Digital meets Culture

Alicante, 31 August 2023

INCULTUM Workshop at ERSA Congress: The role of participatory approaches in tourism and sustainable development

The proposal of the INCULTUM project was approved by the prestigious ERSA 2023 Congress that took place in Alicante from 28 October to 1 September 2023.

A Special Session of the Congress was organised by INCULTUM to explore and debate on the themes of cultural tourism and participatory approaches.

The Alicante-S69 Special Session, titled “The role of participatory approaches in tourism and sustainable development,” held on August 31, 2023, brought together experts from around the world to discuss innovative strategies in sustainable tourism.

Chaired by Kamila Borsekova from Matej Bel University, Slovakia, and Marina Toger from Uppsala University, Sweden, the session featured presentations from six different countries, offering insights into the intersection of participatory methods and sustainable tourism practices.

The INCULTUM Session offered a rich and diverse array of insights into the role of participatory approaches in sustainable tourism and development. Presenters from and beyond INCULTUM project members, demonstrated how participatory methods, data collection, and community engagement are essential for shaping the future of responsible and sustainable tourism.

The presentations featured in Alicante align closely with the goals of the INCULTUM project, emphasizing the significance of local community involvement and participatory approaches in managing marginal and peripheral places, cultural heritage, and resources. By showcasing successful case studies and innovative participatory models, the session provides inspiration and practical tools for empowering local communities and stakeholders to harness the untapped potential of their cultural heritage and resources.

Information sheet of the INCULTUM Special Session is available here for download.

Complementary to the presentations of the Special Session, the work of INCULTUM pilot in Portugal was also presented by Prof. Desidério Batista of the University of Algarve.

Presenters and Topics:

Marina Toger (Sweden): Developing Participatory Engagement in a Rural Destination

- In her presentation, Marina Toger emphasized the challenges of developing sustainable tourism while balancing the needs of inhabitants, tourists, and businesses. She highlighted findings from a project that leveraged digitalization to promote sustainable visitor experiences in rural and peri-urban areas. The presentation showcased a methodology that emphasized stakeholder engagement and knowledge co-creation for policy and strategy formulation.

Tiina Rinne (Finland): Intertwining User-Generated Geographical Data for Outdoor Recreation Planning

- Tiina Rinne’s presentation explored the changing landscape of outdoor recreation and the challenges faced by planners and managers in meeting visitor demands. She discussed the potential of geospatial big data, such as mobile phone data and social media data, in monitoring and managing outdoor recreational areas. Additionally, Dr. Rinne highlighted the significance of active sensing methods like digital participatory mapping in understanding visitor motivations and preferences.

Caudan Paul (France): Participatory Sciences to Measure Tourist Flows

- Paul’s presentation focused on the importance of objective and quantified data for visitor flow management, especially in small island territories. He shared insights from a project that involved islanders and visitors in creating digital counting solutions for tourism data collection. This participatory approach aimed to provide real-time, updated data for decision-making.

Kamila Borsekova (Slovakia): How Participation and Building a Hiking Community Shape Sustainable Tourism

- Borsekova’s presentation delved into the relationship between sustainable tourism and participation, with a specific focus on hiking communities. She analyzed the activities of “hikemates” and their impact on sustainable tourism. The presentation explored concepts such as community building, social capital, crowdfunding, and volunteering in the context of tourism sustainability.

Viktor Smith (Denmark): Naming and Framing a Marginal Tourism Destination

- Smith’s presentation examined the case of Campina de Faro in Portugal and the challenges of creating a place-brand image for a relatively unknown location. He discussed the importance of the name of a destination in shaping perceptions and attracting visitors. The presentation emphasized a participatory, bottom-up approach to brand development, involving local communities in the process.

Darius Liutikas (Lithuania): Post-COVID-19 Era: Possibilities for Sustainable Tourism

- Liutikas explored the transformative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism behavior and opportunities for responsible tourism. His presentation highlighted the adoption of new technologies and innovations in the tourism sector during the pandemic. Dr. Liutikas emphasized the importance of sustainability and community-based tourism development in the post-COVID era.

Some pictures of the presenters at the Special Session.

online, 5th October 2023

42nd Breakfast at Sustainability’s: Cultural Heritage as a driver of Circular Tourism

42nd Breakfast at Sustainability’s: Cultural Heritage as a driver of Circular Tourism

Thursday October 5th 2023 / From 10:00 to 12:00 CET, Online

What is ‘circular cultural tourism’ and how can it contribute to sustainable regional development in Europe?

