Digital meets Culture

a project plenary + a public workshop were hosted by partner SPK

Jointed with the Civic Epistemologies final conference, partner SPK hosted the RICHES consortium for a double event in Berklin: the project plenary and the workshop session during the conference. On the 10 and 11 November 2015, the plenary meeting of the RICHES partners allowed the group to look back to the progress of the project so far, and to plan the next important steps, especially the next events to be organized in 2016:

a second policy seminar in Brussels (read more on the outcomes of the first one here)
the final conference of the project in Amsterdam (to be announced soon!)

An important research action was inaugurated in the plenary and will involve all the partners and affiliate partners of the project: a questionnaire about PPP Public-Private Partnerships, which will constitute the basis of the RICHES task on developing guidelines about this particular form of agreements for project implementation.

On the 12 and 13, the final conference of Civic Epistemologies took place at the museum of contemporary art of Hamburger-Bahnhof, entitled Digital Heritage and Innovation, Engagement and Identity. A session of the conference was organized together with RICHES in the form of a workshop presenting various case studies of community engagement and co-creation with cultural heritage and practices. The workshop, entitled Community-Led Redesign of Cultural Heritage, was very interesting, especially for its multidisciplinary and multisectorial approcah, that enriched the Civic Epistemologies conference with different perspectives on the wide theme of citizen participation in cultural heritage.

The presentations discussed during the session are available in the conference page and video recordings will be published soon.

practical on-field activity by MEMOLA project partner

Reconstructing historical dwellings in Albania

MEMOLA project (MEditerranean Mountainous LAndscapes) is an interdisciplinary approach to cultural landscapes of Mediterranean mountainous areas, taking as a central axis the historical study of two natural resources essential to generate agro-systems: water and soil. During October 2015, CeRPHAAL (MEMOLA partner), in collaboration with the municipality of Përmet, students from “University of “Aleksandër Xhuvani”, Elbasan, and volunteers from the Vlahos community of the Valley, constructed an historical Vlahos dwelling, locally known as Kalidhe or Kalive.

The main scope of the activity was to materialize and reify the construction memory of these historical dwelling, which have been in use in the area until the 60’s of the last century. Its construction was important as it enabled to transmit to the new generations many of the forgotten historical knowledge’s and wisdoms, regarding the traditions, customs and ways of life of this community, which is an integral part of the history of the Upper Vjosa Valley.

In addition, the construction is an experiment in the field of archaeology, which attempts to generate constructions elements and features from residential or service structures of the Early Medieval Period identified in the region.

http://www.memolaproject.eu/node/1036

Brussels, 16 December 2015

Thinking ahead sustainability – FLAGSHIP Final Conference

The FLAGSHIP final public conference will be held on December 16, 2015, at CEPS premises (Centre for European Policy Studies), Congresplaats 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, with the title of “Thinking ahead sustainably: Policies, Scenarios and Models to address Grand Societal Challenges”.

FLAGSHIP is an FP7 project, funded by the European Commission (DG RESEARCH) under the “Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities” theme, with the aim of developing a “Forward Looking Analysis of Grand Societal Challenges and Innovative Policies”. The FLAGSHIP project thus aims at driving change, supporting the policy shift from adapting to changes through short-term policy responses, towards anticipating, welcoming and managing changes properly.

FLAGSHIP expected impacts:

Development of policy applications, through the production of a set of concrete policy recommendations for European institutions, and all stakeholders striving to exploit the potential of transition and change for the future of the European Union;
Enhancement of FLA methodological approaches, through the development of an enhanced set of FLA quantitative and qualitative tools, methods and models.

The event welcomes scientists and researchers, representatives of the European Commission, policy makers, civil society and other relevant stakeholders.

Download the programme (PDF, 749 Kb)

During this event, the FLAGSHIP Reference Document will be presented. This document is the main output of the project and it includes a set of EU-relevant policy recommendations on the potential of transition and change for the future of the EU. Information exchanged during the conference will lead to an updated (and a definitive final version) of the FLAGSHIP Reference Document.

Registrations at FLAGSHIP website.

Brussels, 15 December 2015

The human factor in energy transition & security towards 2050 – seminar by MILESECURE project

The International Seminar “THE HUMAN FACTOR IN ENERGY TRANSITION & SECURITY TOWARDS 2050” aims at discussing the above topic, presenting the final results of the EU MILESECURE-2050 project.

The project work-programme was articulated in three main stages. At the first stage, both a study of European main trends and policies and an analysis of a set of 90 “anticipatory experiences” of the transition towards low carbon society were conducted. At the second stage, the knowledge deriving from the above two studies was embodied in innovative forecasting models and scenarios. At the third stage, policy guidelines and a manifesto on the transition were drafted.

Following the project structure, this Seminar is organized around three key issues: Multidimensional Knowledge, Innovative Models and Effective Policies. For each of these issues, a paper highlights the main research outputs and stimulates discussion with European experts, energy stakeholders and policy makers in a specific working session.

