Digital meets Culture

8-10 December 2021, Les Futurs Fantastiques Conference

Artificial intelligence: opportunities for libraries, archives and museums

From 8 to 10 December 2021, the international conference “Les Futurs Fantastiques “ on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Libraries, Archives and Museums, will take place in Paris, organized by the National Library of France in collaboration with Université Paris-Saclay and the ai4lam (artificial intelligence for libraries, archives and museums) community.
The conference addresses the libraries, archives and museums professionals as well as researchers, users, and artists who work with data, digital collections and projects using AI.

The event intends to explore and delve into the opportunities offered by AI in cultural institutions galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs). Various topics will be on the agenda and will concern not only examples of tools, models and best practices, but also ethical considerations regarding AI and its use.

Two pre-conference days, December 8 and 9, are organized on “Feedbacks about practical and technical issue”; during the first day a visit to the campus of the Paris Saclay University is planned.
Furthemore one week before the event, the conference will make available a series of online tutorials and workshops focusing on:

basic concepts of artificial intelligence in the GLAM sector
concrete uses and practices of AI in the GLAM sector
technologies and tools applicable to the GLAM sector’s data and collections

The main event, December 10, will take place at the National Library of France in Paris and will be streamed online on You Tube.
The theme will be “AI challenges for galeries, libraries, archives and museums” and the three sessions will cover:

Presentation of projects followed with a round-table
Ethical and legal issues
Organisational and institutional issues

More information at https://www.bnf.fr/en/les-futurs-fantastiques

first steps in mapping the rural tracks network of Morvan (France) for their future protection, management and valorisation

Participatory inventory of the territory’s heritage of Morvan

original text BIBRACTE, images by Antoine Maillier courtesy of BIBRACTE.

One of the proposed actions of Bibracte-Morvan: ancient paths into the future in the INCULTUM project aims at mapping the Grand Site de France Bibracte – Mont Beuvray rural tracks and bringing insights for their future protection, management and valorisation. A look back at the actions that the INCULTUM Pilot leverages for further development in tourism promotion of the area.

Reactivate the interest in the network of rural paths

In 2018 Bibracte and its partner the Morvan Regional Natural Park decided to carry out a detailed and operational analysis of the heritage of rural paths on the scale of the Grand Site de France Bibracte Mont-Beuvray (12 villages, 42,163 ha).
A preliminary work was conducted between 2018 and 2020. Working sessions on the rural tracks with stakeholders of the territory, including elected representatives, inhabitants, local tourism actors, etc. were organised in four villages territories. This study revealed that for the local communities, the network of rural paths appeared as the most federating elements of the attachment to the territory and its landscape, and can therefore be considered as a common good to be reappropriated.

The comparison of the early 19th c. “Napoleonic” cadastres and the current cadastres of the Grand Site de France territory revealed an exceptional density of the network of rural roads: 1,000 km on the scale of the 12 villages, that is to say 2,7 km roads/km². This density can be explained by the historical dispersion of the population in the Morvan and the absence of agricultural land reparceling which has allowed the rural paths to persist through the ages. Considering an average width of 4m, this is an exceptional communal heritage, representing about 400 ha of communal land (or 33 ha on average per village).

This preliminary work that led to the proposal for INCULTUM helped us to define a common objective: bringing the rural paths out of oblivion.

On the road to a shared map

Two academic studies conducted in 2018 and 2020 have allowed the development and validation of an inventory and characterization protocol and lead to the creation of a GIS project. A first mission was conducted between February and March 2021. A reliable database of the network of rural paths of the 12 villages of the Grand Site de France has been collected, which allowed us to develop a management tool for local stakeholders.
A “theoretical” map was produced for each of the twelve villages based on the public Plan Cadastral Informatisé (PCI) delivered by the Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI) and using the EDIGéO standard. These maps constituted an initial inventory of the network of rural paths with precise legal criteria.

This stage was followed by the development of a methodology for collecting data in the field and for characterising and evaluating the real state of the network (i.e. the existence and practicability of the paths).

The methodology is available at this link.

Then, in order to operate the characterization of rural roads in the field and to record their condition, a GIS project was embedded on an Android tablet through the QFIELD application, built with all the data (scan25, orthophoto, cadastre, departmental and communal roads, rural roads). For each project, a GPS plot is generated for each path in order to compare the data.