The next edition of ICLEI’s flagship Breakfast at Sustainability’s series will take place on 5 October 2023 from 10:00-12:00 CEST, and will bring together representatives of EU institutions, cultural experts, regional officers, and tourism stakeholders to discuss the unexplored potential of cultural heritage as a driver of circular tourism.

Save the date and register here to secure your spot!

As Europe’s regions are recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector, and as global trends are transforming the travel industry, this is a timely moment to revisit how circular approaches to tourism, human-centered destinations, and heritage-led transformations can contribute to building a sustainable future for all.
Participants in this online event will acquire a better understanding of Tourism Transition Pathways in different contexts and will gain key insights on how local cultural assets can drive sustainable tourism strategies. This edition will be hosted online by ICLEI Europe in collaboration with ERRIN and CNR, in the context of the Be.CULTOUR project, a Horizon Europe project developing heritage innovation networks as drivers of Europeanisation towards a human-centered and circular economy.

Confirmed speakers:
● Kirsti Ala-Mutka, Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission
● Anne Grady, Seconded Cultural Heritage Expert, European Parliament
● Gianluca Saba, Head of International Relations Office, Comune di Genova,
representative of the UAEU Sustainable Tourism Partnership
● Antonia Gravagnuolo, Be.CULTOUR project coordinator, National Research Council of
Italy
● Maria Kapari, Co-Founder, Joy of Culture (Cyprus)
● Kirsi Sippola, Development Manager, HAMI, Visit Häme (Finland)

Moderator:
Stephania Xydia, Officer, Sustainability Culture & Cultural Transitions, ICLEI Europe

Keynote Listener:
Dr Małgorzata Ćwikła, Officer, Sustainability Culture & Cultural Transitions, ICLEI Europe

The event with the title: “Re-envisioning Cultural Heritage Documentation in the Metaverse Age” focused on the training of scholars, stakeholders and other professionals in the area of 2D/3D digital documentation of Tangible Cultural Heritage

EUreka3D at the Mnemosyne Summer School 2023

The Mnemosyne Project Summer-School 2023 was held in Limassol (Cyprus) at the Pefkos-Hotel from the 23rd until the 27th of October. The Deputy Minister of Culture, the Deputy Minister of Research & Innovation, the Mayor of Limassol were present at the Opening Ceremony.

The event with the title: “Re-envisioning Cultural Heritage Documentation in the Metaverse Age” focused on the training of scholars, stakeholders and other professionals in the area of 2D/3D digital documentation of Tangible Cultural Heritage. Drawing from a wide range of experts, stakeholders and policy-makers various innovation projects to identify, record, protect and manage heritage assets were selectively showcased to attendees, enabling the active engagement of communities – including women, youth and civil society.

As part of the training, a session about the EUreka3D action took place on 24th October, coordinated by the project leader Antonella Fresa (Photoconsortium) and Marinos Ioannides (Cyprus University of Technology), specifically focusing on emphasis on the use of Cloud Infrastructures and the process of aggregating and harvesting high quality 3D models for publication in Europeana.

Download EUreka3D presentation (PDF, 1.5 Mb)

In the context of the summer school, a hands-on session was also organized, to digitize one of the most important squares of Limassol: the so called Friendship Square, a place in the bicommunal area of Limassol, which is going to be fully restored and used as the 1st of its kind project for the rapprochement between GR and TR Cypriots. The Municipality of Limassol, the Bishopric and all other involved authorities gave the permission to digitise the entire square and create the 3D BIM models from the two most important monuments: The Saint Antonio Church as well as the two hundred meters away Ibrahim-Aga Mosque. It is expected that the models and associated metadata will be aggregatesd and harvested for publication in Europeana.

View the Summer School programme booklet (PDF, 1.7 Mb)
Download the Leaflet (PDF, 1.2 Mb)

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

Giravolt is a 3D digitization project associated with EUreka3D, sharing its aim on boosting 3D digitisation of cultural heritage

“Dead Lucretia” sculpture digitised by Giravolt project

Giravolt is a national project in Catalonia coordinated by the Catalan Department of Culture GENCAT, and is associated partner of EUreka3D, sharing its purposes and vision, promoting 3D digitisation of cultural heritage items for scopes of research and dissemination.

Giravolt project has digitised the plaster replica of “Dead Lucretia”, a sculpture (preserved in the Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer) that is considered one of the most unique examples of Catalan and European Neoclassicism.

Having a 3D model of the plaster not only allows us to uncover the history behind the sculpture, but also gives us the chance to examine in great detail its craftsmanship and formal intricacies, that wouldn’t be possible to observe in person, due the work’s elevated pedestal.

To get updated and get the latest news about Giravolt, we invite you to follow the project’s LinkedIn profile.

