling the past is a fantastic podcast “about real people in the ancient world”. The ambience is light-hearted but highly informative, following a free-form presentation. Experts in the humanities, classics, share their knowledge that truly captures our ancestors’ lives.

The podcast is free, fun and accessible, offering content you usually do not experience in the museum.

Cultural heritage management today pivots towards storytelling and creating an experience for the visitor. These practices are about creating a meaningful connection to the past. Unfortunately, many museums still opt for the standard plinth and glass case display, assuming, perhaps, their collections’ significance is enough for visitors. Peopling the past encapsulates the fascinating parts of the field.

There are 3 seasons of 12 episodes each, here are some of our favourite topics:

• Podcast Season 2, Episode 7: Practical Magic: Ancient Roman Smells and Spells with Britta Ager

• Podcast #12: Thrown Together: Potters, Painters, and Ceramic Production with Sanchita Balachandran

• Podcast #8: Extreme Home Makeover, Ancient Greece Edition: Bronze Age Houses with Rebecca Worsham

• Podcast #4: Athenashville: Parallel Parthenons with Katie Petrole

Moreover, Peopling the past offers Videos, a Blog and resources, featuring Teaching Tools, other blogs and podcasts along the same lines.

Our take

We love it.-

The topics are interesting, in simple language, accessible format, with the guests and presenters sharing their excitement about the field. In addition, Peopling the past answers a true necessity in the sphere of humanities for better storytelling, open and easy access!

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Podcasts Resources Blog

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MetoDHology: a resource you need!

You can find articles on multidisciplinary topics, resources, and contribute. The content features a peer-review process and a DOI attached to each contribution. Moreover, there are several videos, tutorials and a research-oriented blog.

Our take

MetoDHology is a platform for free access to various resources on digital methodologies. The resource is open and community-based, with detailed and current information on the subject.

Centre for Digital Humanities at the Australian National University created this tool to give easy access to everyone seeking digital methodologies.

Topics include CrowdSourcing, 3D modelling, making videos, digital mapping and more!

We loved all the articles we read on MetoDHology as they are clear and indepth. We hope to see this project grow and read many more posts!

I want to learn more: About MetoDHology

Centre for Digital Humanities Research

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MetoDHology: a resource you need!

Japanese Association for Digital Humanities

Japanese Association for Digital Humanities has produced several conferences that are innovative and beneficial to the sector covering fascinating topics. Furthermore, the published proceedings are very insightful. Here is a list of the conferences:

•

10th symposium: JADH2020 “A New Decade in Digital Scholarship: Microcosms and Hubs” at Osaka University Proceedings of JADH Conference, vol. 2020

• 9th symposium: JADH2019 “Localization in Global DH” at Kansai University, Osaka Proceedings of JADH Conference, vol. 2019

• 8th symposium: JADH2018 “Leveraging Open Data” at Hitotsubashi Hall, Tokyo Proceedings of JADH Conference, vol. 2018

• 7th symposium: JADH2017 “Creating Data through Collaboration” at Doshisha University Proceedings of JADH Conference, vol. 2017

• 6th symposium: JADH2016 “Digital Scholarship in History and the Humanities” at the University of Tokyo Proceedings of JADH Conference, vol. 2016

• 5th symposium: JADH2015 “Encoding Cultural Resources” at Kyoto University

• 4th symposium: JADH2014 “Bridging GLAM and Humanities through Digital Humanities” at the University of Tsukuba

• 3rd symposium: JADH 2013 & DH-JAC2013 at Ritsumeikan University

• 2nd symposium: JADH 2012 “Inheriting Humanities” at the University of Tokyo

• 1st symposium: OSDH/JADH 2011 at Osaka University

An especially good read in “ Library’s Role and Digital Humanities” is the 7th conference’s proceedings “Craeting Data through Collaboration”. The conferences and the association’s work have produced several insightful and impactful papers and proceedings that are definitely worth reading!

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Japanese Association for Digital Humanities

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DOORS (Digital incubatOr fOR muSeums)

The pandemic plagued the museums and culture sector immensely, thus making a digital presence and strategy necessary. The larger institutions were able to adapt quickly and offer some truly innovative and immersive digital projects. Smaller institutions could not follow due to the lack of funding and expertise, with many even lacking a communications and social media strategy.

DOORS (Digital incubatOr fOR muSeums) is a European project launched in October 2021! DOORS aims to help small and medium-sized museums adapt and expand their digital capacity though a collaborative network.

DOORS plans to address these issues through a platform hosting a network of museums and innovators, where they can collaborate, share experiences and lessons. The project will promote digitalisation and offer a resource that will enable museums to meet the era’s digital demands.

“Through a two-stage pilot scheme, DOORS involves 40 museums in 20 innovative pilots developing digital transformation experiments in 4 concrete innovation areas.”

New technology optimises museums by reaching their existing and new audiences. Furthermore, digital tools allow the creation of radically different museum programming that can be more interactive and attractive to visitors. DOORS will address a real need in the cultural sector and hopefully, we will have more compelling digital experiences in the coming years!The program will run until September 2023,

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DOORS

Digital IncubatOr fOR muSeums

Ars Electronica

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Ecsite and Museum Booster

Curating: NFTs

If you are unfamiliar with NFTs, they stand for Non-fungibletokens. Each token is one of a kind and irreplaceable sequence of code with a digital signature. The programming resembles that of cryptocurrency, and they are digital representations of absolutely anything stored on a blockchain. They can be created and sold by anyone.

NFTs play on the idea that you can buy ownership. This, however, does not give you the copyrights to reproduce the work in any way. So, what do you own in the first place? I suppose people buy NFTs in the hopes of reselling for profit, despite the market being so unpredictable and unstable. It could also be the excitement of new technology and the experience of owning or viewing an NFT up close.

It started as a fun new trend, yet they are treated as digital assets. This raises the question, are they art? The simple answer is yes. They technically fall under the digital art category, but they definitely push the limits of what art is. In theory, if anything is art, then why not NFTs. Even though some are screenshots of tweets or digital copies of anything that already exists.

If someone values them enough and is willing to pay, then why not! At the end of the day, it comes down to cultural values and maybe even generational or personal values:

• Some people seem to value NFTs enough to invest in them and go as far as to view them as the future of contemporary art and collecting.

• Others value artworks in a more traditional sense, where they can physically see them, so they refuse to believe NFTs are anything other than fakes and a scam.

NFTs can never replace art in the traditional sense, but they have the potential to be an extension of it. The pandemic forced a digital reinvention on the entire world, so NFTs could be the natural evolution of art investment and collection. Cultural institutions and heritage sites experienced a dramatic decline in donations and museum visitors in 2021. This highlighted the need for a digital presence and virtual engagement in bold. Museums post-pandemic rely on online communities as much as they rely on visitor numbers. So if the entire world is moving towards a more digitally-driven lifestyle, what is stopping museums from upgrading too? NFTs could be used just like any other collectable in a museum shop, which could create

Such use of NFTs by cultural institutions gives them some cultural validity. This has caused mixed reactions by the public. Yes, museums are marketing digital renditions of artworks already available to the public for profit, but this is the same as selling physical copies or even merchandised versions of artwork. NFTs are just like any other reproduction. They are not marketed or sold as the real thing. They may be more about raising money rather than public engagement or public access, but imagine the possibilities if the profits are being put back into the collection. In particular, imagine if there were no budget guidelines for conservation and preservation.

Our take

The 21st century is an ever-evolving digital age, so art collections moving digital seems like the natural evolution of art. NFTs are becoming part of our digital heritage now. Maybe each token could one day be considered a cultural object. It is only natural to be sceptical about something so new enough revenue, to prevent the last-resort sales of collection artefacts. Cultural institutions worldwide have already started selling NFTs based on their collections. Namely, the Uffizi Galleries sold Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo NFT for $170,000. The State Hermitage Museum has auctioned five NFT copies from its masters collection, including Da Vinci’s Madonna Litta, for a total of $444,000. The Whitworth gallery used Blake’s The Ancient of Days NFT in a major exhibition and research project. Finally, the British museum has sold NFTs of 20 Turner paintings and 200 Hokusai works from its collection alongside each temporary exhibition. Even went a step further by creating editions with a certificate of authenticity and categorising them as follows: Ultra Rare, editions of two, one of which will belong to the British Museum, Super Rare, editions of 10, one of which again belongs to the museum and Open Edition, editions of 99.

I definitely am. However, we must explore the endless possibilities of the NFT as an artistic medium. It is fascinating to see museums monetising assets creatively in a way they could not before without losing parts of their collections. Cultural institutions should promote artworks as investment assets while considering all ethical and legal requirements. Why not take advantage of this new technology for as long as NFTs still work and are valued.

Towards a National Collection: massive digital access to heritage

The project answers a real need for access to heritage, amplified due to the pandemic. Several collections in the country constitute international heritage thus joining them online offers a chance for everyone to connect with their heritage. Furthermore, the platform will facilitate researchers and developers of digital technologies.

Towards a National Collection is an initiative to create a unified virtual collection of art and heritage housed among the United Kingdom’s cultural institutions. The project has a fiveyear timeline, which will set collaboration and communication amongst professionals in the sector and easy access to heritage for all.

Objectives:

• “to begin to dissolve barriers between different collections

• to open up collections to new crossdisciplinary and cross-collection lines of research

• to extend researcher and public access beyond the physical boundaries of their location

• to benefit a diverse range of audiences

• to be active and of benefit across the UK

• to provide clear evidence and exemplars that support enhanced funding going forward.”

Towards a National Collection has several projects to achieve their aims, notably the Discovery projects dedicated to R&D of new technologies like artificial intelligence pertinent to machine learning, natural language processing, and citizen-led archiving. The project proposes several participatory and community actions for content generation, diversity, collection interpretation and more.

In practice, some of the projects already underway are:

The Congruence Engine: Digital Tools for New CollectionsBased Industrial Histories

The project will create a digital toolbox consolidating holdings related to the industrial past of the textiles, energy and communications sectors. This unified collection will enable the public and researchers to explore, experience and interpret them in a broader context.

The platform will link objects, documentation, photographs, publications etc., in one space. AI will process existing data and receive feedback from users to refine the experience and content. This could consist of: comprehensive descriptions, grouping objects of the same provenance held in different museums, direct access to related archives and more.

Our Heritage, Our Stories: Linking and searching communitygenerated digital content to develop the people’s national collection

People as individuals and communities already have “gathered, recorded, and digitised their collections”. The project develops methods for AI to find, analyse and make searchable community-generated digital content in different languages and formats. Linking peoples life and stories, therefore, into our heritage collection.

Transforming Collections: Reimagining Art, Nation and Heritage

The project will concentrate on collections and research of art critics and historians with museum and heritage studies. The project uses participatory machine learning design to create an unbiased cross-search of collections.

The Sloane Lab: Looking back to build future shared collections

The Sloane Lab will be a digital lab for curators, researchers and the public to examine the topic of digital cultural heritage through access to the Sir Hans Sloane collection establishing links between past and present.

Unpath’d Waters: Marine and Maritime Collections in the UK

UNPATH will create a new cross-collection search, visualise underwater landscapes and methods of identifying wrecks and artefacts of the UK’s marine heritage. The collections include: “charts, documents, images, film, oral histories, sonar surveys, seismic data, bathymetry, archaeological investigations, artefacts, objects and artwork”.

Our take

Towards a National Collection and Discovery projects is an ambitious but necessary undertaking in the world of heritage. Culture is essential to our

sense of identity and well-being, which can harmonise society. Providing access to all heritage holdings will help further develop research in the field. Moreover, the projects will inspire other platforms or initiatives to unify heritage access and use of emerging technology across the world.