Thus, the village of Glux-en-Glenne was selected as a “pilot” territory to carry out the field work. This test revealed, that out of 73 km of rural tracks, 18 km (25% of the network) is affected by management concerns and may be subject to regularisation (of which 10 km of tracks have disappeared), and 62% of the network is in a “correct” state, but more than 20% of it is poorly maintained.

These research outcomes are the basis for the work to be done in INCULTUM Pilot 6 across 2021-2023.

Discover INCULTUM Pilot 6 – Bibracte-Morvan: ancient paths into the future

online, 3rd December 2021

WEAVE LabDay with Early Dance Circle

COVUNI (Centre for Dance Research, C-DaRE) and the Early Dance Circle (EDC) are collaborating to organise an Early Dance LabDay where we learned more about the work the charity is doing across the UK, got a sense of the various periods they cover, gained insight into their online activities and also learned more about the content they are providing for the WEAVE project.

Historical dance revival is important in a cultural perspective as it is not only a way to interact with intangible heritage and culture, but also a social activity that creates bonds among persons. A key question in the LabDay was in facts how we can get young generations engaged with this topic, which is not only reserved to conoissuers and fans.

The LabDay also revisited the EDC Baroque Dance MOOC developed under the CEF CultureMoves project. For the Early Dance Module where a collaboration with the Early Dance Circle and Chalemie took place, the module provided an introduction to Baroque dance focused on its more formal couple dances, rather than its professional, stage and comedic (more virtuosic) sides, or its rich and various heritage of country dances involving sets of dancers.

The LabDay also explored how the EDC and the content provided to Europeana is opening up a conversation about the importance of historical dance and music because of its relevance for engagement in historic buildings and other cultural heritage sites. The LabDay offered participants the opportunity to learn more about historical dance and join a conversation on the ways in which archival material can be reimagined in a modern context.

More info: https://weave-culture.eu/2021/11/17/early-dance-circle-labday/

WEAVE LabDay, online 19th November 2021

The Role of Artist Residencies in the Promotion of Roma Contemporary Art

For centuries, art-loving benefactors regarded the offering of guest studios to individual artists as a kind of romantic patronage, enabling artists to live and create in bucolic settings. Artist residencies provide artists with the time, space, and materials they need to create new work or to focus on their artwork-related research. Moreover, residencies are important career boosters because they provide artists with the opportunity to form relationships with their peers and receive mentoring from influential artists and industry professionals.

The vast majority of Roma artists, however, lack the prerequisites to be invited to many artist residencies. This system tends to exclude self-taught artists, artists who have not graduated from arts programmes at elite white institutions, and artists who do not have powerful advocates. The consequence of so many Roma artists being shut out of higher tier residencies is that they remain with lower industry status, receive little publicity, achieve fewer museum acquisitions, and their work is sold at lower price points.

Since 2020, the joint programme of Villa Romana Florence and ERIAC has been the premier residency for artists of Roma descent. During our webinar, we will discuss the role of art residencies in advancing individual careers and the promotion of marginalised cultures. The cultural managers behind the trailblazing initiative, Angelika Stepken of Villa Romana and ERIAC’s Timea Junghaus will be joined by the 2021 artists-in-residence L´uboš Kotlar and Norbert Oláh, to discuss the pros and cons of this kind of positive action targeting ethnicity in the field of arts and culture.

This webinar is organised within the framework of WEAVE – Widen European Access to Cultural Communities Via Europeana and RomaMoMA, a project of IMEI – International Membership Engagement Initiative.

The ERIAC WEAVE LabDay aligns with the WEAVE capacity-building strand of the work, which explores the ethical dimension of the project in relation to representation. Within WEAVE, we carry out several capacity-building activities to develop a closer connection between cultural heritage institutions (CHIs), minority cultural communities, and Europeana. These pillars of the WEAVE project link directly to safeguarding principles that allow for critical reflection on ethical principles, in terms of space, access and the “effects” of a lack of access to certain residencies. Ironically, another kind of tension emerges when there is an “active invitation for underrepresented communities” – through which the residency or call becomes merely an exercise that ticks all the right boxes and appears to be inclusive, yet is removed from valuing the individual artist. Perhaps this perspective of the paradox and tension reveals the need for generating a space where Roma artists are valued and respected.

Other complex issues that emerge for Roma artists concern the application fees and processes, the gender dimension that may be tied to caring responsibilities, and the way artists are expected to navigate digital platforms and have a strong digital presence. Within this framework, the third ERIAC LabDay will explore the above context and invite our guests to reflect on their own experiences, while also offering possible alternatives and solutions.

