Digital meets Culture

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SoPHIA – Social Platform for Holistic Impact Heritage Assessment aims to promote collective reflection within the cultural and political sector in Europe on the impact assessment and quality of interventions in historical environment and cultural heritage at urban level.
The Newsletter number 5 brings light to the environmental impacts produced by cultural heritage interventions when envisaging a holistic assessment model.
The bibliographical research on several documents addressing the environmental, social, economic and cultural domains allowed the project to create a map of best practices in the field, identify gaps and opportunities and acquired an understanding of all four domains and an overview of the state of the art in impact assessment methods.
Two of the three insights faced by this number regard the connection between Cultural Heritage, environment and natural landscapes wihile the third one announces the upcoming SoPHIA’s stakeholder virtual conference “Cultural Heritage – Rethinking Impact Assesments” that will be held on April 21-22, 2021.
Stay up to date with the progress of SoPHIA, subscribe now!
Direct link to Newsletter 5.

Save the date: April 21-22, 2021

SoPHIA’s Stakeholders Virtual Conference Cultural Heritage – Rethinking Impact Assessments

SoPHIA –Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment –, an EU research and innovation Horizon 2020 funded project, reviewed the literature, policy programmes and practices and mapped existing gaps, issues and problems. After consultations during the first Workshop with members of the Social Platform, a draft model was designed. The draft model has been tested in twelve case studies across Europe.
Against this background, SoPHIA invited researchers, practitioners, policymakers from Europe and beyond and anyone interested to a collective reflection on the diverse impact of cultural heritage during the two days SoPHIA´s Stakeholder Virtual Conference.
The first day faced pressing issues of cultural heritage. Those issues have proven to be relevant to the cases of cultural heritage interventions analysed in the project. Representatives from the cases and invited guest discussed with the audience main challenges and opportunities that have been encountered, in parallel panels:

bridging the gap between culture and sustainability
access and inclusion in public spaces and in cultural heritage education
opportunities and challenges of evaluation requirements
dissonant European cultural heritage
over-tourism in urban environments.

In the framework of panel 3, focused on how to assess social capital and access to larger cultural areas, Prof. Gabor Sonkoly from Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, presented the contribution of the UNCHARTED project to this specific topic.

Based on the discussions, the programme of the second day centred on the findings of the SoPHIA case studies and the debate on the cultural heritage draft model for impact assessment was spurred. A virtual World Café allowed Conference participants to provide feedback and input on issues that related the concrete findings and the discussions of the first Conference day.
Agenda.
Speakers.
Conference’s topics.
For queries, please contact info@sophiaplatform.eu

online, 30 April 2021

Using Vocabularies and Linked data: #ConnectingArchaeology webinar

This webinar explores some of the ways that cultural heritage institutions can use controlled vocabularies and Linked Data to improve the discoverability of their content in Europeana.

Three speakers will give short presentations after which there will be time for questions and discussion.

‘Speaking one language: how vocabularies can help organise information’, Kerstin Arnold, Archives Portal Europe Foundation

Kerstin will provide an introduction defining what vocabularies are, how they can be used, and why it is useful to consider their implementation – on a local level as well as in the context of larger scale aggregation services.

‘Linked Data Vocabularies for Heritage Data’, Marcus Smith, Swedish National Heritage Board

Marcus will talk about how controlled vocabularies can be taken a step further to become linked data vocabularies, the advantages of doing so, and some examples in use within the heritage sector.

‘Exploiting vocabularies and linked data: in practice‘, Kate Fernie, CARARE

Kate will talk about how controlled vocabularies and linked data can be used in systems and services, and will demonstrate some examples including the Share3D metadata capture tool and the Europeana Archaeology Vocabulary service.

Programme and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/using-vocabularies-and-linked-data-connectingarchaeology-webinar-tickets-146977933957

online 20-21 April 2021

inDICEs workshop Digital Transitions in the Cultural Heritage Sector

The 2nd Consultation Workshop from inDICEs project brings together cultural heritage professionals, researchers and the inDICEs community to discuss needs and concerns in relation to digitization, online access, the use and the potential re-use of collections, data needed for developing digital strategies and contents, future research competencies and change management.

The workshop has 2 sessions:

April 20, 2021- 11:00 – 11:20

Emergent forms of digital cultural production/re-production, participation and re-use of CHI contents in the Digital Single Market

April 21, 2021 – 10:00 – 13:00

Sharing collections sustainably & meaningfully: A brief introduction to rights management in cultural organisations

Both sessions are free of charge and registration is now open via this link

presenting Chinese heritage in Europeana in a thematic space rich with editorials, curiosities, and high-quality content

Europeana China feature page

Peasant Paintings from Huhsien Country, Peking 1976, 55. CC-BY Bai Tianxue, Östasiatiska museet via Europeana

PHOTOCONSORTIUM, International Consortium for Photographic Heritage, and EUROPEANA, the European Commission’s digital platform for cultural heritage are proud to present a prime accomplishment of PAGODE – Europeana China. This project, aimed at creating a dedicated thematic space that highlights and celebrates Chinese heritage in Europe, officially launches a feature page on April 4th, showcasing a variety of Chinese and China-related cultural heritage items and resources from European cultural institutions such as museums, libraries and photographic archives.

