Digital meets Culture

October/November 2025, Cagliari (Italy)

Festival of Art, Theatre and new Technologies “The Wonders of possible” – INTERNATIONAL OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS

Between October and November 2025, Kyber Theatre organises in Cagliari (Italy) the 12° Edition of the International Theatre, Art and New Technologies Festival, called “The Wonders of Possible”.

Kyber Theatre addresses Italian and International artists, emerging and not emerging companies and/or artists with an Open Call to submit their projects about “Interaction between theatre and new technologies”, with a deadline on the 20th of June 2025.

The winners of the Open Call will have guaranteed the full coverage of the costs for mobility and an “attendance fee” for the presentation of their performance for 2 evenings. If possible, any material required for the presentation of the performance / show / play will be covered.

Read and download the Open Call PDF (EN, IT) here<<<<

Learn more and submit your proposal at this link.

A conference not to be missed at Villa Salviati, Florence, 29 May 2025

Photography and archives: discovery, technology and innovation

Photoconsortium, the international association to value photographic heritage, the EUreka3D-XR project co-funded by the European Union in the frame of the Digital Europe Programme and the Historical Archives of the European Union are organising this hybrid event, bringing together professionals from renowned photographic institutions, research centres, and private image banks to explore the evolving landscape of photographic archives.

The agenda of the event is articulated into 3 sessions: Heritagem Technology and Innovation.

Interesting examples of Extended Reality (XR) applications are presented to demonstrate how the contents of digital archives can be transformed into engaging experiences, for whom cultural tourism is a natural field of application.

Further information about the conference is available at the programme & registration link.

EUreka3D project participates in the SECreTour network of common interest. EUreka3D-XR is the follow-up of EUreka3D that aims at demonstrate exploitation of 3D cultural heritage contents in XR experiences.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

14 May, Hybrid, online and Brussels: Room 2B. Albert Borschette Building, Rue Froissart 36, 1040 Etterbeek.

eArchiving Initiative event 2025

Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licenses bysolotravel_photalkgraphy on Unsplash

The definitive programme of the eArchiving Initiative event is now published! Join the event on 14 May 2025 in hybrid mode, either in person in Brussels or online.

The event will explore the foundations of database preservation and the new electronic archiving trust services in the EUDI Regulation. The morning session of this event will consider the state of the art in database preservation, that involves a series of practices and strategies to ensure that data remains usable and intact over time despite technological changes and potential data degradation.

The afternoon session will focus on the new trust service in the EUDI based on the eIDAS: the electronic archiving trust service.

The event will conclude with a reflection on how the eArchiving Initiative has incorporated the outcomes of the 2024 Brussels event and the plans for the coming year.

Download the programme here<<<<.

Join the event and read more at this link.

The study is conducted is part of the study “AI-Assisted Digitization of Documentary Heritage Materials.” and InterPARES Trust AI research project

Results and conclusions of “Report on the Survey ‘Digitization and Artificial Intelligence for Archives and Documentary Heritage Materials'” survey

Following a survey that had as an objective to investigate how AI is impacting digitization of archives and documentary heritage collections across different institutions, a study was published under the name of “Report on the Survey ‘Digitization and Artificial Intelligence for Archives and Documentary Heritage Materials'”.

The survey measured the state of digitization within organizations and assesses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on digitization activities. The survey is part of the study “AI-Assisted Digitization of Documentary Heritage Materials.” The broader study is conducted as part of InterPARES Trust AI (2021-2026), an international, multi-disciplinary research project with over 100 partner institutions and individual collaborators around the world.

The study seeks to explore the main ways that AI tools may support digitization processes, and is guided by ethical approaches to the uses and development of AI, and concludes that, while the potential benefits of AI for digitization purposes may be significant, it is critical for organizations to systematically assess and understand the risks of using AI for digitization, including ways to mitigate the risks.

Read the study here.

