Digital meets Culture

Save the date: 26th-28th November 2018, Bonn, Germany

Let’s talk about Open Data! SWIB Conference 2018

Registration’s opened for joining the SWIB conference (Semantic Web in Libraries): the annual meeting, being held for the 10th time, focusing on Linked Open Data (LOD) in libraries and related organizations. It is well established as an event where IT staff, developers, librarians, and researchers from all over the world meet and mingle and learn from each other. The topics of talks and workshops at SWIB revolve around opening data, linking data and creating tools and software for LOD production scenarios. These areas of focus are supplemented by presentations of research projects in Applied Sciences, Industry Applications, Semantically Enhanced Data Publication, Searching Information Retrieval.
As usual, SWIB18 is organized by the ZBW – German National Library of Economics / Leibniz Information Centre for Economics and the North Rhine-Westphalian Library Service Centre (hbz). The conference language is English.

Website: http://swib.org/swib18
Hashtag: #swib18
Twitter: @swibcon

Beijing (China), 5-24 September 2018

Beijing Media Art Biennale (BMAB) 2019: “Post Life”

The 2nd Beijing Media Art Biennale (BMAB) in 2018 is running September 5 to 24 at CAFA Art Museum. BMAB is funded by China National Art Fund, organized by China Academy of Fine Arts and co-sponsored by the CAFA School of Design ,the CAFA School of Experimental Art, and CAFA Art Museum. As an international academic platform aimed at promoting the intersection of art and technology, the 2018 BMAB is centered on the theme of “Post Life” and comprises six parts: the main exhibition, Lab Space, Hyperlinks Exhibition, live performances, thematic forums, and workshops. The event will also include interdisciplinary experiments in the art and technology fields, with an aim to facilitate in-depth discussions between artists, designers, scientists, and theorists.

If the topic Ethics of Technology last year discussed what we should contemplate and introspect at the epistemological level under the pressing and disturbing mystery of New Theology of Technology, the theme of Post-Life covered in the Biennial this year will explore not only at the epistemological level but also discuss whether we, as post-life, when prompted by new technology to revalue the relationship between ourselves and other species. Do we have the courage to decentralize ourselves?

So Kanno, Takahiro Yamaguchi – Senseless Drawing Bot

The main exhibition comprises three parts: “Data Life”, “Mechanical Life”, and “Synthesized Life”; all focused on trying to determine what life is as seen from the different points of view of: virtual life brought into existence by computer algorithms, bionic life brought into existence by machinery, and hard-to-define synthetic life. The exhibits will belong to categories such as videos, interactive installations, immersive art, biological art, mechanical installations, audiovisual art, Internet art, sound art, mixed media, and others.

As another section in BMAB2018—the “Art and Technology” Lab Space, which aims to build a platform where artistic creation and cutting-edge Science and Technology Studies can exchange ideas and cooperate. It is also set to introduce research topics and practices by interdisciplinary research laboratories across the world that related to the theme of “Post Life” and present the accomplishments on future life realized on the basis of interdisciplinary cooperation.

Website: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/sEnXUfEanEMAocyEOBqNGw

Rome, 29th August-1st September 2018

14^ edition of the EAUH Conference: Urban Renewal and Resilience. Cities in Comparative Perspective

From August 29th to September 1st, took place in Rome the 14th International Conference on Urban History organized by the European Association for Urban History.
The event, titled “Urban Renewal and Resilience. Cities in Comparative Perspective”, was introduced by the President of the EAUH Association, Prof. Carlo Travaglini and represented a great occasion for reflect on international dynamic systems and face the theme of the history of European cities. Particulary attention was dedicated to the Mediterranean,”considered a political and cultural issue, requiring serious efforts and commitment in the scientific and cultural domain”.
As the past EAUH conferences, also the last one held in Rome was characterized by the longue durée, the multidisciplinarity and the presence of not only European cities.
The event was planned in several and variegated sections which provided the occasion for the scientific community to debate and compare experiences in a multidisciplinary forum: historians, geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, art and architectural historians, planners and other scholars working on various aspects of urban history discussed new directions in the field, conducting and stimulating comparative researches, setting the bases for future collaborative projects and publications.