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Towards a National Collection Projects Discovery Projects

Tech projects aiming to better connect the UK’s collections awarded £14.5m

UK Research and Innovation’s Strategic Priorities Fund

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

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Towards a National Collection:

Digital Collections Audit and audiences

Digital Collections Audit was conducted within the Towards a National Collection initiative in the UK, examining 264 cultural heritage institutions and their digital collections’ number, scale, and attributes. The audit took place between September 2021 and the end of January 2022 by the Collections Trust

The research included conversations with staff, technical information and data-sharing initiatives with larger institutions and smaller museums and archives.

The technical survey covered types and formats of digital resources; Metadata created and standards; Asset management, including systems, scope, and service models; Digital assets management and diffusion to researchers and the public; Access and availability of digital resources; Rights management concerning licences and usage rights.

The document pinpoints key themes and offers recommendations.

Furthermore, Towards a National Collection organises on May 24 2022, the free webinar “Who is the Audience for a ‘Virtual National Collection’?” supported by the collected data, will discuss the private sector, research software engineers and international users’ needs and virtual heritage engagement.

Our take

The UK cultural heritage sector was one of the quickest to adopt digital technologies and make available new virtual experiences to audiences, especially during the pandemic. The audit portrays an in-depth outlook of the sector’s developments and needs, which is helpful for cultural institutions interested in pursuing the digitisation of their collections.

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Digital Collections Audit by Gosling, Kevin; McKenna, Gordon; Cooper, Adrian

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Experience a cultural memory: MEMEX APP

MEMEX, MEMories and EXperiences for inclusive digital storytelling project join cultural heritage, memory and augmented reality designed with marginalised communities. The project started in 2019 to address the need for social cohesion through cultural heritage, interpreting its relationship with place, memory and stories into an augmented reality experience accessed,

MEMEX is a participatory project where the local community will codesign the experience according to their needs. Starting with three pilot projects with Barcelona’s migrant women, Paris 19th arrondissement’s immigrant residents and the 2nd and 3rd generation Portuguese migrants in Lisbon. In practice, MEMEX attempts to automate linking images to locations connected to an open-source knowledge graph. Users will upload images and data associated with heritage assets forming a narrative story, presented visually with augmented reality available on smartphones. In essence, bringing memories to life.

Social cohesion requires inclusion and communication between groups, heritage, tangible or intangible, which propels shared identity and experience in a community. MEMEX uses technology to preserve the memory of excluded groups and offers a method of interaction within society.

The project incorporates several areas of study to reach its aims, notably:

• Social Inclusion

• Participatory strategies

• Audience Engagement

• Storytelling and Communication

• Artificial Intelligence

•

Augmented Reality

The project began in December 2019 and will run until 2022 with contributing institutions from Belgium, Ireland, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain.

MEMEX offers available resources as Policy and Scientific publications and released in 2020 the first app. Check out the stories video teasers of the pilot projects here

Our take

This project truly pulls all the stops of heritage management in 2021 of inclusion, participation, artificial intelligence, storytelling, immersion and accessibility. We find that MEMEX will set the baseline for many similar projects to spring up in European heritage management.

-Can not wait to see more of MEMEX and use the app to Revisit Paris with a fresh perspective!!

I want to learn more: Page EXperiences inclusive digital storytelling

Immersive Storytelling: a project to follow

The western Balkan region is rich with numerous archaeological sites, specially Greek and Roman; the host countries often lack the infrastructure or a visitorcentric approach that cultural communication and promotion demands. Moreover, the cultural tourism distribution is not equal within the region, extending a divide between archaeological sites that are part of the same (hi) story in services, experiences, tourism and funding.

Who

Immersive Storytelling is a digital narrative experience for visitors of western Balkan archaeological sites. The project is in development since 2019 and is a cooperative project of 5 countries answering the regional need for improved communication and use of technology for the cultural heritage audience. The project aims to create AR and VR visits on the site framing the sites’ in a narrative that enhances the learning and ludic experience, using the latest innovations in digital technologies.

When visiting sites, we have a connection to the past and ought to have unified access and experience among all the related places. This thinking is encouraged in Europe with multiple initiatives as the European Heritage Label

The project is working with the archaeological sites of Stobi , North Macedonia, Viminacium , Serbia, and Emona , Slovenia. The idea is to enhance a visit to the site with a VR application, which transports the user to the past to explore the ancient city, theatre and more.

Project Coordinator: Association Centre for Social Innovations Blink 42-21 (North Macedonia)

Partners:

– National Institution for Management of the Archaeological Site of StobiGradsko (North Macedonia)

– Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade (Serbia)

– Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

– Balkan Heritage Foundation (Bulgaria)

– Navipro d.o.o. (Slovenia)

– Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

Our take

Interactive and narrative visits are the most effective way to transmit the values associated with heritage. Furthermore, immersive virtual experiences become more common and serve as a meaningful, engaging and fun way to present culture.

Digital experiences are now a requirement for visitors. And serve as an encompassing tool to transmit information without altering the physical space, as with signage. We cannot wait to see the project’s progress and hope it inspires other places to follow in their footsteps.

I want to learn more:

Immersive Storytelling Driven Cooperation for Cultural Heritage Dissemination in Western Balkans

Video of the project: Immersive Storytelling

Immersive Storytelling Driven Cooperation for Cultural Heritage Dissemination in Western Balkans

Immersium.eu – a new platform for promotion and dissemination of cultural heritage using new technologies https://immersium.eu/

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Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments

Africa’s rich heritage includes a wide range of sites from the palaeolithic and early stone age to the 20th century; aside from the recognised world heritage sites, many archaeological sites remain untapped. The recent development efforts across African countries in minerals extraction, agriculture, irrigation, and more threaten these sites, which the project aims to highlight and protect.

MAEASaM uses the latest innovations in mapping and documentation of archaeological sites and monuments yet to be discovered in eight African countries through satellite imagery. The project provides estimations on a multitude of threats regarding the sites. The information gathered within this project is available in open access formats through a platform.

MAEASaM works with the site custodians in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The project results are curated for different stakeholders and interest groups and available in the open-access Arches geospatial relational database.

The project creates through sites typology and distribution records, using “remote sensing, records-based research and selective archaeological surveys”. Furthermore, MAEASaM identifies and assesses future threats proposing new approaches, measures and management policies to ensure the sites’ long-term protection and sustainability.

Communication and dissemination practices are at the project’s core to guarantee its’ success. Community driven workshops and training events are in place for participatory management and raising awareness beyond the project’s scope. Moreover, the project engages the academic and cultural sectors by organising conferences and publishing papers reaching audiences internationally. BIEA and the National museums of Kenya will host a final showcase event with online and offline presentation materials. The use of social media and communication practices as a website and and newsletter aims to raise awareness of the diverse archaeological heritage of Africa and calls for its protection.

Our take

MAEASaM is a necessary project for the documentation and protection of African sites and promotes new initiatives and methodologies applicable to regions and areas worldwide. Their multimodal approach to mapping, documentation and communication and promotion of participatory practices is critical to attaining the project’s objectives. We hope to see more of the generated results and their inclusion and application across sites in Africa.

I want to learn more: maeasam.org Database Resources

The project collaborates with Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia project (MAHSA) Arcadia

Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA)

Maritime Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (MarEA)

Central Asian Archaeological Landscapes (CAAL)

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Documenting Architectonic Heritage in Conflict Areas

The case of Saint Marina

Research by STARC sets the paper’s focus on digital tools application for quick, noncontact monitoring assessment to analyse architectural values and conservation methods from the surfaces visual analysis.

“Documenting Architectonic Heritage in Conflict Areas - The case of Saint Marina Church, Derynia, Cyprus.” is an exciting research paper within the research of STARC EU-funded project 3D ICONS “3D Digitisation of Icons of European Architectural and Archaeological Heritage. The Church, located in the Green Zone and controlled by the UN Peacekeeping force, is unavailable to the public except for the name day of Saint Marina when the UN officers escort the public.

The project required collaboration from multiple entities like the UN peacekeepers, police, military and regulating public bodies in the zone.

The diverse landscape small timeframe with extreme weather conditions made the project quite tricky. Furthermore, the Church, surrounding landscape, and related artefacts have seen damages due to the access restriction and the environment.

Below is a brief outline of the paper

The Church is one of the oldest in the Famagusta region, built in the 12th century located in an unattached urban environment, prooving challenging to the survey planning and the digital documentation.

Geometry and colour information recording were chosen for 3D recording techniques implemented with their results compared and scientifically analysed.

New technologies allow easy access to 2D and 3D reconstruction tools and computer vision techniques such as photogrammetry and laser scanning.

In detail

The project used two different photogrammetric techniques for the interior and exterior documentation, a laser scanner survey and a Gigapan Epic Pro Panoramic Head. Software required for post-processing were JRC Reconstructor, Surphaser (laser scanner software), MeshLab, Autodesk 123D, UMap – Menci and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

The paper entails

• Data Collection and methodology

• 3D modelling using photogrammetry: Image-based modelling for photogrammetric methods allows interpretation and measurements from 2D photographic images .

• Structure from motion (SFM): “3D model of the Church from 2D photographic images process is estimating 3D points from 2D images standard features in sequential images and calculating their trajectories over time.” The photography called for 261 pictures taken 30cm apart for the entirety of the Church using Canon EOS 6D with a Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens on manual mode, as each image ought to overlap 60%. The images post-processing used the free software Autodesk, 123D Catch and the models using MeshLab, capturing the monument’s surface on a peripheral basis using UMap software, provided with the Z-Scan. The image sequences were processed to automatically reconstruct the corresponding point clouds, using ZMap software, a point cloud editing tool by Menci Software.

• Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS): Using a hemispherical Surphaser Terrestrial Laser Scanner and post processing and intergradation from Surphaser to JRC Reconstructor software

• Total Station and GPS – Georeference of the collected data: During the scanning and photo process, targets were placed at the Church’s two faces to reference results on a local system and their georeference, measuring them with a Leica Viva TS11 Total Station (TS).

• Documentation of the interior of the Church: Nikon D800 camera and a Gigapan Epic Pro Panoramic Head captured the panorama of the Church’s interior space and GigaPan Stitching software for the stitching.”The lens was an AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, set at 14mm focal length. The f-stop was f/10; the shutter speed was set at 1/8. Due to the poor natural lighting of the room, the ISO setting was put to 3600. The operation took about 15 minutes per panorama. To capture the whole of the Church, 6 panoramas were acquired, to be later linked via ‘hot’ points at the connecting part of the room”

• Comparison and assessment of data

Our take

The paper is a beautiful example of cooperation and provides excellent insight into digital heritage documentation concisely and detailedly. We tried to include all the equipment and software used to offer an in-depth look at the process and get others inspired to learn and apply heritage digitisation.

I want to learn more: Documenting Architectonic Heritage in Conflict Areas - The case of Saint Marina Church, Derynia, Cyprus- Authors: Sorin Hermon, Franco Nicolucci, Kyriaki Yiakoupi, Alexia Kolosova, Giancarlo Iannone, Marina Faka, Panagiotis Kyriacou, Virginia Niccolucci

The Cyprus Institute, Science and Technology in Archaeology Research Centre (STARC), Nicosia, Cyprus

PIN, University of Florence, Italy

3D-ICONS

3D-ICONS: 3d Digitisation of Icons of European Architectural and Archaeological Heritage

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Periegesis: Pausanias’s works going digital

Periegesis is a research project aiming to analyse from Pausanias’s work “Periegesis Hellados”(Description of Greece) the spatial (re)imagining of Greece, using digital tools to annotate the text and eventually create a visualise it with digital mapping tools.

©Manuscript of Pausanias’ Description of Greece Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana [Public domain]

Pausanias work serves for centuries as a guide through Greece with descriptions of places, objects and giving a thorough narrative of space and time.

Humlab at Umeå University extracts heritage data by uploading Pausanias’s ten books to the local Umeå server’s Recogito (http://recogito.humlab.umu. se) to curate the document as a database with the digital conversion and rendering of the spatial narrative of greek monuments and artefacts. The annotation aims:

• “identify different entities (places, people, or events) within the text;

• trace the relations between places and objects in space;

• and describe those relations as either topographic (a place in space, as Pausanias moves through the landscape), chronotopic (a place in time, as Pausanias moves through the history of a particular place/building/ statue), or analogic (places compared, as Pausanias relates one place to another in a different part of the world).”