By the Memory Twin and the EU HERITALISE Project, from the Unesco Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage at Cyprus University of Technology

Invitation to participate in the Online Survey “Shaping the future of heritage digitisation”

Dear Colleague,

The UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage at Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus invites you to contribute to an important 15-minute survey exploring the future of cultural heritage digitisation. Building on the European Commission-funded VIGIE2020/654 study on quality in 3D digitisation, and the ongoing EU funded Horizon project – HERITALISE this new initiative seeks to go beyond Digital Twins by introducing the Memory Twin concept—an evolution of 3D digitisation that integrates data, metadata, paradata, and interpretative layers within a broader organisational and strategic framework.

This survey will run until the 31st of May 2025. Your insights will help assess institutional readiness, uncover barriers and opportunities, and inform future strategies and policies for capacity building and cross-sector collaboration. Whether you are a curator, researcher, technologist, or policymaker, your input will directly influence the development of next-generation standards and methodologies for digital cultural heritage.

The survey can be taken here.

We thank you in advance for your valuable contribution to shaping the future of heritage digitisation.

Best Regards
The UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage, Heritage Malta, the Memory Twin Alliance & the HERITALISE project research team.

For correspondence on this survey please use the contact email Mnemosyne@cut.ac.cy

Fashion as a connection to local culture - a new report from UN Tourism and Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI)

Focusing on fashion to enhance the tourism experiences

Destinations are increasingly focusing on fashion to enhance the tourism experiences and empower local communities, especially among indigenous populations, as well as small-scale creators and businesses. A new report from UN Tourism and Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) makes clear that tourists themselves still need to have a greater awareness of responsible behaviour and deeper appreciation for specific cultural contexts, through education and engagement.

Despite the growth of globalization and e-commerce, fashion-related products such as textiles, jewellery, perfumes, and accessories, still hold the greatest value when purchased at their destinations of origin. These items are more than souvenirs—they are powerful storytellers that connect travellers to the culture, history, and identity of places they visit.

Drawing on case studies from 11 countries (Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and Tanzania), the report:

Shows how fashion and tourism are interwoven to uplift local creators and attract diverse audiences.
Suggests recommendations on how to create win-win synergies between fashion and tourism key players.
Promotes tools that create an enabling environment for these stakeholders to co-create new products, while also addressing marketing strategies, branding and sustainability principles.
Makes clear the need to raise awareness among tourists, encouraging responsible behaviour and deeper appreciation for specific cultural contexts.

By blending traditional fashion expressions with innovation, these examples show different ways the creative industries can serve as a tool for trade opportunities, inclusive growth and cultural exchange, across the globe.

The report Fashion and Cultural Tourism – Connecting Creators, Businesses and Destinations offers an overview of the key concepts and definitions related to creative industries, fashion, and cultural tourism, highlighting how destinations can leverage this synergy to attract visitors while preserving their cultural heritage.

The report is available for free download.

Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) is partner of SECreTour. In addition to coordinate the SECreTour pilot on Monte San Giorgio, it is also home to a UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

April - September 2025, Museo della Grafica, Pisa (IT)

“Passa il Giro. Immagini e racconti di biciclette” – a new photo exhibition

Organized by Museo della Grafica, and open since Saturday April 19th, it is now possible to visit the photographic exhibition “Passa il Giro. Immagini e racconti di bicicletta”, which will remain open until September 30th.

Curated by Professor Alessandro Tosi, the exhibition will be an evocative journey between art and science dedicated to the history, culture and fascination of the bicycle through prints, drawings, sculptures, posters, photographs and historical models.

In the exhibition are included historical photographs harvested from both Europeana and the collection from the Pisan people that carried out in the context of the suggestive All Our Yesterdays photographic exposition (both digital and physical, 2014): the population was called to share the memories kept in their family’s photo albums with the world and now kept in their digitalized version at Promoter Digital Gallery.

29th of May 2025, Villa Salviati, Florence (Italy) and online

Photography and archives: discovery, technology and innovation

Villa Salviati
img. courtesy: Historical Archives of the European Union

On the 29th of May a rich conference will take place, organized in collaboration between Photoconsortium – International Consortium for Photographic Heritage and coordinator of the EUreka3D-XR project, co-funded by the EU under the Digital Europe Programme, and the prestigious Historical Archives of the European Union, the single, official repository for the historical documents of the institutions, bodies and agencies of the European Union, preserving and making available archival documents of EU institutions and private collections of European personalities, key politicians, movements and associations.