Panel speakers: Timea Junghaus (ERIAC Executive Director), Angelika Stepken (Villa Roma Florence Director), Norbert Oláh (Artist in Residence, Villa Romana Florence, 2021), L´uboš Kotlar (Artist in Residence, Villa Romana Florence, 2021), Selma Selman (Artist)

Moderator: Katarzyna Pabijanek

Discussion held in English with Hungarian interpretation.

More information and registration: https://weave-culture.eu/2021/11/15/role-artist-residencies/

H2020 Project

ReInHerit – Redefining the future of cultural heritage

ReInHerit – Redefining the future of cultural heritage is a H2020 Project , Coordinated by Bank Of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, with the aim of connecting the collections and sites of the European tangible and intangible cultural heritage and presenting it to citizens and tourists.

The project proposes an innovative model of sustainable heritage management, based on a digital cultural heritage ecosystem (Digital Hub) .

Through the activity of its 7 Work Packages, it will provide innovative technological solutions to communicate, experiment, innovate and disseminate the European cultural heritage and enable the creation of a dynamic European digital network.
Tools and resources (on tourism, conservation, preservation, training…) will be shared through a digital platform and the key stakeholders (policy makers, museums, heritage sites, professionals and communities) will have an open and collaborative space to communicate, experiment, share, innovate and disseminate European cultural heritage.

The main objectives of the project:

Create an open design space (Digital Hub)
Identify short-, mid- and long- training needs
Build a knowledge base
Increase public awareness on European cultural heritage
Facilitate the co-creation of cultural content
Increase innovation potentials of small and medium-sized cultural heritage organisations
Reduce intrinsic limitations of the sector which hinder the individual efforts of cultural organizations for sustainable development
Reinforce low environmental impact of infrastructure
Develop an updated agenda

ReInHerit recently launched two surveys, addressed to professionals working on cultural heritage and visitors of cultural heritage sites, whose findings will be used as a guide for the development of the ReInherit digital platform.

Learn more on ReInHerit at https://reinherit.eu/

immersed in a beautiful landscape, remains of military buildings recall the wars that inflamed the area.

Discovering the historical landscape of the Upper Vjosa valley

text and images by Egla Serjani, CeRPHAAL

A particular feature of the historical landscape of the Upper Vjosa valley are the military building remains, resulting from the militarization program of WWII, when the area was a battle front line during Italo-Greek conflict, and also during the 1945-1990 when the entire country was intensively militarized as part of political vision for the protection of Albania in the Cold War. These structural remains include, bunkers, trenches, command posts, subterranean army storage, air raid shelters, and etc.

One of the proposed actions of CeRPHAAL in the INCULTUM project, aims at recording and evaluating these built heritage spaces, and brings insights for their future protection and management. Therefore, during October, CeRPHAAL undertook a survey, in order to identify those that constitute future touristic assets. Among them, there are two military areas, both situated in the town of Permet: the barracks built by the Italian army during the early 1940’s; and a garrison established during the 1970s’, consisting of barracks, subterranean tunnels, ammunition stores, trenches, and etc. In the next moths, in collaboration with the MoP, a management strategy plan will be compiled, aiming the protection and future engagement in local touristic agenda of these abandoned building as part of community’s past memory and identity.

Discover more about INCULTUM Pilot 8: https://incultum.eu/pilots/8-vjosa-the-shared-river/

Antwerp, 27th November 2021 - a citizen science event from CitizenHeritage project

Mapping Fashion Heritage through Patterns

On 27 November 2021, at MoMu-bibliotheek & Dries Van Noten Study Center, Nationalestraat 28, 2000 Antwerp took place Mapping Fashion Heritage Through Patterns, a workshop organised by EFHA – European Fashion Heritage Association and ModeMuseum Antwerp, in collaboration with KU Leuven, University of Antwerp and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

The event is an edit-a-thon – or, as we decided to call it, a Pattern-a-thon: an initiative aimed at uncovering and recovering patterns, engaging students, designers and researchers in enriching Wikipedia through creating patterns of fashion objects.

Patterns are the translation onto paper of the idea, adapted to fit the human body. When we wear a garment – any garment – we often forget the calculation and processes behind it from bidimensional paper copy to a three-dimensional object, something that speaks about the craftsmanship and knowledge necessary to get to the final result.

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All photos courtesy of Fred Truyen.