Digital cartography and geographic information systems are widely used in heritage management. Digital mapping tools will visualise the annotated text with multi-layered spatial configurations, showing the landscape

of Pausania’s Greece with “ the movement (and transformation) of places and peoples in the contested environment of individual places”, and analyse their interactions over time. The research questions addressed:

• “How does a study of movement and transformation as a dynamic, geographic visualization diversify our understanding Hellenic space and its people?

• How do literary constructions of place and space, cultural memory and present time intersect?

• How can we productively disrupt traditional cartographic representation, so that geographical knowledge can be plotted and explored through action, influence and memory rather than by topography alone?

• How do we build the literacies for reading such unfamiliar, experimental interfaces?”

Our take

Periegesis is an ambitious and unique project that will offer a fresh way of presenting heritage. Pausanias’s books have been the source for archaeologists and researchers as a guide to greek heritage and culture. Taking the existing narrative into a visual map will change the game of digital heritage maps, and be an inspiration for other literature on travel to be visualised. For example let’s imagine together, Plato’s Politeia as a visual journey (independently if Atlantis exists) or to a more contemporary or EM Forster’s guide to Alexandria.

I want to learn more:

Periegesis

Get an inside look to their process within Virtual Heritage: A Guide or their Publications

Coding for the Many, Transforming Knowledge for All: Annotating Digital Documents

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Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara

“Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara” is a digital archaeology project by Elaine A. Sullivan, using 3D technologies to examine the archaeological site of Saqqara, Egypt. Interpreting the site at a human level by examining the impact built and environmental changes on burial rituals at the temple. The project portrays the site’s evolution and mobility through time, challenging the view of heritage as static.

The entire project is available online with a detailed analysis of the site and practices in ancient Egypt as well as archaeological landscapes and 3d technologies. Exploring the website you get an in-depth look into the site’s development over the ages, rituals, symbolism, funerary landscapes in Egypt, and many more topics, to explore and ponder over.

The entire project is available online with a detailed analysis of the site and practices in ancient Egypt as well as archaeological landscapes and 3d technologies. Exploring the website you get an in-depth look into the site’s development over the ages, rituals, symbolism, funerary landscapes in Egypt, and many more topics, to explore and ponder over.

Furthermore, the technical aspects of 3d technologies and digital archaeology are detailed through several chapters. The information and access to the 3D models are free and available to the public and researchers to explore and advance through 3 D Model Downloads and Full Metadata & Paradata . Access to information and knowledge in heritage management and other sectors is imperative to both the advancement of the field and education.

This project is commendable for not only open access but also for its presentation. The project earned the Archeological Institutes of America Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology for 2022.

Our take

Exploring “Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara” was a magnificent experience for us as many of the research projects and papers we come across are rarely as well and coherently presented. We got to learn more about the fascinating part of ancient Egypt and a comprehensive understanding of the technology surrounding the project.

Whether you love archaeology, egyptology or 3d- modelling, this project is a marvellous read.

I want to learn more:

Elaine A. Sullivan Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara

Our selection of passages

Saqqara Through Space and Time Graffiti and Visitation of Royal and Elite Tombs Archaeological Landscapes and 3D Technologies Model Visualization Choices: Construction and Design Issues

Video -View inside the Saqqara 3D model, with observer virtually walking and observing with the camera at adult human eye level; screencast created in VSim

Announcing the 2022 Award Winners- AIA

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Constructing the Sacred:

A museum you can visit today: Museum of Contemporary Emotions

Take a short visit through your/our recent past

Our take

We recommend you experience it rather than writing about it.

I want to learn more:

Museum of Contemporary Emotions

Museum Next has an excellent piece about it : Museum of Contemporary Emotions launched as virtual coping mechanism for pandemic

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Wellbeing

Archaeology as Therapy

The paper “Archaeology as Therapy: Connecting Belongings, Knowledge, Time, Place, and Well-Being “expresses that participatory archaeology practices improve individual and community well-being. Published in 2017, the paper describes the Stó:l ō, S’ólh Téméxw (Our World) case and the Stolish model, an indigenous model of community health.

Cultural stress and dissonance have a close association with the well-being of an individual and community, transcendent to their cultural identity and continuity.

Coast Salish Musqueam FirstNation, Muntean et al. (2015:1) apply the Hun’qumyi’num’ termˀeleẃḱw to emphasize “the continuity of intangible forms of knowledge that are intrinsically connected to belongings” as opposed to “artefacts” or “objects .”Belongings“ even as fragments . . . connect contemporary Musqueam people to their ancestors and theirsnǝẃeyǝt(teachings received since childhood)”(Muntean et al. 2015:1)

The paper revolves around temporality, a non-linear understanding of time and space contrary to western perception. Cyclical time perception allows for a cohesive connection with the past, present and future,identity and worldview. Interconnectivity is a psychological process. Moreover, both psychology and archaeology revolve around the notions of self, identity, connectedness and continuity. Applying this methodology and thinking to archaeology, therapists and archaeologists acquire a shared toolkit.

In-depth

The paper presents 3 cases that reveal the impact of archaeology and heritage on well-being:

Case 1: Klehkwahnnohm Bay, Tla’amin—John Louieon the Excavation of Authenticity

Archaeologists and Tla’amin First Nation discussed and formed joined projects of stewardship, education and excavation at Klehkwahnnohm Bay.

An archaeological excavation in practice uncovers ground layers; further digging on the earth reveals older historical objects and structures. Two visual examples (not heritage management examples) of this process are:

• Schliemann’s excavations in search of Homer’s Troy meant excavating beneath all the layers of the ancient city to find the specific period (destroying the specific version of Troy in the process)

• Syntagma Metro Station, Athens, Greece, where a wall section demonstrates burials through the different periods of habitation

In the Tla’amin case, the uncovering of accumulated material layers during the excavation is parallel and metaphorical to colonial processes of identity formation, as the indigenous artefacts are buried beneath the colonial presence. In this context, the archaeological excavation serves as a therapeutic exercise for the self and community.

Case 2: Lower Elwha Klallam, Tse-Whit-Zen Site, Port Angeles, Washington—from Catastropheto Transformation Construction works for a dock at Port Angeles (without detailed impact studies or consultation with Lower Elwha Klallam) led to the (re)discovery of a village and cemetery. The archaeological research and practice, in this case, drew emphasis to cultural identity and was a therapeutic process for the community.

The T’xwelátse granite figure for the Washington Burke Museum was “Object 152”, an archaeological artefact, for the Stó:l ō is a living being in stone form, an ancestor named T’xwelátse who was transformed by Xexá:ls (the Trans-formers) as part of the process of“making the world right”(McHalsie, Schaepe, and Carlson 2001).

The repatriation of T’xwelátse is an example of healing from a material connection to the past. A different approach to archaeology and heritage management derives from the personal accounts of participants and their unique worldview. The Stó:l ō have a cyclical perception of time, which creates a strong sense of place. Cultural geography is equivalent to the self hence the cultural landscape is part of the identity and community.

Case 3: Stó:l ō, S’ólh Téméxw (Our World), Southwestern British Columbia—the Repatriation of Stone T’xwelátse and Transformative Healing

© Archaeology as Therapy: Connecting Belongings, Knowledge, Time, Place, and Well-Being (with Comments and Reply)

Tangible heritage is the embodiment of intangible elements, encompassing dark heritage and informing the self and identity.

Our take,

Archaeology and Psychology deal with identity from an individual to a community in the past and present. Unifying the practices and methodologies that transcend linear barriers can positively impact the well being of the community, especially for indigenous archaeology projects, as the paper demonstrates. We recommend you read the publication in full as it is beneficial to us all given that culture is a significant part of our identities individually and as a whole.

I want to learn more:

Archaeology as Therapy: Connecting Belongings, Knowledge, Time, Place, and Well-Being (with Comments and Reply) by David Schaepe, Bill Angelbeck, David Snook and John R. Welch (If you have the time: the referenced materials are also very good reads)

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. 1996.Choosing to live: special report on suicide among aboriginal people. Ottawa, ON: Canada Communications Group

Discourses We Live By Narratives of Educational and Social Endeavour by Hazel R. Wright and Marianne Høyen (eds) (21). Decolonizing and Indigenizing Discourses in a Canadian Context

A Consideration of Theory, Principles and Practice in Collaborative Archaeology by George Nicholas, Joe Watkins

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Our related articles:

Public Archaeology: our way to go

Participatory Archaeology: common roadblocks

Participatory mapping in heritage

Shaping cultural landscape identity: a new method

Public Space Architecture: capture communal identity Place or Space: The site and the great outdoors

Heritage, Health and Wellbeing Report

Heritage is at the core of society being a bond for identity and inclusiveness. COVID-19 and the multiple lockdowns created several personal “bubbles” separating us from life as parts of the broader society

Heritage, Health and Wellbeing Report by Heritage Alliance sets heritage as an imperative need for COVID-19 recovery. The report showcases the multiple beneficial effects of heritage, promotes best practices and local community engagement.

On our way to normalcy, heritage is a fundamental part of our wellbeing; this report highlights for heritage institutions to promote wellbeing, building on the Heritage Alliance’s 2017 Heritage Debate - Is Heritage Good For Your Health?

The report features three sections explaining heritage relation to wellbeing, case studies, challenges and recommendations based on the UK findings:

1. “A brief overview of the intersection between heritage and wellbeing and the work that has been completed to date, and a summary of our findings.

2. A set of case studies to illustrate the huge amount of work taking place that promotes wellbeing across the heritage sector.

3. A series of recommendations for the heritage sector, the health and care sector, and government to properly celebrate and embrace the role heritage can play in boosting wellbeing.”

The report is thorough and easy to read with key observations and examples applicable outside the UK. Our favourite:

Alexandra Palace: Wild in the Park

Exploring the individual creativity of youth and environmental learning. Check out: Wild in the Park 1: Dens

Human Henge: walking with intent in ancient landscapes

Walking the Stone Henge in a diverse group in ten weekly three-hour sessions. Check out: Human Henge Online

Sensory Palaces at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP)

A programme addressing the wellbeing of individuals with dementia.

Connecting through Craft Skills at Seventeen Nineteen

Learning traditional crafting skills.

Breaking Ground Heritage (BGH)

Promoting wellbeing in several projects.

Worcester Life Stories: Bringing local people together through shared stories of the City of Worcester

A platform coproducing with the locals’ knowledge and memories in Worcester City.

Recommendations

• “Embed wellbeing into your organisation

• Build-in evaluation from the start

• Understand the power of partnerships

• Work with the local community

• Engage with the intended audience from the outset to shape the project”

The report is valuable for both the heritage and health and care sectors. Within the document, you can find inspiration for activities and collaborations for wellbeing and heritage projects. Local community involvement plays a vital role in such projects and offers sustainability for cultural organisations.

I want to learn more:

Heritage, Health and Wellbeing Report

The Heritage Alliance

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Museums, museum professionals and Covid-19: 3 ICOM report

ICOM has produced 3 reports over the course of this pandemic with surveys and guidelines monitoring the sector.

• The number of museum employees being laid off gradually increases, with freelance professionals continuing to struggle as well.

• Thankfully the percentage of Museums in threat of permanent closure has decreased from 12% to 4%.

• While during 2020-2021 we saw plenty innovations from museums in alternative programming and generating income, a staggering 59% state they have not experimented with new fundraising strategies.

•

• Conservation of heritage efforts seems to continue normally for the vast majority, however there is concern for environmental control and crime preventions systems.