Stirling (Scotland), 8-20 October 2018

DigiFest, a festival highlighting the use of technology to preserve and explore the past

ENGINE SHED announces festival showcasing digital innovation in the heritage sector: Scotland’s dedicated building conservation centre will host programme highlighting the use of ground-breaking technology to preserve and explore the past. DigiFest will also incorporate two-day international conference featuring high-profile industry experts from across the globe.

Robbie Coombes (14) and James Hoskins (15) with Dorothy Hoskins (Technical Outreach and Education Manager at the Engine Shed) for the announcement of Historic Environment Scotland’s DigiFest, a festival to showcase digital innovation in the heritage sector taking place at The Engine Shed, Stirling 8 to 20 October 2018. More info from Fergus.Reid@smartscommunicate.com, 0141 222 2040

STIRLING – 29 August 2018: Historic Environment Scotland (HES) today unveiled the programme for a digital heritage festival, a first for Scotland.

Taking place from Monday 8 to Saturday 20 October 2018 at The Engine Shed, Scotland’s dedicated building conservation centre in Stirling, DigiFest will highlight Scotland as a global leader in digital innovation in the heritage sector. Aimed at schools, professionals, families and young people, it will feature a range of free events and activities allowing visitors to explore the latest technologies in areas including 3D modelling and printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, gaming, animation, robotics and coding.

The festival will also incorporate DigiDoc, a two-day international conference running from 11-12 October, and the DigiDoc Research and Innovation Day which takes place on Wednesday 10 October.

Showcasing ground-breaking technology, DigiDoc features an impressive speaker line-up of academics and high-profile industry experts from organisations such as Google, the Smithsonian Institution and gaming giant Ubisoft, and is expected to attract professionals in the technology and heritage sectors from across the globe. A selection of speakers will also participate in the DigiFest programme, along with the Engine Shed’s own team of experts.

Dorothy Hoskins, Technical Outreach and Education Manager at the Engine Shed, said: “While advances in technology are allowing us to conserve, monitor and care for our historic sites and buildings with ever-increasing efficiency and effectiveness, these same innovations are also making Scotland’s heritage more accessible than ever. New online platforms and developments in digital technologies are enabling people to inspect historic sites and artefacts from anywhere in the world, while a combination of digital documentation and animation allows for accurate recreation of historic environments which can be explored through gaming. Virtual reality can further bring such environments to life, creating immersive and illuminating experiences that transport the user into the past. We are very excited to be launching our first ever DigiFest, which aims to encourage the people of Scotland and beyond to embrace this opportunity to explore the historic environment in new and innovative ways, and look forward to welcoming some of the top pioneers in the fields of technology and heritage to share their knowledge and insight.”

Robbie Coombes (14) testing Assasins Creed video game for the announcement of Historic Environment Scotland’s DigiFest, a festival to showcase digital innovation in the heritage sector taking place at The Engine Shed, Stirling 8 to 20 October 2018. More info from Fergus.Reid@smartscommunicate.com, 0141 222 2040

DigiFest will offer a range of activities for visitors to get involved in, including demos of action-adventure video game Assassin’s Creed and the chance to hear more about the technologies behind it from the game’s historical researcher, and robot races with Sphero SPRK, a robot toy which teaches children how to code.

There will also be a masterclass on the history of animation, from Stop Motion to the latest Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), with leading animation and visual effects company Tippett Studio, whose credentials include sequences in the Star Wars, Harry Potter and Twilight franchises. Visitors inspired by the talk can make their own Stop Motion animation films.

In addition to the diverse programme of talks and workshops, DigiFest will see the creation of a “Digital Village” outside the Engine Shed. This will include an immersive reality walk-in dome pioneered by digital content producer Soluis, which facilitates highly immersive VR experiences by enveloping the users’ full field of vision and utilising surround sound.