“International exchanges have been and are still at the basis of the evolution of our society. In particular, this is true in the relationships between Europe and China. While goods are moving and determining the economic values of these exchanges, people move with their ideas and cultures. Mutual understanding and acknowledging the value of the variety of cultural heritage in the world is key to support the creation of healthy spaces for business development.” says dr. Mauro Fazio, Italian Ministry of Economic Development, the PAGODE project coordinator. “Digitisation, curation and access to digital treasures of Chinese heritage held in European institutions, as the main objectives of this project, are expected to contribute to the process of digital transformation in the light of a more inclusive, equal and global growth.”

Jolan Wuyts, Collections Editor at Europeana: “In Europeana we have the opportunity to highlight collections that can be otherwise underrepresented, showcasing Chinese Heritage in European collections is one of those opportunities. The PAGODE project enables users to dive into Chinese heritage collections while at the same time being guided by important context and curation from PAGODE project partners. Collecting these editorials in a single feature page allows Europeana to give a platform to PAGODE’s curation efforts and other editorial on Chinese heritage in one place.”

Landscape by Gao Qipei, circa 1700-1730, China. Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands, Public Domain, via Europeana

VISIT THE NEW THEMATIC SPACE

Themed galleries, blog posts and curated digital content will guide visitors through this online treasure trove. Image by image, story by story, visitors can immerse themselves in the rich narratives of two worlds that have been meeting and mixing for centuries. The feature page will offer ample opportunity for discovering the stories of Empress Cixi, of the mandarin duck, of the Chinese junk, and exploring thousands of curiosities and stunning images of Chinese heritage in Europe: https://www.europeana.eu/en/chinese-heritage

To be added to the page in September 2021 is a virtual exhibition of Chinese heritage and art in Europe.

ABOUT PAGODE – Europeana China

PAGODE – Europeana China, co-financed by the CEF Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union, enriches Europeana by offering high-quality reusable images and compelling stories, in a safe and engaging online environment that is bound to become a great resource for educators, researchers, creative industries and photography and culture enthusiasts.

Website: www.photoconsortium.net/pagode

#EuropeanaChina

#CEFTelecom

#ConnectingEurope

#allezculture

Outcomes of the European Cultural Heritage Green Paper launch webinar

The on line event took place last 22th March as a cooperation between Europa Nostra and other heritage, climate and financial organizations. More than 500 people joined the meeting and shared reflections about the great challenges targeted by the Green Deal and the fundamental role played by cultural heritage for the success of its mission.
This concept was emphasised from several perspectives by all representatives of the main organizations that supported the adoption of the Cultural Heritage Green Paper: Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra; Andrew Potts, main author of the Paper and Coordinator of the ICOMOS Climate Change and Heritage Working Group; Francisco de Paula Coelho and Ambroise Fayolle, respectively Dean of the Investment Bank Institute and Vice-President of the EIB responsible for Climate Action; Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth; Teresa Patricio, new President of ICOMOS.
As a follow-up, Europa Nostra plans to launch a European multi-stakeholder platform on heritage and climate action in order to build on and deepen the collective knowledge developed with this Paper and to engage all parties concerned into ensuring adequate implementation of the proposed recommendations.
The European Investment Bank Institute has also announced the introduction of a new strand of its future activities dedicated to the topic “Cultural Heritage and Climate Action”.
This policy and advocacy document will also be highly relevant for other policy priorities of the European Union, such as the recently launched New European Bauhaus initiative of the European Commission, of which Europa Nostra is an official partner.
Click here for executive summary, full paper, presentation and full press release.
Previous blog on the launch webinar here.

Crozier New York City and London locations will host industry’s first widely accessible Ultra-High-Resolution Color Laser Scanners

Crozier Fine Arts and Arius Technology launch a new platform for the Art World

Arius Technology Inc., a world-leading art technology company, has partnered with Crozier, a global leader in fine arts logistics and an Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM) business, to provide clients with ultra-high-resolution imaging previously unavailable to the commercial art world. The core of the technology, known as the Art Digital Master File (ADMF™) platform, will transform analytics, documentation, and visualization of art, bringing art collectors into the digital age of art preservation and stewardship.

Originally developed for the forensic analysis of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the technology has been further developed by Arius, working with leading museums including Tate and The National Gallery of Canada to advance the value and capability of the system. This conservation-quality imaging technology offers a level of detail previously unavailable to the commercial art market. The Arius 3D ultra-high-resolution color laser data capture system simultaneously measures the geometry and color of a painting’s surface, recording millions of data points. This enables collectors to both protect and engage with their artwork at brushstroke level, picking up intricate detail as fine as one tenth of a human hair.