The report details those aspects and shares the feedback and implications of the participants’ responses giving a clear insight on the state of the cultural sector. For example:

I want to learn more:

Museums, museum professionals !and Covid-19: third survey

1st Survey: Museums, museum professionals and COVID-19

2nd Follow-up survey: the impact of COVID-19 on the museum sector

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Report Culture in Crisis impacts of Covid-19 on the UK cultural sector and where we go from here

“Culture in Crisis: impacts of Covid-19 on the UK cultural sector and where we go from here” is a report by the Centre for Cultural Value, published in 2022 and produced over 15 months with over 230 interviews and shared to inform the cultural sector and its practices.

“Three key findings:

• Audiences: While the shift to digital transformed cultural experiences for those already engaged with cultural activities, it failed to diversify cultural audiences.

• Workforce: The UK’s cultural sector is undoubtedly at an inflection point and facing imminent burnout alongside significant skills and workforce gaps.

• Organisations: In light of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter, many cultural organisations reevaluated their purpose and their relevance to local communities, which was complemented by increased local engagement.”

The executive summary remarks:

• A lack of organised public health and safety guidance.

• The importance of the role of freelancers in the sector and the lack of work opportunities.

• Therefore, the cultural workforce faced the loss of jobs and challenges to overcome the increased workload.

• Networks and cross-sector collaborations are a vital support to the sector.

• During the pandemic, touring exhibitions were diminished, an issue that needs to be addressed to ensure rural and smaller communities gain access to cultural goods.

• An increase in local tourism due to the travel restrictions posed a new outlook with “The importance of the cultural and creative sectors to animate and stimulate night-time economies and town and city centre high streets was keenly felt...”

• Digital services and goods are not as effective in broadening and diversifying the audiences.

Our take

We recommend you read the report’s Executive Summary and the Report as it gives a concise and insightful look into the cultural sector. Fascinating are the results from the cultural workforce as it showcases the struggle for professionals during the pandemic. When we think of a museum or a heritage site, we think of it as an organisation rather than the group of people who run it and face extreme pressure to offer cultural service during the pandemic. While the pandemic helped heritage engage with digital technologies, achieving these goals requires expertise outside the regular training of heritage professionals. Furthermore, digital services are not as appealing as they appear to be in terms of audience engagement. The report is very informative for professionals and the public giving a great in-depth look in the entirety of the culture sector operations.

I want to learn more:

Culture in Crisis: impacts of Covid-19 on the UK cultural sector and where we go from here by Ben Walmsley, Centre for Cultural Value, Abigail Gilmore, Dave O’Brien, Anne Torreggiani

Executive summary - Full report

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TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure

TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure is the 2022 edition of the American Alliance of Museums forecasting report dedicated to museum professionals. The report is free to download, while focused on the United States, makes the case of why museums are paramount to society.

Specifically, setting five pillars of their contributions to the community:

• Education for our children

• Livable communities for our elders

• Mental health

• Emergency response in the face of disasters

• A human-centred culture of sustainability Within the report, you can find the introduction of each pillar, critical questions, challenges and the response from the museums and society, framework for action and examples of museums, as well as resources.

The frameworks for action and examples are applicable universally for museums outside the states with several links to follow and learn more.

Furthermore, the report helps advocate for museums presenting very well their relevance and need in society, which are not always appreciated around the world.

We recommend downloading and sharing the document as it has value beyond the museum sector and the USA, at the policy level and for individuals not familiar with museums and their value.

I want to learn more:

TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure 2022

@futureofmuseums on Twitter

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Exhibition Reviews

Review: Vision & Virtuosity

By: Tiffany & Co

Duration: 10 June - 19 August 2022

Location: Saatchi Gallery , London

Vision & Virtuosity is an exhibition that captures the 185-year history and heritage of Tiffany & Co. Spread over two floors at the Saatchi Gallery and categorised into seven thematic chapters. It features over 400 items, from magical window displays to exquisite jewellery and archival materials. An immersive experience of innovation and craftsmanship that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the London flagship.

Upon entering the gallery, chapter one brings visitors face to face with the brand’s creativity. Recreations of the most iconic window displays spread across one side of the room and a projection of the New York Skyline at night on the other. Dimmed lights and sparkling reflections make the room seem like something out of a fairytale. Each display is carefully curated in what seems like a large gift box with a glass window.

So carefully thought out and imaginative, with a theatrical sense of storytelling. For example, the Blue Moon (2022) display of Bird on a Rock Brooch by Jean Schlumberger. A gold and platinum bird, set with diamonds on the body and pink-sapphire eyes perched on a 59-carat bold blue gemstone; displayed at the top of the Palace of Westminster alongside the clock of Big

© A. Papaonisiforou, Saatchi Gallery

Chapter two dives into various jewellery designs and objects, like sports trophies and a cocktail set. It also includes one of the first-ever blue boxes from 1886 next to displays of archival material like magazine covers and design sheets pinned on boards. Chapter three is about the tradition of the direct-mail annual catalogue, otherwise known as the blue book. It initially presented decorative objects, some of which are on show in this room, and how it evolved into the prestigious jewellery collection known today. A walk through the history of Tiffany leads to chapter four and the engagement rings display. A light blue room with a floral installation hanging from the ceiling and an interactive wall for visitors to write love messages that float around. This fairytale-themed room captures the magic of the legendary Tiffany Setting engagement rings and the cultural influence this modern design had on the world. The diamonds are lifted off the band to maximise the reflecting lights. This section ends with a room that resembles a store appointment room where visitors have the opportunity to try on rings and enjoy the Tiffany experience.

The sixties classic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s is brought to light in chapter five of the exhibition. Archival items from the making of the movie are on display, including the original script annotated by Audrey Hepburn and the black satin Givenchy dress. The film played a significant role for Tiffany in a pop culture setting and adds a cinematic element to the show.

© A. Papaonisiforou, Saatchi Gallery

Ben, overlooking the river bridge with a twinkling moonlight reflection that comes to life on the water surface.

Chapter six brings an impressive collection of archival diamond designs, including the 80-carat Empire Diamond on the reimagined World’s Fair Necklace. The exhibition ends with chapter seven and the largest yellow diamond in the world. The 100-carat Tiffany Diamond necklace shown in the centre of an empty room in a dramatic and glamorous setting. In this room, visitors also have the opportunity to experience ‘wearing’ the necklace in an augmented reality feature that is accessible via Tiffany & Co app. In partnership with Snapchat, the Snap AR experience elevates this exhibition. Also, Snapchat users can catch a glimpse of the show with a selection of Lenses in the app, including one that features Bird on a Rock flying around you.

© A. Papaonisiforou, Saatchi Gallery

Our Take

It is one of the most mesmerising exhibitions to come to London. An educational journey of jewellery design, history and pop culture in a dreamy setting. The display of relics, modern designs and augmented reality all in one truly showcases the best of Tiffany & Co. ...And it makes a hell of a marketing campaign.

I want to learn more:

Vision & Virtuosity by Tiffany & Co.

The New Tiffany & Co. Exhibition

Snap AR adds a new facet to Tiffany & Co.’s Iconic Jewelry on our patreon page

© A. Papaonisiforou, Saatchi Gallery

Review: POWER UP

Duration: 2 April - 6 June 2022

Location: Science Museum

Power-up is a fully interactive gaming exhibition that features 160 console and video games from the last fifty years. It’s located at the Basement Gallery of the Science Museum and is sectioned based on game categories. Alongside the exhibition, Science Museum offers workshops and activities, including familyfriendly or adult-only gaming sessions.

© A. Papaonisiforou, Science Museum

The exhibition is a well-thought and inclusive gaming event. It targets all types of gaming fans (of all ages) and celebrates our gaming heritage with a bang. Unlike the majority of the objects within the museum, the gaming consoles are not perfectly lit or behind glass or barriers. They are out in the open, on desks that take over the entire space, inviting players to use them. Visitors can play their way through the history of consoles, from Binatone and Atari to PlayStation and Xbox models and witness first-hand the evolution of console design. You can also compare gaming graphics and storylines between different versions of the games like Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog. The exhibition offers the opportunity to explore new games, including virtual reality, and rediscover childhood games.

This year marks the fifth time the show returns to the museum, and rumours have it becoming a permanent feature in the future. Judging by how

popular the events have been through the years, this might be one of the best features of the museum!

Our take

Power Up is an extraordinary display of iconic games and a physical timeline of consoles through the decades. The exhibition is a great way to learn and explore the technology and cultural influences behind video gaming history. It is also a giant arcade and a great way to have fun!

I want to learn more:

History of the handheld games console

Power UP

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© A. Papaonisiforou, Science Museum

Review: Van Gogh: SelfPortraits

Duration: 3 Feb - 8 May 2022 The Courtauld Gallery

Curated by: Dr Karen Serres

In partnership with: Morgan Stanley

As the title implies, the exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery is a collection of eighteen portraits by Vincent Van Gogh, brought together from renowned worldwide art collections. There are thirty-five paintings and two drawings of Van Gogh’s self-portraits that still exist today, and sixteen of them are curated together for the first time in this exhibition.

The collection explores Van Gogh’s creative style through a range of genres. There are visible renditions of realism, pointillism and impressionism throughout.

Surprisingly the exhibition starts with a realistic painting, Self-portrait with Felt Hat (1886/7) and two study drawings, Self Portraits (1887). The show continues with fourteen self-portraits in his characteristic creative style, including the iconic Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) from the Courtauld’s collection. On the wall leading to the exit, the exhibition ends with the Portrait of Eugene Boch (1988), which shows a softer painterly approach when compared to his self-portraits, next to Van Gogh’s Chair (1888/89) that stands as a symbolic self-portrait. The paintings are positioned at eye level and in line within the space.

These works were all created in the last few years before his death in 1890, at thirty-seven years old. The Spring of 86 and the Fall of 89. Each artwork portrays his personal development and mental health at the time. Even though they are very recognisable with his trademarked features, they differ in many ways.

The display runs across the two rooms of the new spaces of Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries. On the top floor of the Courtauld Gallery and through the LVMH Great Room. The location could not be more fitting for such a high profile exhibition. The Great Room is the oldest exhibition space in London and houses Courtauld’s collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces. The newly renovated 18th-century gallery rooms, spiral staircases and vaulted basement cellar are full of history and great significance and solely devoted to art.

Our take

Even though the exhibition is small in scale, it is very striking. It is an exhibition of inescapable displays of emotions that narrate a story of self-representation and mental struggles. The viewer is faced with sixteen different versions or emotions of Van Gough staring back at them that relate with the artist’s emotions. Feeling the intensity in Van Gogh’s piercing green eyes from each self-portrait following the spectator around the space, we could not help but wonder what he was going through during each portrait. Art transcends the artist’s self in its entirety through time, allowing audiences to share the experience and connect with them.

I want to learn more:

Van Gogh. Self-Portraits

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© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022, The Courtauld Gallery

Review: Francis Bacon: Man and Beast

Duration: 29 January – 17 April 2022

Location: Royal Academy of Arts London

Curated by: Michael Peppiatt

The Royal Academy starts the 2022 exhibition programme with Francis Bacon: Man and Beast. Bacon was one of the most influential painters of the twentieth century, mostly known for his figurative paintings. As the title suggests, this exhibition focuses on his animalistic paintings, exploring the relationship between man and animal.

The exhibition is a collection of forty-six paintings that depict raw expressions of anxiety and primal instinct, spanning over a fifty-year career. Starting with Crucifixion (1933), a Picasso-like image that was his first successful painting, and ending with the last ever painting he created, Study of a Bull (1991). The paintings capture figures in motion, with gestural brushstrokes and splatters of distorted and blurred forms. Some are a combination of human and animal parts that are barely recognisable, and others are images of screams and animal cries that seem compelling and unsettling at the same time. Bacon’s perspective is a view of humanity that

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022, Royal Academy of Arts London

is very difficult to look at. The brutality of the subject matter is emphasised by the dark blues and reds on the walls. Not to mention the grand and dimmed spaces of the Royal Academy give an even more dramatic effect.