Ben Mitchell (10) and Ellie Mitchell (6) inspecting a 3D printed model of the Duppland Cross for the announcement of Historic Environment Scotland’s DigiFest, a festival to showcase digital innovation in the heritage sector taking place at The Engine Shed, Stirling 8 to 20 October 2018. More info from Fergus.Reid@smartscommunicate.com, 0141 222 2040

Launched by Historic Environment Scotland in July 2017 as a central hub for building and conservation professionals and the general public, The Engine Shed has seen a highly successful opening year, welcoming over 15,000 visitors and winning a number of awards. The establishment of a public-facing facility, which includes a large scale interactive map allowing visitors to explore over 2000 years of Scotland’s history through the power of augmented reality, aims to engage the next generation with our historic environment and the value of protecting and preserving it.

Delivered by Historic Environment Scotland and supported by Stirling Council, DigiDoc is sponsored by Leica Geosystems, a leading provider of premium 3D laser scanning equipment and services, and DigiFest is sponsored by Creative Scotland.

The full programme for DigiFest and DigiDoc, along with pricing information for the conference and research and innovation day can be viewed at the website: https://www.engineshed.scot/digifest-2018/

DigiFest programme available here.

DigiDoc programme available here.

registration is still open for the event to take place in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, 24-27 September

Going to iPRES2018, the 15th International Conference on Digital Preservation

We are excited to share the detailed schedule – with information about every session – for iPRES2018, the 15th International Conference on Digital Preservation. We are using the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform to make the full conference proceedings available – including slides, papers, poster images, workshop materials, panel questions, session notes, and supplementary materials.

We are pleased to see many people registering for iPRES 2018. There is still time to register if you haven’t: https://ipres2018.org/registration. If a full registration doesn’t work for you, you can select a workshop-only registration for Monday or register for select days or activities. If you have any questions, please contact our Registration Team.

Some tuition support is still available for underrepresented students and first-time attendees – see the registration page for details.

There are rolling submissions and acceptances for ad hoc programming, including the first digital preservation game room, original digital preservation graphics, lightning sessions, and other programming – spots are filling up and additional information is available here.

Our iPRES 2018 Code of Conduct with our response framework is posted and we welcome your feedback.

Looking forward to seeing you in September,

With warm regards,

the iPRES 2018 Organizing Team

email: ipres2018contributions@gmail.com

Las Vegas, Nevada (US), 2-3 May 2019

Computer Vision Conference (CVC) 2019

The Computer Vision Conference builds on previous SAI conferences and aims to become a major point of contact between researchers, academic faculty, students, engineers and practitioners on the areas of Machine Vision, Image Processing, Data Science and Pattern Recognition, both from theoretical and application perspectives.

Join us, May 2-3, to explore discovery, progress, and achievements related to Machine Vision, Image Processing, Data Science and Pattern Recognition. The participants will benefit from direct interaction and discussions with world leaders in Computer Vision.

Call for papers was open until 15 August: participants will have the opportunity to present the results of their research, and benefit from direct interaction with their scientific peers, in a friendly and constructive environment. The conference will feature keynote speakers, paper presentations, technical interviews, and posters from industry and academia.

Complete details are available on the conference website : http://saiconference.com/CVC

CVC 2019 proceedings will be published in Springer series “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” and submitted for indexing to ISI Proceedings, EI-Compendex, DBLP, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and Springerlink. The publications within “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” are primarily proceedings of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the field, both of a foundational and applicable character.

Cyprus, 29 October – 3 November 2018

7th EUROMED 2018 conference – Progress in Cultural Heritage e-Documentation, Preservation and Protection

The 7th biannual European-Mediterranean (EUROMED) conference brings together researchers, policy makers, professionals, fellows and practitioners to explore some of the more pressing issues concerning Cultural Heritage today. In particular, the main goal of the conference is to focus on interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research on tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage, using cutting edge technologies for the protection, restoration, preservation, massive digitalization, documentation and presentation of the Cultural Heritage contents. At the same time, the event is intended to cover topics of research ready for exploitation, demonstrating the acceptability of new sustainable approaches and new technologies by the user community, owners, managers and conservators of our cultural patrimony.