The ADMF™ data, stored digitally in much the same way as a master music recording, has many uses. It can be embedded in online viewing rooms to provide brushstroke level visualization; developed into comprehensive condition reports and restoration plans; and printed as highly accurate textured replications that represent every movement and carefully considered color choice of the artist.

As online art sales continue to rise steadily, and online viewing rooms are now a feature of the art world, Arius’ visualization suite will offer an immersive experience where visitors can calibrate and adjust lighting, viewing angle, perspective and shadow effects.
The ADMF™ data also holds the promise to become the cornerstone of multi-factor authentication, linked to traditional provenance documentation. As a unique digital fingerprint of a work, it has tremendous potential for fraud prevention and detection. It also provides the richest data set for digital archiving.

Arius CEO Paul Lindahl says: “We are excited to work with Crozier to offer gold standard digitization, visualization and conservation of art. This launch of phase one of the ADMF™ platform focuses on the visual enjoyment of art, both digitally and with high-fidelity textured replications. We are continuing to build out the platform to enable digital archiving and condition analytics that will allow for proactive restoration before degradation is visible to the human eye.”

Collectors, as custodians of culturally significant works, will appreciate the role the ADMF™ data can play in digitally preserving paintings, ensuring they maintain their rightful place in history and enabling the best possible conservation for the future. Collectors who have gone through the hard work of establishing provenance, will understand that linking the ADMF™ data to traditional documentation will bring confidence and simplicity to future transactions. Also, collectors that wish to store or donate important works can continue to enjoy an emotional connection through a high-fidelity replication, knowing the replication comes directly from the original.

Simon Hornby, Crozier’s SVP of Western Europe, says: “Over the past few years, Crozier has focused its digital strategy on partnering with the world-leading platforms in order to provide clients with solutions. The decision to embark on a partnership with Arius came after many months of research and an in-depth review of its viability and capability. We are thrilled to partner with Arius and to be able to offer our clients the most advanced ultra-high-resolution digitization technology.”

Tom Hale, SVP of North America for Crozier says: “We know by listening to our clients that they need ways to both engage with and protect their artwork that leverage a wide array of technologies. We are uniquely positioned to offer them a solution that combines conservation and new art world technology and are excited about what is to come in 2021 and the future.”

Arius technology is currently installed at Crozier facilities in London and New York, with future installations planned for Switzerland and Los Angeles.

For more information visit https://www.crozierfinearts.com/uhr

About Arius Technology
Arius is a world leader in ultra-high-resolution 3D color laser data capture, data analysis and data visualization for fine art. Sophisticated data processing assembles millions of data points representing color and surface geometry into the Art Digital Masterfile (ADMF™) platform which can be stored in much the same way as a master tape in the music industry. The ADMF™ data can be used for a wide array of applications, including condition analytics, online viewing and high-fidelity replications. Arius collaborates with museums, galleries, collectors, and artists to digitize art for preservation, visualization, documentation, and authentication.
For more information visit https://www.ariustechnology.com

About Crozier
Crozier is the global leader in fine art storage and logistics. Crozier serves the art world ecosystem through our strategic network that spans North America and Europe. By design and execution, Crozier can meet the needs of any collection, whether private or institutional, offering unparalleled technical expertise in the handling, installation and storing of art. Our mission is to preserve culture and innovate best practices to protect the value and integrity of treasured assets. We ensure art that matters today is here for generations to come.

About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), founded in 1951, is the global leader for storage and information management services. Trusted by more than 225,000 organizations around the world, and with a real estate network of nearly 93 million square feet across approximately 1,450 facilities in 56 countries, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of valued assets, including critical business information, highly sensitive data, and cultural and historical artifacts. Providing solutions that include secure records storage, information management, digital transformation, secure shredding, as well as data centers, cloud services and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps customers lower cost and risk, comply with regulations, recover from disaster, and enable a more digital way of working. Visit www.ironmountain.com for more information.

Presentation of UNCHARTED at the European Sociological Association Conference on The Social Effects of Art

On 10^th March 2021, Professor Arturo Rodríguez Morató and Dr. Matías Zarlenga, from the University of Barcelona, UNCHARTED project’s partner leader, presented the Project at the 11th midterm conference of the Research Network on the Sociology of the Arts of the European Sociological Association, THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF ART (https://sites.uniarts.fi/web/esa-arts2021/home) . The event was organized by the University of the Arts (Uniarts) Helsinki, Center for Cultural Policy Research CUPORE & European Sociological Association, Sociology of the Arts Research Network (RN2). The ESA-Arts 2021 conference dealt with the social function and effects of the arts, a defining problem for the discipline. The paper (UNCHARTED: a European research project on the value of culture and the arts), which was presented within a session on the Arts and Cultural Policies, gave an overview of the project, explaining its general vision and the research logic inspiring it.