There are nine rooms in the exhibition, all beautifully curated but equally shocking. Each one of the rooms narrates a story that leads to the next. The last three rooms include six complete triptychs, not including the three Study for Bullfight no.1 (1969), no.2 (1969) and no.3 (1990) shown together for the first time. Displayed in the central hall of the Burlington House, a hexagon-shaped room, the three paintings are spread around strategically and surround you with the anxious and tormenting scene of the bullfight. Existential anguish is transferred from the artist to the observer through such violent and beastly manipulation of the human form.

Our take:

It is an extraordinary experience to see the unique process of Francis Bacon in this light and so many of his paintings in one show. Especially since most of the works are loans from private collections.

The exhibition is a collection of painterly expressions of raw emotion and trauma, an insight into Bacon’s cynical mind. I felt surrounded by loud and powerful artworks that made me feel uneasy and vulnerable; this eerie feeling was a constant throughout the entire exhibition.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022, Royal Academy of Arts London

At the end of the day, what is art if it does not evoke an emotional response? Francis Bacon: Man and Beast is a mustsee exhibition!

I want to learn more:

Francis Bacon: Man and Beast

13 things to know about Francis Bacon

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Review: Francis Bacon: Man and Beast

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022, Royal Academy of Arts London

Review: Eternalising Art History: From Da Vinci to Modigliani

Remember when we talked about NFTs?

Duration: 16 February – 19 March 2022

Location: Unit, London

In partnership with:

• Cinello

• Pinacoteca di Brera (Milan),

• Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta di Parma (Parma),

• Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Milan)

• Uffizi Gallery (Florence)

Eternalising Art History is an exhibition of NFT versions of six Italian masterpieces, the first of three NFT exhibition series at Unit gallery in London.

The NFTs on display are created on the Blockchain by Cinello, with the partnership of the four Italian institutions to which the original works belong. The artworks were digitised in 2021, using web3 technology and marketed as DAW® (Digital Art Work). Displayed on ultra HD LED screens of 1:1 scale and framed in exact replicas of the original frames, created by restorers in Tuscany.

The exhibition begins with Da Vinci’s Head of a Woman (1492-1501) from the Complesso Monumentale Della Pilotta by the entrance.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022,

It consists of only one rather dark room, with the works displayed on prompted fake walls within the space. The remaining five works are Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch (1506) from the Uffizi Gallery, Hayez’s The Kiss (1896), Modigliani’s Head of a Young Lady (1915), both from the Pinacoteca di Brera, Caravaggio’s Bowl of Fruit, (1597-1600) and Da Vinci’s Portrait of a Musician, (1490), both from Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

Each DAW is a digital limited edition of nine. It consists of the Ethereum NFT displayed on a framed screen, as seen at the exhibition, with a built-in computer, a wallet address and a private key for each customer. They also come with a digital and physical Certificate of Authenticity signed by the museums’ directors and Cinello. What makes this interesting is that 50% of profits go towards the conservation for each piece

It looks like museums have found a way to monetise digital art and connect physical experiences with virtual. A revolution for museum loans! It increases public engagement by presenting the works to a new audience and making the artworks more accessible, without any transportation risks. Masterpieces that could not travel internationally for their preservation can now be displayed anywhere.

The exhibition is quite a cultural experience, with a very fitting title. A display of artworks curated together that could not otherwise happen.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022, Unit, London

The NFTs capture every little detail of the original paintings in ultra-high resolution. In essence, digitising them does eternalise them. It’s clear that they are digital copies and not the original, but I was still amazed by them.

Not to mention the effect the replica frames add. The frames alone are magnificent pieces of art. It is a great way to re-introduce old masters and artistic heritage and a presentation of the rapid evolution of digital art and cultural innovation.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2022, Unit, London

Review: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

Review: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

Duration: 18 May 2021 – 12 June 2022

Location: Tate Modern, London

Curated by Frances Morris and Katy Wan

Starting at the basics: Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist (b.1929) widely known for artworks filled with polka dot patterns. Whether it is paintings, sculptures, installations or even performance art, it’s all about the dots. She first became internationally recognised during the 1960s New York avant-garde scene, now, is one of the best-selling female artists and an art pioneer of the 21st century. For those not familiar with her work, it’s worth noting that Kusama’s creative intuition manifested from childhood hallucinations and her obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The exhibition:

Located on Level 4 of the Blavatnik Building, the exhibition spreads over two rooms.

The first room starts with a brief introduction and photographs of Kusama’s life, which lead to the other side of the room and towards a reflective cube sculpture with colourful seethrough dots on a glass stand, called The Universe as Seen from the Stairway to Heaven (2021). Its small scale makes it the perfect introduction to Infinity Rooms. A simple structure on the outside, with infinite reflections of people looking in surrounded by dots on the inside.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2021. Infinity Mirror Rooms, Tate Modern, London

Review: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

The second room of the exhibition includes two smaller temporary rooms that house the two Infinity Mirror Rooms. The Chandelier of Grief (2016/2018), a rotating crystal chandelier with flickering lights hanging from above surrounded by mirrors and the Infinity Mirrored Room - Filled with the Brilliance of Life (2011/2017), a mirrored room with a zig-zag walkway over a shallow pool of water filled with tiny dots of multicoloured flickering LED lights.

The exterior white walls of the Infinity Rooms blend in with the interior white wall aesthetic of Tate’s galleries and compliment the experience of entering the rooms as a whole. Visitors are only allowed to enter each room in groups of 4 for only 2 minutes at a time, which means people are queuing for a brief 30 seconds per visitor per room. Despite the limitations on time, you can queue as many times as you can physically handle.

Alongside the Infinity Rooms, there are two separate slide projections. Walking Piece (1966) is a photographic series by Erikoh Hosoe of Kusama walking through New York City wearing a pink kimono and holding a parasol, an artistic response towards the racist anti-Japanese propaganda that followed WWII. The second projection is a documentary-style film by John Jones of Kusama in her studio surrounded by her artworks in the mid-sixties. The exhibition ends with more photographs of Kusama from the mid-sixties and her work during that period.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2021. Infinity Mirror Rooms, Tate Modern, London

Our take

Despite being delayed by the lockdown, the exhibition is quite popular! If you plan to visit, be prepared to spend more time queuing rather than inside the installations. They are definitely worth the wait if you love immersive environments of endless reflections and infinite space that create the feeling of self-obliteration.

An enchanting spatial experience that completely submerges you.

The installations have rightfully become a worldwide museum craze and quite the social media sensation. Raising the question, are museums displaying the Infinity Rooms because they are phenomenal works of art or are they taking advantage of the social media crowds they attract to raise visitor numbers?

I want to learn more:

Tate Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

An Introduction to Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama: Obsessed with Polka Dots

Wepresent- Yes, but why? Yayoi Kusama

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© A. Papaonisiforou. 2021. Infinity Mirror Rooms, Tate Modern, London

Review: Home Galleries and Rooms Through Time

Duration: Permanent display

Location: Museum of the Home, London

The Museum of the Home, previously known as the Geffrye Museum, has recently reopened, since its closure in 2018, featuring an £18million upgrade and redeveloped spaces. Situated in almshouses built three centuries ago, in East London, it has come a long way from the straightforward 20th-century furniture museum it once was. It houses a collection of around 40,000 domestic objects and archives that explores the idea of home beyond furniture design.

Rooms Through Time Then:

Rooms Through Time before the renovations consisted of a very long hallway that connected ten replica rooms, each frozen at different points in time. It was a simple chronological display of domestic life and how it evolved in the last four centuries.

I once visited the museum as a university student back in 2010. Despite the initial amazement of such an unusual museum, all I could remember 11 years down the line was the very squeaky floorboards and the mouldy smell lingering in all the rooms. It felt like walking through an old and abandoned section of IKEA showrooms. Even though the main focus was educational

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2021. The Museum of the Home

purposes, it offered very little visitor interaction. The only available learning tools were the very descriptive labels in each room that drew attention to the architectural / furniture design and use.

Now:

I was glad to see the long hallway of the Rooms Through Time had not only been preserved but upgraded during the renovations. New labels with tales from people’s everyday life replaced the descriptive ones. A new museum with a new focus based on storytelling.

Each room tells a story from the past; that may as well be true, focusing on home life rather than the lifeless objects on display. Having stories to read supported by various props in each room created a quite theatrical environment for the visitor’s imagination to play over.

Home Galleries

The new gallery spaces called Home Galleries continue the theme of people’s life stories and dive into human experiences in their homes. A collection of historical accounts of the past depicted in paintings and other objects of heritage significance, alongside photographs and testimonies of more contemporary stories that make the Documenting Homes programme. Such a unique and diverse way to invite more people to participate in the museum.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2021. The Museum of the Home

Their latest project, called Stay Home, is all about the effects of the pandemic on our home lives, and you can take part by sharing your personal experience here

Collected material will expand the Documenting Homes Archive for future digital and physical exhibitions as well as research. Check out their collections policy to learn more about the project and your personal submission.

The current display of cultural and personal identity creates an emotional connection through all its categories:

• How we make our homes

• How we look after our homes

• How we relax and spend time at home

A significant amount of interactive objects and displays support the theme of storytelling. Objects placed with a sign ‘please touch’. An array of interactive games, most of which are digital. All related to the stories in each room and creating artistic projects and learning activities for kids and adults. Despite the strict Covid-19 safety measures, it was a fun and welcoming experience.

© A. Papaonisiforou. 2021. The Museum of the Home

Our take

The Museum of the Home is not your typical museum. It’s a place that engages the community through exhibitions, events, research and debates. The new and renovated spaces provide better access for the public, including the gardens and the onsite library. In my eyes, the museum successfully met its aim of exploring the meaning of home through diversity. This engagement with cultural heritage and personal human histories made me question the meaning of home. My the home. Personal stories make a structure of a building can. So, what

Exhibition Review: The Making of Rodin

Duration: 18 May – 21 November 2021

Location: Tate Modern, London

Organised by: Tate Modern and Musée Rodin, Paris

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) is a French sculptor considered to be the father of modern sculpture as we know it today. Inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art, he is known for his complex bronze and marble sculptures that capture movement and emotions. Popular examples of his work include The Kiss (1882), The Thinker (1903) and The Gates of Hell (1890).

Exhibition introduction

The Making of Rodin, currently on display at Tate Modern, features over 200 artworks spread over 8 rooms, the main focus being plaster models rather than the finished marble and bronze products you would normally see. Most of these works are on loan from the Musée Rodin in Paris and have never been displayed outside France.

© A. Papaonisiforou. The Kiss, Tate Modern

Plaster casts are more of a transitional medium and only represent a fraction of the sculpture making process, between drawing or clay modelling and bronze castings or marble carvings. They offer an insight into Rodin’s making and creative thought process.

Each sculpture is positioned in such a way that offers a 360 eye-level view that feels quite personal. The viewer is exposed to the vulnerability and fragility of plaster as a raw and messy material. In contrast to Tate’s contemporary ‘white cube’ aesthetic of clean white and bright rooms. The collection’s display feels like the artist’s studio, emphasising that the making process is as empowering as the finished work.

Display breakdown

The exhibition begins with a display of Tate’s acquisition of The Kiss (1882), one of three full-scale marble versions created, situated just outside the main entry of the temporary exhibition. Upon entering Room 1, you are greeted by the very life-like bronze sculpture of a Belgian soldier called The Age of Bronze (1877), for which Rodin was accused of cheating when it was first exhibited due to how realistic it was. This infuriated him and led to vast experimentations with exaggerated proportions and distorted anatomy that later on became his trademark.

Rodin used the traditional sculpting process creating multiple copies of each artwork. A mass-production system that gave him the means to break them apart and put them back together in different arrangements and studies, perfectly expressed within Room 2. Curated to resemble the exhibition at the Pavillon de l’Alma in Paris in 1900, which Rodin organised himself, it consists of selected sculpture variations like The Thinker (1903) and Balzac (1898), alongside archival photographs demonstrating the creative aspect of repetition and reproduction.