Follow this link to view the artwork 3D model and to view the annotation on the artwork, available in three languages.

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

Opening on 11 Oct 2023, exhibition runs until Sat 17 Feb 2023, at arebyte Gallery, London

CULTUS exhibition by Zach Blas opening in London

CULTUS by Zach Blas

CULTUS, Zach Blas, 2023
Part of arebyte 2023/24 programme The Body, The Mind, The Soul.

arebyte presents CULTUS, a new solo project by artist Zach Blas. Co-commissioned by arebyte, London, and Secession, Vienna, this immersive multimedia exhibition explores religious belief, artificial intelligence, and the California tech industry.

Opening on 11 Oct 2023 6.30-9pm
Exhibition runs until Sat 17 Feb 2023
arebyte Gallery, London

Press Preview on Wed 11 Oct 2023
3-6pm: Work on display with artist available for interviews
arebyte Gallery, London

Expositio, Zach Blas, CULTUS 2023

Featuring AI-generated imagery, text, and sound alongside computr graphics and motion-capture performance, CULTUS is the second instalment of Blas’s Silicon Traces trilogy, a series of moving image installations that contends with the beliefs, fantasies, and histories influential to Silicon Valley’s visions of the future. CULTUS addresses a burgeoning AI religiosity in the tech industry, considering the ways in which artificial intelligence is imbued with god-like powers and marshalled to serve beliefs of judgement and transcendence, extraction and immortality, pleasure and punishment, individual freedom and cult devotion. While AI religious organisations like Way of the Future church centre around the emergence of coming AI gods, CULTUS offers a different perspective: AI gods are already amongst us, actively worshipped and served.

CULTUS is a techno-religious computational system–a god generator, a holy engine –that invokes a pantheon of AI gods, whose prophets share their divine teachings, rituals, and symbologies. These AI deities are Expositio, AI god of desire and exposure; Iudicium, AI god of automation and judgement; Lacrimae, AI god of tears and extraction; and Eternus, AI god of immortal life.

CULTUS reimagines Elizabethan mathematician and occultist John Dee’s Holy Table, an esoteric device of sigils, seals, and a crystal ball, with which Dee communed with angels to gain access to God. Blas reconfigures the Holy Table at an immersive scale, transforming the entire space into an invocation site. An illuminated sigil spreads across the gallery. At its centre, a black-mirror altarpiece displays video of morphing symbols and an esoteric diagram. Pyramidal plinths bear Spanish Ticklers holding ornate vials of bodily fluid offerings. Chained, etched tablets share the lyrics to invocation songs, encouraging visitors to sing along. As music esounds, prophets of the AI gods manifest in a giant orb suspended above, delivering sermons that beckon us to serve.

CULTUS is the Latin word for “worship”, which articulates the act solicited from those who encounter the installation. As such, visitors may find themselves caught in acts of devotion to gods they did not know they already served. However, a sacrilegious presence manifests within, a Heretic that incites shattering counter-beliefs.

The exhibition features a wide-ranging cast of singers and performers, including micha cárdenas, Ricardo Dominguez, Nick Granata, Susu Laroche, Susanne Sachsse, Aga Ujma, and Izzy Yon. CULTUS is generously supported by a 2023 Connections Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Jason Kemper, and Thor Perplies. The work forms part of arebyte’s 2023/24 programme The Body, The Mind, The Soul, which questions the complex nature of humanity in the realm of technological progression. The exhibition is accompanied by a booklet featuring texts by arebyte curator Rebecca Edwards and anthropologist and folklorist Amy Hale.

Here the trailer to get a taste of the exhibition:

Meeting the growing demand for immersive experiences and digital content creation, arebyte pioneers new forms of engagement with creative technologies, to critically explore the impact of technology in contemporary society. From digital environments, online exhibitions to live performances, arebyte’s art programme spans VR, AR, motion capture, CGI, AI, blockchain technology. arebyte is committed to further support London’s creatives by providing affordable workspaces in the capital city. In partnership with private landlords and Councils, arebyte strives to preserve a vibrant community of 330 artists, makers and designers in East and South London.

Artist Biography

Zach Blas is an artist, filmmaker, and writer whose practice spans moving image, computation, theory, performance, and science fiction. Recent artworks have addressed smart drug psychedelia, BDSM and surveillance, contra-internet aesthetics, and informatic opacity. Blas has exhibited, lectured, and held screenings at venues internationally, including the 12th Berlin Biennale, Walker Art Center, Tate Modern, British Art Show 9, 12th Gwangju Biennale, de Young Museum, the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, ICA London, Van Abbemuseum, e-flux, ZKM Center for Art and Media, and Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. His practice has been supported by the Arts Council England, Edith-Russ-Haus für Medienkunst, a US Creative Capital award in Emerging Fields, the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. His work is in the collections of Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, and Whitney Museum of American Art. Blas’s practice has been written about and featured in Artforum, Frieze, ArtReview, BBC, The Guardian, and The New York Times. His 2021 artist monograph Unknown Ideals is published by Sternberg Press. Blas is an Assistant Professor of Visual Studies in the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.