The beautiful Villa Salviati will be the venue hosting the event, in the middle of the Tuscanian bucolic countryside, home to thousands of photographs, audio and video recordings, posters and more.

The conference is hybrid.

29th May 2025, h. 10-13.30

REGISTER via this link >>>

Join us for the “Photography and archives: discovery, technology and innovation” conference to explore the evolving landscape of photographic archives through the presentations from our experts.

This half-day event, organized in the context of EUreka3D-XR capacity building effort, brings together professionals from renowned photographic institutions, research centres, and private image banks, to explore the evolving landscape of photographic archives. The three panels on Heritage, Technology, and Innovation aim to foster dialogue among public and private stakeholders involved in the preservation, management, and valorisation of photographic collections, also looking at how new technologies impact the workflow of heritage professionals.

Panelists and participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of photographic information in the digital age. The conference also aims to strengthen professional networks and promote exchange across institutions and fields of expertise.

Photography & Archives: Discovery, Technology and Innovation

9:45 – 10:00 Registration + Welcome coffee

10:00 Welcome Dieter Schlenker, Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union

10:15 – 11:15 Panel 1: Heritage
Chair: Antonella Fresa, Vice-President of Photoconsortium

-Erika Ghilardi, Director, Archivio Foto Locchi, Florence
-Scott Palmer, Lecturer and Senior Coordinator for Digital Learning & Innovation, New York University Florence
-Muriel Prandato, Multimedia & Audiovisual Archivist, Fondazione Alinari, Florence

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 – 12:30 Panel 2: Technology

-Costanza Caraffa, Head of the Photothek and Rafael Brundo Uriarte, Digital Research Coordinator, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max Planck Institute
-John Balean, Operations Manager, TopFoto
-Juan Alonso, Audio-visual Archivist, Historical Archives of the European Union

12:30 – 13:30 Panel 3: Innovation & Conclusions

-David Iglésias, Head of Photography and Audiovisual Records Department, Girona City Council
-Vincent Guichard, General Director, Bibracte E.P.C.C. Research
-Fred Truyen, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Cultural Studies Research Group, KU Leuven

EUreka3D-XR project is co-financed by the Digital Europe Programme of the European Union.

Collaboration agreement has started between the SECreTour project and the Grands Sites de France network, in April 2025

New collaborations of SECreTour with the network of the Grands Sites de France

The SECreTour Network is growing!

Created in November 2000, the Grands Sites de France network is a French association under the law of 1901, which brings together local organisations responsible for the stewardship of the Grands Sites.

The network is a very lively centre where people share their experiences and know-how for the sites. It brings together the sites that have already been awarded the “Grand Site de France” label and those which are less advanced and that are still in the study or remediation stages.

What the sites have in common is that they are all looking for innovative functions that allow quality welcome while respecting the spirit of the sites combined with the generation of positive impact on surrounding local economy.

The network also takes part in national and international reflection on the future of these areas of outstanding natural beauty and heritage site, facing their long-term conservation within the context of growing pressure from tourism.

You can find out more about the Grands Sites de France network oline:

https://www.grandsitedefrance.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/r-seau-des-grands-sites-de-france/posts/?feedView=all

https://www.instagram.com/reseaugrandssitesdefrance/

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

Leuven and online, May 14 2025, 6PM CET

“Culture is Not an Industry – 1 year on” lecture by Justin O’Connor hosted at KU Leuven

Organized by KU Leuven’s Faculty of Arts and hosted by DigitGLAM in cooperation with the European Heritage Hub, Professor Justin O’Connor is invited in Leuven to give a engaging lecture on the role of art and culture in today’s society with his newest book “Culture is Not an Industry”. He will reflect on the state of the creative industries and explore how we can reclaim culture for the common good.

The event will take place both online and on site on 14 May 2025, at 6PM CET.