© A. Papaonisiforou. Tate Modern

In an attempt to explore and expose the intriquette dynamics between the artist and his models, Room 3 is a brief display of female figures’ drawings in movement. Room 4 is a collection of works of models Ohta Hisa (Hanako) and Helene Von Nostitz née Hindenburg. In contrast, Room 5 revolves around the artist’s collaboration with Camille Claudel as a model or regularly described, his muse, as well as a sculptor herself. It’s no secret that a factory-style production of sculptures like The Gates of Hell required a team of assistants; with whom Claudel was heavily involved.

At this stage of the exhibition, you come face to face with just how many productions and reproductions of individual body parts were created for a single finished work. Rodin liked to call them ‘giblets’, drawers upon drawers filled with small crafted limbs and heads made out of plaster, an endless supply of parts that could make for any pose intended. Room 6 displays this on an even larger scale with The Burghers of Calais (1889) and the ‘extra’ hand-cast displays initially made for it. Rooms 7 and 8 demonstrate more examples of fragmentation and repetition almost in a 3-dimensional collage manner proving that none of his works constitutes unique individual artworks.

Overall impressions

The exhibition The Making of Rodin is the first exhibition at Tate Modern to open since lockdown was lifted. Supported by the EY Tate Arts Partnership through the pandemic and following the new safety regulations, it offers limited visitors at a time a unique experience.If you are anything like us, you get to appreciate the small number of visitors in each room and get to experience the exhibition without being overwhelmed by large crowds.

© A. Papaonisiforou. Tate Modern

Visiting galleries post-pandemic feels like a new experience on its own, taking your time exploring without the need to peek through people just to get a glimpse of an artwork or feel like you need to rush through a display. Not to mention the one-way route system ensures you do not miss anything and get to view the show the way the curators intended following a specific storyline.

Our take

There is no doubt Rodin is an extraordinary artist with very out of the box ideas for his time. This exhibition, although inspiring, does little justice to his life-work, as it only focuses solely on Rodin’s way of making. A more biographical context of his body of work can be viewed at Musée Rodin in Paris, with a collection of roughly 400 artworks displayed within its galleries and gardens. The sculptures are placed in perfect harmony within the spaces of this 18th century French mansion creating quite the impact on any visitor and we definitely recommend a visit.

I want to learn more:

The EY Exhibition The Making of Rodin

Introduction to the Making of Rodin Audio Guide

© A. Papaonisiforou. Tate Modern

Visit and learn from Rab Archeological (T)races

Rab Archeological (T)races is an open-air museum in Croatia, with 30 archaeological sites interconnected through educational trails of 40km. The project offers a unique and diverse visiting experience combing heritage, hiking and mountain biking.

There are 3 trails to explore over the areas of Kampor (Trail Capo Fronte), Lopar (Trails Epario & Frux) and Supetarska Draga (Trail Frux). The Rab Archaeological (T)races mobile application accompanies visitors in navigating the island and offers several info points on the history, nature and culture. The app has guides, stories and legends, as well as educational games and extended reality. The app is available offline for a tranquil and informative visit through nature.

©Rab Archeological

Furthermore, Rab offers through the website contact information for local guides you can hire to learn more about local culture.

The history of Rab starts with Illyrians in 350 BC, followed by Romans 1st century BC, Venetians 15th century and offers fascinating stories of the island’s inhabitants and diverse heritage experiences of architecture, art, religion and history in a stunning natural landscape. Here is a list of the cultural sights you can visit in person or take one of their available virtual tours .

Our take

The project unifies several aspects of cultural and natural tourism, being a fantastic destination for families and friends and a benchmark cultural management project well deserving of 1st prize of Europa Nostra’s Walking tourism and slow travel- Synergies with cultural tourism. The sites and nature are part of the same narrative and their access is seamless with digital tools in place to guide and educate. Their work can serve as a real example of how local sites can transform their heritage promotion and tourism working together! want to learn more: patreon

©Rab Archeological (T)races

Discover 111 Places: Guidebooks

111 Places is a series of guidebooks with locations

internationally, with an emphasis on the UK, North America and Europe. They feature about 500 titles in multiple languages, notably German, Italian, English, and French. Their guides give you a local perspective and are usually cityoriented written by long-time residents.

The series published “111 Dark Places in England That You Shouldn’t Miss” by Dr Philip Stone of The Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR) We mention their work and an outline of dark heritage and dark heritage tourism in our article Dark heritage, a reintroduction. In a nutshell, dark heritage is places and objects associated with painful history or tragedy. Due to their history and association, this type of heritage does not often receive the same level of attention and care as other heritage typologies.

Dr Stone’s work as well as many initiatives in cultural sectors lead the way to popularise and improve the management and promotion of dark heritage. This guide communicates the values of dark heritage and helps discover new places outside the touristic norm.

Our take

Heritage promotion and communication is one of the main aspects of heritage management. Museums and sites are part of many tourist guides however many small museums or places of heritage significance you get to meet by living in a city. 111 places offer an insider approach to visiting places and their new series “111 Dark Places in England That You Shouldn’t Miss” presents a new avenue for dark heritage tourism, and perhaps for more heritage specific guides to come.

If you live in the UK and get a chance to visit the listed places, let us know which are your favourites!

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111 Dark Places in England That You Shouldn’t Miss

111 PLACES

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Explore religious heritage: Religiana

Religiana is a Future for Religious Heritage project promoting European religious heritage and offering practical information for visitors. Religiana features a map of buildings across Europe and multiple selections of places under categories such as “ Religious buildings that can be visited virtually”.

Religious heritage encompasses places and items related to religious practices. Religious heritage is often a fundamental piece of cultural identity worldwide, outside of belief or worship. Religious heritage often is an integral part of local communities supporting its promotion and conservation. Furthermore, within the religious context, heritage assets exhibit the most exquisite craftsmanship and offer insights and connections with our ancestors. In Europe, Religiana proposes 500,000 places “churches, chapels, synagogues, mosques, cathedral, monasteries, convents” and thousands of objects related.

The Religiana platform hosts an interactive map of religious buildings in Europe. The map showcases the importance and multitude of religious heritage in the region. By exploring the map the visitor can find information about the sites and plan their visits with ease. Moreover, people can register their buildings on the platform helping local actors to promote and safeguard their heritage.

Future for Religious Heritage, founded in 2008, is a non-profit, nonreligious, Pan European Network of heritage connections aiming to offer European citizens access to culture and heritage in Europe. They host activities, and events and offer educational outputs, as well as, projects such as SKIVRE ‘Skills Development for the Valorisation of European Religious Heritage’, Europetour improving qualifications of cultural heritage actors, and ALTERheritage with seminars creating vocational learning for religious heritage conservation and management.

Our take

The Religiana project is a fantastic resource for religious heritage promotion, making it accessible and informative for visitors. The project sets an example for local communities to get involved and promote their heritage, creating connections with existing institutions in Europe with the Future for Religious Heritage organisation’s practices.

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Religiana

Map: Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

Add your building

Inspire Me

Future for Religious Heritage

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Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen Explore the museum world form inside

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the art storage facility next to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, just opened up for the public! The depot offers a wholly new way of experiencing art and is the first institution of its kind. Visitors can access 151000 artworks and gain insight into the inner workings of conservation.

Most museum exhibitions showcase a fraction of their holdings, with the vast majority either in storage or conservation and inaccessible to the public. The display and exhibitions are curated with a specific narrative in mind that evidently cannot host the entirety of a collection.

The depot offers a unique chance to access a complete collection, available outside of the restraints of temporary exhibitions and experience the museum as a whole and the processes behind the scenes.Furthermore, researchers can now efficiently expand their work without the restraints of appointments and special access through the museum.

Currently, only 8% of the museum’s collection was on display, at the depot all objects are available organised according to the climate requirement by art movent or period from 1200 to present day. While there are no exhibitions, the depot offers guided tours to learn stories about the collection, the building architecture and enter the storage compartments.

Our take Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is surely an exciting place to visit and the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility! Meaning that, hopefully, more institutions could follow their example and create or open up their storage for the public. Moreover, this initiative changes the way we interpret a museum or exhibition visit and poses the question of what is curation

©Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

and storytelling to museum professionals and visitors. The possibilities are endless! We, at Local Approach, envision more open storage facilities for art and heritage will spring up by the major institutions or even see collectives of smaller museums joining their holdings in similar contexts!

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Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

About the Depot

Depot: a new way of visiting museums?

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©Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe

The sites are

1. Zogu Bridge –Albania

2. Récollets Convent –Belgium

3. La Butte Rouge –France

4. Stolberg –Germany

5. Neptune Baths –Romania

6. Orléans-Borbón Palace – Spain

7. Fortress –Netherlands

Europa Nostra, European Investment Bank Institute and representatives of the organisations present through a live announcement on March 29 2022 the 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe in 2022

Europa Nostra created a Flickr presentation with images of the sites that you can access here.

The 7 Most Endangered programme helps protect endangered heritage sites and monuments in Europe through the mobilisation of private and public partners from the local, national and European levels. The programme partners assist with suggestions on finding alternative functions for the sites, technical support, financial advice from the EU, public or private partners depending on the stakeholders and the site’s needs.

The programme started in 2013 with a call for nominations opening every year. You can watch last year’s webinar on how to submit a nomination on youtube and download the PowerPoint presentation here

Europa Nostra, the European Voice of Civil Society committed to Cultural and Natural Heritage, and in partnership with the European Investment Bank Institute run the programme with the support of Creative Europe.

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7 Most Endangered heritage sites 2022

Live Announcement of the 2022 List of 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe

Press releases All sites – English

7 Most Endangered Programme –Booklet

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2022 World Monuments Watch

Online webinar on March 1 2022 by the World’s Monuments Fund announcing the 25 world heritage site’s in need of immediate attention.

2022 World Monuments Watch Video Announcement

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2022 World Monuments Watch World Monuments Watch Comment on our patreon page

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Webinar: 3D reconstructions for story-telling and understanding

Topics

Dissemination Methods for 3D Historical Virtual Environments

Discussing methods of informal digital literacy with case studies of remote virtual reconstructions. Interactive storytelling in virtual worlds Educators and Guides can use interactive virtual recreations 3D environments as an additional tool within the museum school environment.

3D reconstructions for storytelling and understanding is a webinar on 17 February 2022. The webinar is organised by Katie Fernie, who also organised the webinar Using AI to monitor historic towns and landscapes: #Connecting Archaeology if you read our article AI and Satellite imagery monitor cultural landscapes

The webinar was highly informative and gave several examples of 3Dreconstruction projects and their uses, hosted by Carare,” a non profit association that brings together agencies and organisations, research institutions, specialist digital archives and others with an interest in the archaeological and architectural heritage”. Below is a summary of the webinar, which we recommend you follow.

Dissemination Methods for 3D Historical Virtual Environments

Virtual reconstructions are visual representations of research, needing:

• Academic Audit

• Expert and local knowledge

• errain survey

• Modern capture

• 3D artefacts, environmental effects etc.

Virtual reconstructions can take place at:

• The Museum environment with immersive VR displays or joint exhibitions

• Heritage sites and with walking virtual tours.

• Home, through social media, offer online virtual tours.

Have a glimpse at openvirtualworlds website.

Interactive storytelling in virtual worlds

Visual dimension: building worlds of 3d reconstructed cultural heritage and integrating intangible heritage for storytelling and gamification.

Working with real-time VR, contactless interaction, historical sites, monuments, digitisation to create an interactive virtual reality. The approach is multidisciplinary 3D reconstruction and scientific methodology to create virtual tours and interactive storytelling through object interaction.

Find out more at 4CH Project

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The video recording on CARARE’s Vimeo channel: https://vimeo. com/678728267

The slides on CARARE’s Slideshare channel: https://www.slideshare.net/ CARARE/3d-reconstructions-for-story-telling-and-understanding

3D reconstructions for story-telling and understanding

3D reconstructions for story-telling and understanding Europeana

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CC Global Summit 2021

Creative Commons is one of the leading organisations ensuring sharing and access to knowledge. The summit brings together an international community discussing culture, art, technology including derived ethical or philosophical questions.