In cooperation with the European Commission, the EU Parliament, the EU Member States Expert Group on Digital Heritage & Europeana, ICOMOS, the EU Digital Library Europeana and the EU Projects DARIAH-EU Research Infrastructure on e-Humanities and Art, ViMM: Virtual Museums, INCEPTION, the COST Action Innovation in Intelligent Management of Heritage Buildings and others more…

http://www.euromed2018.eu

Panel Discussion on Looting and Destruction of CH with prominent professionals from UNESCO, ICOM, ICOMOS, Interpol, Google Institute, etc

Workshops – Open to all participants:

The European Commission’s Workshop on how digital technologies can contribute to the preservation and restoration of Europe’s most important and endangered cultural heritage sites:
– Which technologies need to be developed to allow the creation a digital replica which must be of such definition and detail enabling their use for research and future preservation and reconstruction of damaged artefacts or sites?
– Which standards needs to be agreed upon so that the digitised material will be accessible (long term) to all through a single access point, also providing access to complementary material (images, books, descriptions, drawings) illustrating the cultural and historic significance of the sites.
The 4th International Workshop on 3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage, focusing on novel technologies in Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality as well as in the holistic documentation of the past (such as monuments in HBIM, etc).
H2020 – COST Joint Session: How to overcome the fragmentation in Cultural Heritage research and funding in the context of Horizon Europe?
https://goo.gl/XTdUTL
H2020 – VIMM: Investing in the future of our Digital Cultural Heritage: The EU Horizon 2020 CSA ViMM Roadmap
https://goo.gl/HfWc84
H2020 – INCEPTION Workshop: the latest developments in the area of 3D holistic documentation in cultural heritage.
https://goo.gl/iJbZJX
H2020 – CrossCult: Cultural informatics research and applications: State of the art and open challenges
https://goo.gl/PTQ83q
Europeana Transcribathon 1914-1918 in Cyprus: one-of-a-kind competition where participants come together to transcribe and annotate as many letters, diaries and other digitised documents as possible from the online archive, Europeana 1914-1918.
https://goo.gl/axf7gE

Topics and themes:

Researchers and practitioners willing to participate to the EUROMED 2018 conference were invited to submit papers on original works addressing the following subjects and research themes:

i) DIGITAL HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION and PRESERVATION

ii) PROTECTION, RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

A total of 537 papers have been submitted and reviewed for the EuroMed2018 conference, of which ca. 25% have been accepted.

The conference registration are now open with preliminary agenda: http://www.digitalmeetsculture.net/article/euromed-2018-registrations-are-now-open/

>>>>

Some important information for travelling to Cyprus:

1. Venue of the conference: Filoxenia International Conference Center in Nicosia, Cyprus http://www.fcc.com.cy/ (Google Maps: https://goo.gl/p9tqcP)

2. Traveling to Cyprus and from the airports to Nicosia: https://www.euromed2018.eu/index.php/travelling-cyprus

3. Travelling in Nicosia by BUS:
a) https://itunes.apple.com/cy/app/cyprus-bus/id1384885081?mt=8 (App store)
b) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmv.cyprusbus2 (Android)

4. Hotel accommodation in Nicosia: https://www.euromed2018.eu/index.php/accommodation

5. About Cyprus: http://www.aspectsofcyprus.com/ and Cyprus Tourism Organization: http://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/

27th September 2018. Open debate:What’s the point of Listing Buildings?