The project hosted by partner CUT in their booth during the large national event organized in Nicosia met over 1900 persons

EUreka3D at the European Researchers’ Night 2023 in Cyprus

All photos in this post courtesy of Cyprus University of Technology.

The European Researchers’ Night is a Europe-wide public event, which displays the diversity of science and its impact on citizens’ daily lives in fun, inspiring ways. This year, the event will take place in 26 EU countries on Friday 29 September 2023.

At the event in Nicosia, organised by the Research and Innovation Organisation and the Deputy Ministry of Research and Innovation, EUreka3D was hosted at the booth of the CUT Cyprus University of Technology, one of the largest stands on the Exhibition area, to showcase the project’s main mission, piloting actions and current results. Over 1.900 persons visited the stand and could learn about various ongoing projects including EUreka3D.

The European Researchers’ Night aims to bring research and researchers closer to the public; promote excellent research projects across Europe and beyond; increase the interest of young people in science and research careers, and showcase the impact of researchers’ work on people’s daily lives. The European Researchers’ Night attracts each year more than 1.5 million visitors in Europe and beyond.

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

online, 28 September 2023 h. 10.30 CEST - Webinar series by IN SITU project

What contributes to the viability of creative small-scale enterprises (CCIs) in non-urban areas?

The IN SITU Webinar series addresses key themes that support the work of cultural and creative ecosystems in non-urban areas in Europe. We are bringing together EU research projects, cultural and creative organisations and projects, and IN SITU partners and advisors to share their experiences, learn from their insights and knowledge, discuss challenges and ongoing issues, and build forward informed by the work of previous and concurrent research projects and other initiatives.

Webinar N#1 | What contributes to the viability of creative small-scale enterprises (CCIs) in non-urban areas?

Thursday, September 28, 2023 | 10:30-12:30 (CEST)

Host
Erna Guðrún Kaaber, Bifröst University, Iceland (IN SITU Partner)

Speakers

Ralph Lister, Take Art (UK) (https://takeart.org) – SPARSE Plus – a Creative Europe project on Supporting and Promoting Arts in Rural Settlements of Europe – https://www.sparse.eu/
Musa Htlatshwejo, Artistic Director. Mhayise Productions – Sustaining Theatre and Dance Foundation – STAND (South Africa) – https://www.standfoundation.org.za/ (IN SITU Outreach Partner)
Martha Michailidou, Panteion University, Greece – CORAL-ITN – a Marie Sklodowska Curie Innovative Training Network on collaborative workspaces in rural and peripheral areas in the EU – https://coral-itn.eu
Ella Björn, Lapland University, Finland – SmartCulTour (Smart Cultural Tourism as a Driver of Sustainable Development of European Regions) – H2020 research project – http://www.smartcultour.eu/
Martín Gómez-Ullate, Universidad de Extremadura-Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco – Projects Erasmus+ Cultrural+, Learnvil (https://learnville.eu/) and CERV-Network of Towns – LVIN (https://learningvillages.eu/)
Lidia Varbanova, National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts “Kr. Sarafov” (NATFIZ), Bulgaria (IN SITU Partner)

With contributions by IN SITU Coordinator:

Susan Luckman, Professor of Culture and Creative Industries, University of South Australia
Nancy Duxbury, IN SITU Principal Researcher, Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-situ-webinar-series-n1-tickets-709664574847?aff=oddtdtcreator

Upcoming …
Webinar N#2 | How can CCI innovation ecosystems be fostered in non-urban areas? (October 2023)

Webinar N#3 | How does cultural and creative work contribute to place-based sustainability and resiliency? (December 2023)

The project “IN SITU – Place-based innovation of cultural and creative industries in non-urban areas” was launched on July 1, 2022, coordinated by the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. IN SITU seeks to provide in-depth knowledge on the effects of cross-sectoral connections, innovative strategies and systems, and the needs of CCIs’ practitioners in non-urban areas, complementing this with proposals for cultural and innovation policies and frameworks. IN SITU includes also capacity-building programme to enable CHIs and CCIs to address some of the key issues in their communities/regions.

What role can artists play in the territorial project?