What is “Creative Commons”?

In a nutshell: You most certainly heard or used their Creative Commons licenses and public domain tools, allowing creators and the public to have open access to information, books, images etc as well as ensure their copyrights distribution.

The annual CC Global Summit will take place virtually between 20-24 September bringing current exciting panels, topics and tutorials! Creative Commons promises a week of creativity, discussion and collaboration with their second virtual summit marking their 20th anniversary! The event offers a great program and pay-what-you-can tickets granting everyone full access.

2021 Program

The schedule is packed from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm UTC with incredible segments, guaranteeing something for everyone. Our favourites:

• Wake-up Call for Heritage at Risk

• Legal and Ethical Challenges to Sharing and Using GLAM Collections

• Flexible Approach of Learning in Inclusive Education

• Protecting Open Licenses in the EU Copyright Reform

• Sustainability Strategies for Artists and Creative Professionals: How can CC licenses help? Fátima São Simão

• Making Community Publishing Mainstream: A New Economic Model for Knowledge Production

• AI Commons: reconciling open content licensing and AI training

• CC + NFT

• How the Netherlands Accepted Online Teaching: Checklist for Choosing your Online Learning Platform

• Introducing Wikisource: The Free Digital Library

• The Value and Impact of Digital Cultural Heritage

• Hack4OpenGLAM cocreation event is back during the Summit, where professionals come together and work toward Open Access to cultural heritage.

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GLAMers: Digital transformation through youth participation

The project aims to utilise the increase in digital engagement and civic participation brought by COVID-19 into the cultural sector with the co-creation of initiatives with young audiences. GLAMers will collect good practices, advice and training, map social changes and assess digitally-enhanced activities involving youth.

“Practices of digitally mediated youth engagement in GLAMs during the pandemic” by The GLAMers EU-funded project, hosted an interactive webinar series and workshop on digital youth engagement during the pandemic through case studies and hands-on experience of experts. (Brief reminder GLAM: galleries, libraries, archives and museums)

The recoding webinar is accessible online and focuses on youth and provides information: on how to start digital initiatives, on platforms and their use, development of tactile activities for young learners and families from home, “make, share, and show” techniques to reduce isolation and highlight the creativity of the crowd”.

The project outputs:

• IO1 - Practices of digitally mediated

youth engagement for GLAMs during the pandemic.

• IO2 – Training opportunities for GLAMs to leverage their digital transformation through youth participation. (webinar and workshop)

• IO3 – Implement and assess: Cultural events by GLAMs involving youth

• IO4 – Map social change: Youth engagement for GLAM recovery

Our take

Embracing digital technologies, whether through collection digitisation or digital engagement and activities, is a must for all cultural institutions in the post-covid World. This change is not as simple as it calls for a fresh attitude in the management and internal structures of heritage institutions. GLAMers provides a valuable resource to understand the needs of young audiences, from a communication standpoint, find and learn how to use tools for digital content and activities, as well as get advice and training.

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GLAMers

GLAMers Stduy, infographics and program

Webinar

Youth audience engagement during COVID: digital ideas and methods from The GLAMers

Europeana-Practices of digitally mediated youth engagement in GLAMs during the pandemic

Find the speakers’ presentations

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Letters to a Young Archaeologist

Letters to a Young Archaeologist by the Council of British Archaeology is a series encouraging youth to take part if the field, starting in December 2021.

How?

Archaeologists, experts, academics and enthusiasts will write letters to a “young archaeologist”, a fictional figure. These letters could be sharing their experience, give advice and provide an objective look at the positives and negatives of the field.

The series hopes to inspire young or aspiring archaeologists to discover the field

Read the first Letter to a young archaeologist, 06 December 2021 by Lesley McFadyen and Claire Corkill.

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Letters to a Young Archaeologist

Council for British Archaeology

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Our favourite talks: Museums, Games & Play Summit

The Museums, Games & Play Summit by Museum Next took place from 28 February to 2 March 2022, full of content about how the culture sector integrates game, storytelling and play. We attended the summit and here is a list of our favourite talks and takeaways.

Day 1

Louvre Abu Dabhi Crack the fun code of the Museum

Emphasising the emotional development of children through visual art to identify emotions, created a game scenario about the exhibits and how to deal and process with emotions. Including: Personalised profile. Difficulty adjusted to age. Puzzle game requiring observation of artwork. Story of the character and how they acquired specific emotions. Rewards progressive reward points and badges, final reward a wheel of emotions that they can use at home.

Coventry Transport Museum Embracing play(fulness) for successful family engagement

Play is learning. Prioritising children and playing in galleries by adding playspaces.

Vizcaya Gaming Climate change Analogue games as trivia night for 18-24-year-old target groups.

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art What can games teach us about museums beyond gamification?

Museums can learn from games in terms of presentation, as they attract visitors through aesthetics, games are part of culture and art. Tutorilised museums need to adopt gaming practices beyond gamification. Engage gaming communities through speedrunning games on twitch to raise money for charity, non-hierarchical collaboration in museums.

Stimler Advantage

Barry Joseph Consulting Twelve (or so) ways of looking at gaming in Museums

DAY 2

Fast Familiar Playing for time: games to bring us closer to the future we want to see (digital design studio)Games can embody an organisation’s vision and ought to be co-created with the community.

Australian National Maritime Museum Pirates, Passengers and Planet Protectors

Online games and videos as Pirate School with Captain Grognose Johnny Dungeons on a Dime

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Glasgow Life Telling stories through roleplaying games

Historically based roleplaying game on archaeological findings and research through project Carved in stone with a series of books and digitally available.

The Irish Emigration Museum Making the past present

Truly interactive exhibits!

Day 3

Preloaded

Niantic, Inc.

Science Museum

Historic Royal Palaces Location-based play and the cultural sector

Discussing 3 projects involving geolocation and augmented reality in museums bringing stories to life, immersive soundscapes and exhibitions that reconnect museum objects to the everyday environment.

Tools: lightship program

ACMI Australian Centre for the Moving Image Serious about play: Videogames at ACMI

Games lab exploring how video games are made, media preservation lab, looking at video games as cultural artefacts and their preservation using emulation as a service.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

FableVision Studios Failing Forward: 10 favorite Museum game Fails and what we learned from them

A must watch!

All the talks are recorded and available on-demand at Museum Next, check them out!

I want to learn more: Museums, Games & PlaySummit Program

Schedule Speakers

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Have you digitised your collection yet?

Check out MuseumNext’s Digital Collection Summit 4 - 6 October 2021, learn from the experience of professionals and get inspired for your project!

Digitising a collection and making it accessible is not an easy task. Digitisation was a necessary tool for conservation, however, the COVID-19 pandemic set digital content as a mandatory tool for audience engagement. The new lockdown reality led to a lot of innovation in the field but at the same time made it challenging to keep up.

The virtual Summit offers:

• applicable advice on how to undertake a project and best practice examples

• tools and platforms available

• live Q&A with speakers

• networking through MuseumNext members area.

• access to recordings of all the presentations until 2022

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Schedule

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The World in Florence 1st International Festival of World’s Cultural Expressions

The World in Florence launched on November 25 2021, the 1st edition of a five-year international program on raising awareness through the storytelling of many cultural places worldwide.

The festival hosts an interactive exhibition, keynote lectures and an online catalogue of the Cultural Storytelling presentation and panels. The exhibition uses NFC technology (near-field communication, contactless communication between two devices) for visitors to interact and discover through photographic panels places around the world. Using their smartphones to access information on historical characters, idioms, typical food, suggestions and advice, as well as send their images.

Learning Journey consists of four keynote lectures in the post-covid context about:

• socio-economic model of development

• preservation of cultural identities

• sustainable use of resources

• relational tourism

• international catalogue

Discover the festival’s full program and access the live streaming(or recordings) here!

The festival is part of the “Life Beyond Tourism Travel’s - Travel to Dialogue Movement” marketing project stimulating economic and social restart, with Florence as a point of departure for the development of territorial management policies and establishing the territory as a preferred destination.

The festival aims to bring forth heritage sites local cultural expressions during the pandemic by their promotion, interpretation, presentation and enhancement with the involvement of international groups of youth and university students. Local communities can participate in the festival and create a story of their region with working groups.

The project’s aims:

•

“encourage the interpretation and communication of the typical local cultural expressions of a destination site,

• promote local communities cultural awareness,

• enhance sites international attractiveness

• change tourism in hospitality for inclusiveness, solidarity and intercultural dialogue.

In this way, it will be possible to virtually visit the world through the eyes of locals and acquire a privileged look at the international tangible and intangible heritage”

Our take

“The World in Florence: 1st International Festival of World’s Cultural Expressions” marks a new beginning in heritage management. The festival promotes narrative creation and storytelling practices and provides tools for local communities to safeguard and promote their heritage. Moreover, the exhibition features digital tools that address the difficulties brought on by covid-19 and are now becoming an integral part of sustainable heritage management. The world in Florence takes a local approach to heritage management and brings it to the international scene!

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The world in Florence: 1st International Festival of World’s Cultural Expressions

Programme and live streaming

ICCROM- The World in Florence - Festival of World’s Cultural Expressions

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ICOMOS Culture-Nature Prize

ICOMOS introduces a prize for their members for initiatives in Culture and Nature, the deadline is 15 June 2022.

The award aims to promote connections between natural and cultural heritage with activities involving local communities. The prize is part of the worldwide imitative to make heritage sustainable responding to Climate Change and related contemporary challenges.

The winning project should be currently implemented producing innovations in the field of cultural and natural heritage management.

Elegibility

ICOMOS members, Committees and Working Groups.

Projects including tangible and intagible heritage.

Scope local to interationational.

Prize

€15.000 distributed amongst up to three prize winners.

Deadline 15 June 2022

Our take

The ICOMOS Culture-Nature Prize is a needed initiatives to promote sustainable development of cultural and natural heritage. The prize promotes participatory actions with the communities and gives incentives to organisations worldwide to implement similar projects. Furthermore, the prize offers a great funding opportunity for local actions that often struggle to raise the necessary funds.

I want to learn more:

Apply to the ICOMOS Culture-Nature Prize by 15 June

Principles & Guidelines

Application form

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The Best in Heritage Conference

The Best in Heritage chooses each year, in December, winners from Prizes and Awards worldwide and features 28 projects in the core programme and 14 in the multimedia and technology segment called Imagines. This year you are able to access video interviews with the winners, gaining insight into their projects and tips for their success.

The Best in Heritage Conference 21st edition takes place online from May to October 2022; featuring interviews with award-winning projects in conservation, museum and heritage. The Conference is in partnership with ICOM and Europa Nostra.

So far (June 2022) you can learn about:

Imagines

• Chandeok Arirang

• The Whitworth, Manchester, Play Live

• Planet Word Museum

• #SONICFRIDAY

Core Programme

• Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Craft and Design

• Museum Walserhaus

Our Take

• MAS ANTWERPEN 100 X CONGO. A Century of Congolese Art in Antwerp

• 18 Ormond Quay Upper

• Museum from Home Activities Packs

The Best in Heritage is a unique Conference giving visibility to impactful heritage projects, sharing knowledge between professionals and being a hub for inspiration worldwide. Through the videos, everyone gets to meet the professionals and their views as well as learn from their experience working on successful heritage projects. The diversity among the selected presentations offers a global view of the best in heritage, setting a new standard for professionals and heritage enthusiasts to follow.

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Launch of The Best in Heritage 2022 online edition

The Best in Heritage

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Online Forum: Integrated Approaches to the Dissonant Heritage in Europe

Dissonant heritage has two conflicting meanings— considering war, conflicts, nationalist narratives, postcolonial provenance, the 20th-century European heritage is the centre of the event. During the event, a European experts group part of the Urban Agenda for the EU working on this concept will present their findings and recommendations.