An Open Mind To Heritage: Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity supported by Glasgow City Council and Historic Environment Scotland.
Established in 2007, it champions the city’s unique architecture and built environment to promote and encourage the understanding, appreciation and conservation of Glasgow’s historic buildings for the benefit of the city’s communities and its visitors.
In order to increase the awareness of the inhabitants to the theme of the enhancement of the urban architectural heritage and involve them in the preservation of historical buildings, the organization periodically promotes exhibitions and participatory events such as debates, workshops and conferences.
For September 27th, is planned the last meeting of the quarterly sequence of debates called “The City Talks”, during which, a selected panel of experts and the audience will discuss the criteria used for listing ancient buildings in Glasgow and if they “fully reflect what the city and its people value about the historic built environment.”
Main questions to face:
– What’s the point of Listing Buildings?
– Should we be trying to save historic buildings which are unlisted and outside of conservation areas?
– Who might they be valuable to?
Read more about the Glasgow City Heritage Trust and upcoming debate here

Paris (France), 8-9 November 2018

Europe and Fashion: Questioning Identities and Cultures

EFHA International Conference 2018: Europe and Fashion: Questioning Identities and Cultures

The conference Europe and Fashion: Questioning Identities and Cultures focused on European sartorial heritage, its collecting and its archiving practices; it explored and contextualised spaces of cultural interactions, displacement and construction of national and transnational identities in the European landscape.
In recent years there has been considerable scholarly attention to the interrelationship between geographical and national identities on the one hand and cultural production on the other hand. Historians, art historians, anthropologists and philologists amongst others have focused on the role of geography, borders, territories and identities for the definition and demarcation of varied artefacts and practices. We contend that fashion will benefit from a similar approach. By assessing the current state of theory, history and practice-based research in the field of fashion studies, the conference Europe and Fashion: Questioning Identities and Cultures wanted to expand the existing knowledge on European identities and European cultures exploring the role of dress and fashion in these cultural formations.

At this link the conference podcast is now available: https://fashionheritage.eu/podcast/

The conference involved world-leading academic institutions, archives and museums, encouraging discourse across disciplines, institutional and national boundaries. Through a carefully selected line-up of speakers, the aim was to reconsider assumptions about the place of dress and fashion in the definition of European cultures and offer new and critical perspectives on the role of dress and fashion in relation to many issues, as: individual and collective identities, European policy, colonialism and post-colonialism, cultural exchange and transmission, cultural displacement and appropriation, the fashion capital and nation, centre and periphery. The contributions also addressed heritage, archives formations and museums as catalysers of cultural discourses, as well as explore identity formations in Europe in a wider socio-cultural context, both theoretically and historically.

The conference was organised by the European Fashion Heritage Association in collaboration with The New School – Parsons Paris, IUAV University of Venice and London College of Fashion – University of the Arts London, under the auspices of the French Ministry of Culture. The event was also listed among the initiatives part of “2018 – European Year for Cultural Heritage”.

Keynote speakers

Miren Arzalluz, Galliera Museum
Javier Gimeno Martinez, Free University Amsterdam
Giorgio Riello University of Warwick
Valerie Steele Fashion Institute of Technology

Confirmed speakers

Judith Clark, London College of Fashion, UAL
Bárbara Coutinho, MUDE Lisbon
Serkan Delice, London College of Fashion, UAL
Andrea Kollnitz, Stockholm University
Paulina Latham, Polish Cultural Institute London
Giulia Mensitieri, University of Brussel
Gabriele Monti, IUAV University of Venice
Marco Pecorari, The New School Parsons Paris
Véronique Pouillard, University of Oslo
Aurélie Samuel YSL Museum

Website: www.fashionheritage.eu

Everyone has a smartphone these days, and with AR artists can add many added elements to an art piece

Augmented Reality makes street art come to life

South Florida-based artist Luis Valle, who has spraypainted murals across Miami, is a part of a project called “Augmented Reality.” Using an app, Mussa, viewers can have an augmented reality experience and view a 3D model of his artworks. Luis says this particular intersection of technology and art is thrilling and he believes AR will help creatives better connect their work with onlookers, because of its ability to make art more evocative.
“The technology is brand new and only the beginning. What we can do with it is only limited to what we can think up,” Valle tells Big Think. “It definitely does enliven the art experience. Everyone has a smartphone these days and with AR you can add many added elements to an art piece. You can add sound, motion and 3D elements to the experience, which affects more of your senses.”