The workshop was based on MoMu’s Study Collection, recently remade available for direct consultation in the MoMu-bibliotheek & Dries Van Noten Study Center. It started with a small workshop on pattern-making; then, the participants created patterns of the objects in the fashion collection and donate them to Wikimedia Commons, for everybody to use and re-use. We all agree that patterns are a way to better understand clothes, their creators and their wearers. For those who look after and preserve objects related to costume and fashion, patterns are the key to unlocking the stories behind who designed and made what we now consider heritage.

DISCOVER THE EVENT:
https://www.citizenheritage.eu/citizen-science-workshops/antwerp/

25-27 November 2021

The arts as a relevant agent for social change – the IETM Satellite Meeting “Tomorrow is here”

IETM, the International network for contemporary performing arts is a large international cultural networks, representing over 500 performing arts organisations and individual professionals working in the contemporary performing arts worldwide.
From 25 to 27 November, the 2021 edition of IETM Satellite Meeting will be held in Girona, co-organised by the Institut Català de Les Empreses Culturals – Catalan Arts and Institut Ramon Llull, in collaboration with the Temporada Alta Festival and the Girona City Council.
The aim of event, titled “Tomorrow is here“, is to explore new ways to reposition the arts as a relevant agent for social change.

Participants will be able to choose from three different thematic threads, each exploring a particular space for social change:

New funding schemes and cultural policies – about emergence, dialogue and artistic intelligence.
Alternative models for the international – this strand intends to reflect to find alternative international way of working, starting from the fundamental needs of human fulfilment.
Opportunities for artistic innovation – ideas and good practices of how innovation can be integrated in artistic work.

The programme of Satellite Girona provides:

presentations on initiatives that have promoted social change and ways to deconstruct the role of the arts in the society;
Specific considerations on how the COVID-19 pandemic experience has shaped and is shaping our today and our tomorrow.
different working groups, each focused on one of three thematic threads, which will come together to think about actions, ideas and changes for “tomorrow”.

In addition, the programme includes some artistic performances, selected by a specific commission, and 2 trips (a pre-meeting trip and a post-meeting trip) that will be organized around the city of Girona to visit other cities and towns hosting innovative projects with a creative and cultural thrust.

The event will have a hybrid format, on-site and online and some of the meeting activities are organized so that online participants can actively take part as well.

Learn more about the Satellite Girona programme here.

Beijing, CAFA Art Museum, 8 November - 12 December 2021

Situ Zhaoguang retrospective exhibition in Beijing

Situ Zhaoguang is one of the most renowned sculptors of China.

His oeuvres are considered true masterpieces and he spent most of his life teaching students at the Sculpture Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Now, the CAFA Art Museum hosts a great exhibition to showcase his works and life.

Among the exhibition designers, Zhaoguang’s son Situ Xiaochun, also a sculptor himself, curated the exhibition about his father.

More about Zhaoguang: https://www.cafamuseum.org/en/exhibit/detail/875

Images and artworks from the retrospective: https://www.cafamuseum.org/en/artist/detail/350

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all photos courtesy of Situ Xiaochun

A selection of heritage photographs of Zhaoguang’s life and family was recently digitized and is hosted on Promoter Digital Gallery, and was shared to Europeana in the framework of the successfully concluded PAGODE – Europeana China project.

View Zhaoguang photoalbum: https://digitalgallery.promoter.it/items/browse?collection=4

Images from the exhibition presentation event and conference, by Situ Zhixia:

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pilot presentation for the DU Archaeological Society to showcase the ongoing work on mid-19th century burial practices

Historic Graves pilot from INCULTUM: new video presentation

INCULTUM partner Eachtra is engaged in The Historic Graves project, that is a community focused, grassroots heritage project where local community groups are trained in low-cost, high-tech field surveys of historic graveyards; also recording their own oral histories.

In September 2021, dr. John Tierny was invited by the DU Archaeological Society for a presentation to a student group in Trinity College Dublin, to showcase the ongoing work on mid-19th century burial practices in times of epidemic/pandemic/famine, using the 19th century Irish potato famine as a case study. A video was prepared as a tour of some of the sites in West Waterford.

The LIDAR & Multispec survey work at Pulla cemetery was funded by an RIA Archaeology Grant 2021 & the LIDAR data was very kindly made available by Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Dr Steve Daivs of UCD Archaeology Dept did the LIDAR processing and Dr Paul Naessens of Western Aerial Surveys did the drone/UAV surveys. Making of the video was funded from the #Incultum project as part of the research into communicating archaeology for community benefit.

Read More about the Pilot 9 Historic graves in Ireland