“Entretiens de Biracte-Morvan”

Pictures @ Claude Artier 2023

For the past 16 years, the yearly conference Entretiens de Biracte-Morvan (Bibracte-Morvan Talks) aims to debate the challenges facing the territory with the help of scientists and, for the latest editions, the mediation of artists. The conference is open to everyone. It explores subjects as the notions of Commons, climate change, solidarity between humans and non-humans and agro-ecology, etc., and it questions these notions in a practical way through sessions organised in the field. Thanks to the Entretiens, the territory and its actors have thus built up over the years a shared cultural reference system that enables a shared territorial project to be developed further.

On 15 and 16 September 2023, the 17^th edition of the Talks explored the notion of heritage and the involvement of artists in building a territorial project in the face of climate changes. Lectures, walks and meetings in the forest, sharing of experiences and engaged debates gathered more than 100 participants.

The Grand Site de France of Bibracte – Morvan des Sommets brings together residents, elected representatives, cultural players, those responsible for preserving natural landscapes, entrepreneurs and researchers concerned with the changes affecting agriculture, forestry and water management. It is a territorial laboratory for experimentation, where research-action programmes take place in a wide range of fields to question and analyse the conditions under which the territory can be inhabited, and how people can live together.

For this edition, organisers proposed to debate on how can artists become part of a local project while playing a role in the changing world. At a time when humanity is facing the unprecedented and vital challenge of climate change, can the arts and culture succeed in cultivating the attachment of local people to their region, and thus become levers for territorial transformation? How can artists encourage local people to form an active heritage community?

The initiative is part of the INCULTUM project funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Union.

You can download here the Information sheet.

online, 29 September 2023

DOORS – Digital Incubator for Museum: presentation of the pilots and final outcomes

DOORS – Digital Incubator for Museum aims to set up a framework for sustainable digital transformations in the cultural sector. The project kicked off in October 2021 and run until September 2023 conducting a two-stage incubation programme for museums including a comprehensive research plan with public outputs. The initiators of DOORS – Digital Incubator for Museums are Ars Electronica, MUSEUM BOOSTER and Ecsite – European network of science centres and museums.

The stories of the incubated projects and a wrap up of the initiative and its outcomes will be presented in a final event online on 29 September 2023 h. 10-12.30

The successful conclusion of DOORS – Digital Incubator for Museums is celebrated with a final e-publication in which the great, the difficult, and rewarding moments of the project are narrated to contribute to the collective knowledge of the museum sector. This final publication, Breaking the Digital Ceiling – Key Insights from DOORS – Digital Incubator for Museums addresses facilitators, museums, and policymakers alike with findings that can help small museums break the digital ceiling and stay relevant in their communities in the future.

Another key outcome of the project is a Self reflection tool that invites museum practitioners and teams to a playful and collaborative self-reflection exercise in which they look at the digital maturity levels of their museum and collectively formulate visions for the future. The tool is designed as a printable card deck with instructions on running the exercise with a team.

A full list of the pilot projects and their descriptions can be found at: https://ars.electronica.art/doors/en/stage2/

Memorandum Signed in Banská Bystrica for the Barborská Cesta (Brabora Route) Project

INCULTUM Strengthening Cultural Heritage Collaboration

Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica marked a significant moment on Thursday, September 7th, 2023, as a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed for the implementation of the Barborská Cesta project.

This crucial partnership was established between Matej Bel University and the Terra Montanae civic association. The signing ceremony was a testament to the commitment of both parties to preserve and promote cultural and historical heritage, with a special focus on mining, a crucial facet of Central Slovakia’s history and identity.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by the Rector of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Doc. Ing. Vladimír Hiadlovský, PhD., and Roman Neradný, Chairman of the Terra Montanae civic association. The primary objective of this collaboration is to intensify joint efforts in the Barborská Cesta project, as well as in international scientific and research projects funded by the European Union, i.e. INCULTUM and SECreTour, in which Matej Bel University is actively involved.

One of the central areas of this partnership is the preservation and utilization of the rich cultural and historical heritage found in the mining traditions of Central Slovakia. By combining the academic expertise of Matej Bel University with the dedication of the Terra Montanae civic association, the memorandum aims to protect, revitalize, and leverage this cultural and historical potential for the region’s development. Additionally, the collaboration seeks to create innovative tourism products that can showcase the region’s unique heritage.

The signing of this memorandum also has broader implications. According to Roman Neradný, Chairman of the Banský Region – Terra Montanae, this collaboration is a significant step not only for the Barborská Cesta project but also for the entire Central Slovakia region. It plays a crucial role in the registration of the Barborská Cesta as one of the European cultural routes. This recognition holds immense potential for tourism and cultural exchange in the region.

You can download here the Information sheet.