An online Forum on 16 and 17 February 2022 to exchange dissonant heritage locally and in remote areas. The events focus on raising awareness and bringing together European networks and associations to network, exchange best practices and create opportunities for cooperation.

“The Online Forum is organised by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) in the framework of the Experimental Residential Construction and Urban Development (ExWoSt) programme. The event will take place in English, is free of charge and is open to a broad European audience. “

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Urban Agenda for the EU

Online Forum: Integrated Approaches to the Dissonant Heritage in Europe: Insights, Networks and Future Perspectives (16-17 February 2022)

Europa Nostra Online Forum: Integrated Approaches to the Dissonant Heritage in Europe: Insights, Networks and Future Perspectives

Governing Heritage Dissonance Promises and Realities of Selected Cultural Policies by Višnja Kisić

Dissonant Heritages and Memories in Contemporary Europe by Tuuli Lähdesmäki, Luisa Passerini, Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus and Iris van Huis

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Conference against the trafficking of cultural property at the Louvre

Conference to strengthen European cooperation against the trafficking of cultural property will take place online 1st February 2022 through the Musée du Louvre to define proposals to be submitted to the EU and practical applications and digital methods.

Topics iinclude:

• New technologies for tracking fraudulent works of art

• Databanks development between states

• Public education against looting and illicit trafficking of antiquities

• Exhibitions of reclaimed pieces across Europe

The meeting will attend Interpol, UNESCO, ALIPH, NGO’s and public authorities from several European countries.

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Louvre hosts major international conference to fight trafficking of cultural goods

Conference to strengthen European cooperation against the trafficking of cultural property

Conférence pour le renforcement de la coopération européenne contre le trafic de biens culturels (1er février 2022)

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©MEAE

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Decolonising Museum’s Websites: Event

Decolonising Museum’s Websites is an online event by ICOM UK Student and Emerging Professional on 6 July 2022. The meeting will share Hsiao-Chiang’s experience and cases on Decolonising Museums Websites project with The Hunterian Museum . The talk focuses on technological aid, to promote inclusivity and accessibility for users, and the meaning of decolonising museums today.

Decolonisation in Museums

Decolonisation in Museums is a widely discussed topic within the GLAM community, promoting an ethical commitment for museums with colonial collections towards inclusivity. Such collections can be found in the world’s largest museums like the British Museum or the Louvre. Decolonising museums aim to build relationships and promote diversity within these holdings challenging the notion of neutrality. Heritage within nature is by no means neutral as it holds a varied collection of experiences.

Museums hold the responsibility to create an inclusive educational space where visitors feel safe, can share their experiences and identify with heritage’s story.

The strategies to achieve this are not one-size-fits-all, as each museum has to identify within their holdings and communities topics and work together. Many initiatives are underway with the help of technological means, notably, on digital collections and websites, with several projects using AI to achieve this. Broadly, these efforts focus on altering descriptions, and keywords, including personal stories and curated collections. Collaboration with concerned groups is a pivotal element in these processes allowing their voice and relation to the heritage to be part of the collection.

I want to learn more:

Event Decolonising Museum’s Websites

ICOFOM “ Decolonising Museology”

Series

Museum Association Decolonising Museums

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Climate.Culture.Peace conference

Climate Culture Peace Conference by ICCROM, the British Council and Department for Digital takes place 24-28 January 2022, is a free online event about climate change and its; effects on cultural heritage.

“Youth Forum “Voices of Now and Future”: Sessions organized and led by youth organizations active in climate change

5 Interactive Workshops:

• Training opportunities on climate, culture, peace

•

4 Thematic Presentations: Sharing of Knowledge, practice, and/or research-based upon interconnected themes, and followed by a Q&A discussion.

• Discussion Forums: Guided 60-minute discussions to explore regional issues and questions

• Panel Presentations: A round-up of current issues that seek to advance knowledge and fill information gaps by utilizing multi-sectorial thinking

• Ignite Talks: Speedy talks that will briefly introduce ideas, issues, and/or solutions in order to spark further discussion

• Positive Change Envisioning Exercise: Join a virtual activity that encourages different approaches to hope, inspiration, and the future.

• Climate Open Mic: An open space for discussion and reflection on the day’s events

Sessions

24 January

• Inaugral Panel - Climate.Culture.Peace: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CET

• What are the Links between Climate, Culture and Peace?: 3:00 PM3:30 PM CET

• Culture the Missing Link – Learn from the Past: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CET

• Climate Open Mic: 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM CET

25 January

• Culture in relation to Climate Crisis: 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM CET

• Culture the Missing Link – Strategies for Heritage: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CET

• Discussion Forum (MENA Region): 11:40 AM - 1:10 PM CET

• Climate change as a risk driver for culture and people - When Water Rises: 1:40 PM - 2:40 PM CET

I want to learn

• What do Climate Risks Look Like Around the World?: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM CET

• Culture, Climate, and Drivers of Conflict: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CET

• Building a Map of Climate Impacts on Culture and Heritage: 1:30 PM3:00 PM CET

• Climate Open Mic: 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM CET

Climate.Culture.Peace – Conference Report and Highlights

The report outlines the Conference’s proceedings with inputs from around the globe and green practices across cultural heritage disciplines.

“The report ends with a list of practical steps we can take to amplify heritage-based climate action. Key findings are listed below:

• Heritage in arid, semi-arid and coastal regions is most at risk to extreme climate impacts.

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• Indigenous communities are on the frontlines of climate change and support some of the last surviving biodiverse areas . While they hold place-specific knowledge, practices and solutions that could be critical to restoring fragile ecosystems, reducing inequity, and addressing the vulnerabilities of people and heritage to climate extremes, their connection with nature is threatened.

• Frequent and intense flooding are among the primary threats to heritage and communities. Often, cultural heritage is left out of flood risk management plans at the city or area level.

• To play a positive role in climate action, there is a need to move away from expert-centric discourses and develop tools to make heritage a community-led process that removes inequity, promotes food security, peace and resilience, and reduces exposure and vulnerability to climate risks.Remove mental and physical divides between nature and culture in order to meet the challenges posed by climate change and its variability head-on.

• When heritage interventions are not people-centric and/or ecosensitive, they can escalate tensions, increase injustice and inequality, and contribute to environmental degradation.

• Conceptual frameworks and specific tools are needed to assess cascading climate risks to heritage and people

• Increase the ability among heritage communities to recognize the complex nature of climate risks in order to manage damage and loss”

You can download the full report here

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All recorded sessions from the Climate.Culture.Peace conference can now be viewed on the CCP knowledge portal . Link - https://bit.ly/3IcX8Ka

Climate Culture Peace

Confrence Concept Note

Climate.Culture.Peace – Conference Report and Highlights

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Post-Pandemic Hiring In The Art World - Art Evolve

Webinar series ArtEvolve titled “Post-Pandemic Hiring In The Art World “ will take place 16 December 2021. With Karline Moeller, CEO and Co-Founder of Art Frankly.

The pandemic hit hard the art and culture sectors, as institutions that rely on hosting events and the public to remain sustainable. Finding the right people and spaces is a major challenge where Art Frankly’s insights are invaluable.

ArtEvolve’s webinar will discuss hiring new talent in the post-pandemic art world with Karline Moeller, who will share her experience. Art Frankly is a resource to find art jobs and opportunities. During the webinar, she will share her experience, the situation in the sector and tips.

The webinar will “answer important questions, such as:

• What challenges do organizations looking to hire face right now?

• How can the art world attract talent and find the right candidates?

• How can art organizations nurture their staff?

PLUS Q&A – get your questions answered! “

I want to learn more:

Post-pandemic Hiring In The Art World

Art Frankly

ArtEvolve

Articheck

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Fire risk mitigation- ICCROM workshop

PREVENT: Mitigating Fire Risk for Heritage is an online course on fire risk mitigation for cultural heritage from ICCROM* starting 15 November. (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) Fires, natural or manmade, continue to ravage cultural heritage and are a constant threat, even for the most well-maintained sites and institutions. The 5-day-course will cover source, risk, prevention and mitigation of fire, followed by implementation projects of participants. Apply online by 20 September!

Every summer, fires dominate the news worldwide, with wildfires becoming more and more common. Cultural heritage is not exempt from those risks, as it is everywhere. The 2019 Notre Dame fire was devastating and haunting, as I could see the monstrous smoke from my window 5 km away, making the threat all too real.

The ICCROM workshop plans to prepare professionals and stakeholders around cultural heritage assets in theory and practice to prevent and protect. Risk prevention specialists, firefighters and experts will present:

• Sources of fire

• ICCROM surveys

• Risks and scenarios

• Preventive solutions

• Mitigation measures

• New technologies

The course is for “heritage professionals, fire risk prevention specialists, fire fighters, civil protection personnel, volunteers and those working in the insurance sector.” After the workshop follows a 5-month participant follow-up project, thus proposals require a site or institution to improve. Furthermore, participants with collaborations of their local fire risk professionals will have priority.

We can never be too prepared for a fire.

ICCROM’s course is a hands-on program that aims at sharing vital information for the well-being of heritage and communities.

I want to learn more:

PREVENT: Mitigating Fire Risk for Heritage

More on the subject from ICCROM: First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR)

Webinar: Heritage and Pandemics: My museum is on fire! (04.09.2020)

International Seminar: Heritage on Fire: Who’s next? (26-28.06.2019)

Watch the Stream on YouTube here

Sendai Disaster

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Webinar: Rethinking Textile Conservation ICCROM Lecture Series

Rethinking Textile Conservation is an online lecture from ICCROM on 25 November 2021, with international experts sharing their experiences through case studies.

Textile heritage comprises more than conservation, as they carry the knowledge and techniques in development over thousands of years by cultures all over the world. Textiles are living heritage, as their production and use are woven into our social fabric, requiring, therefore, a different management approach as they are both tangible and intangible.

The material conservation of textiles is very demanding due to their fragile condition, which often overshadows their immaterial significance as within them lay the story of a culture in its purpose and manufacturing.

This webinar will address the ways textile conservation can grow and promote all its’ qualities through practical examples of:

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•

“The journey of archaeological textiles from excavation to conservation, research, and community-based activities in China; China National Silk Museum

• The revitalization of India’s ‘Rafoo’ traditional culture of repair; National Museum Institute, India

• The development of new digital tools in Europe to support creative industries taking inspiration from textile collections; University of Valencia, Spain

• The role of conservation in the evolution and transformation of the Maya textile tradition in Guatemala. Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Dress, Guatemala”

All the case studies sound exciting and we cannot wait to hear more about each as well as see the latest innovations and approaches to best sustain textile heritage.

I want to learn more:

Link to the webinar

Check out more lectures by ICCROM on youtube !

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At the end of every month, we share a selection of articles, webinars and resources, that we enjoyed reading, just for you!

For our posts research, we come across numerous wonderful heritage and art-related articles, we cannot integrate but feel you would like to know about.

Find this year’s posts on Substcak and Patreon

Local Approach second edition

Our goal is to provide information, tools and inspiration to local communities seeking to protect their cultural heritage as well as heritage professionals.

We believe participatory community heritage management practices lead to sustainable cultural projects and management.

Our articles are in lay English and 1 minute long to ensure accessibility to the broader public, adding a section with further links and information. We further offer advice and research to interested parties in English, French and Greek.

We make an effort to include topics that serve as benchmarks and promote the fastly developing areas of digital heritage, archaeogaming and the latest advances in the field.

This book is on early release for Patrons and available on Academia and Issu, with an adapted print version offered at cost.

About us

Local Approach started in July 2020 as an effort to create an outlet that provides means for everyone to engage in cultural activities, amidst the closure of museums and heritage sites due to the pandemic.

Local Approach is on Patreon as we promote a model similar to pay what you can to support the work and all information is open access, with articles being one-week early access for supporters.

Local Approach hopes for the future are to grow our audience and instigate locally managed projects worldwide. We make an annual effort to examine our work and try to offer more content and activities such as our segments Your curated reading list newsletter, with the most interesting articles and resources found each month, and Exhibition reviews.