Programme and Registrations: http://www.milesecure2050.eu/en/international-seminars

One experienced researcher needed at Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol

4D-CH-World Marie Curie IAPP Programme seeking for candidates – deadline 16th November 2015

Applications are invited from candidates who possess the necessary qualifications in order to fill one full time Marie Curie Research Fellow Position within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Informatics in the field of 3D Reconstruction and Computer Vision in Cultural Heritage:

The Marie Curie Fellow will work within the 4D-CH-World Marie Curie IAPP Programme. 4D-CH-World is a major EU funded programme which brings together six (6) leading European partners in a transnational network, aiming at implementing a multidisciplinary and intersectorial research and training programme between the academic and the industrial partners in the field of Computer Graphics, Digital Libraries and Cultural Heritage.
The project 4D-CH-World will analyze, design, research, develop and validate an innovative system integrating the latest advances in computer vision and learning, as well as, 3D modeling and virtual reality for the rapid and cost-effective 4D maps reconstruction in the wild for personal use, and support the aim of our European Commons and the digital libraries EUROPEANA and UNESCO Memory of the World (MoW) to build a sense of a shared European cultural history and identity. Specifically, we are interested in the development of a fully automated time-varying 3D model engine for cultural heritage urban environments from a large collection of historical images, in order to fulfill professionals and organizations needs for more versatile functionalities, offering not only access and retrieval of high quality content but also supporting more sophisticated functionalities such as interoperable (metadata) cultural object descriptions, immersion of content into diverse (educational / cultural / research) contexts, 3D reconstruction of (partially) damaged artefacts.

The Marie Curie Fellow (One Experienced Researcher-ER) will be based at the Cyprus University of Technology/Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Informatics (Digital Heritage Research Lab) in Limassol, Cyprus and will benefit also from the projects transfer of knowledge and other complementary training activities and short placements at other European partners of the 4D-CH-World Consortium.

Download the call (PDF, 196 Kb)

Prague (Czech Republic), 15 - 19 November 2015

TRANS(E)MISSION EXPOSED – exhibition in Prague

Towards better human via digital…? – Installations, artist-talk and discussion regarding technologically enhanced life/mind forms in Ex Post Cultural Space in Prague.

Statement 1. The biggest danger for artificial intelligence is the chance, that it will most likely be created and „brought to life“ by average humans.

Statement 2. One of the most false notions of occidental civilization is belief, that technologies are un-human and that those represent chance or threat for new universe bereft of humanity.

Do you agree?

Well one week programme in Expost Gallery Prague will literally be an „installation“ of artificial intelligence. You will have a chance to experience artistic pieces attacking the limits of biological humanity and presenting simulations of personality run by digital engine. Besides, there will be an open discussion panel with experts concerning the ethical limitations of contemporary science research and experimenting, concerning extremity, transgression and actual role of art in this peculiar context.

Exhibiting Artists: IVOR DIOSI (SK) / SILVER (CZ-NOR)

Dates:

Exhibition: 16.-19.11.2015

Meet the artist: 18.11.2015

Final act (critical public discussion and dernissage): 19.11.2015

~ About the discussion

Open expert panel on ethical issues in science reflected and brought to light by art. Shall the scientific ethics restrain the artists of experimenting with certain technologies and challenge their impact?

Panel Members:

Anna Dumitriu (UK, The UK Clinical Research Consortium), Bobbie Farsides (UK, Brighton and Sussex Medical School), Claudia Lastra (UK, The Arts Catalyst), Pavel Stopka (CZ, Charles University Prague), Pavel Smetana (CIANT), Prokop Bartoníček (CZ, Ex Post), Annick Bureaud (FR, Leonardo OLATS), Aleksander Väljamäe (University of Talinn), Marc Boonstra (NL, Waag Society), Espen Gangvigk (NOR, TEKS). Host: Ondřej Cakl (CIANT)

Venue: Ex Post, Příčná 1 st., Praha 1

Organized by:

CIANT – International centre for art and new technologies, Prague, www.ciant.cz

in cooperation with: EX POST – A space for (digital) culture and education, Prague http://www.expost.space

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/440781706107877/

Details: http://ciant.cz/index.php/en/blog-en/104-trans-e-mission-exposed

Funded by EEA Grants.

The session really highlighted the multitude of ways in which the Pilot's tools might inform and facilitate engagement with dance, both in and out of the studio.

E-Space Dance Pilot: Testing Sessions in Athens

by Hetty Blades (Coventry University), Alex Stan and George Ioannidis (IN2)

The second round of user testing and evaluation of the two Dance Pilot applications, DancePro and DanceSpaces, took place on 27th and 28th September. The event was held at the beautiful Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, and was organised by Sarah Whatley, Rosemary Cisneros and Vassilis Panagiotakopoulos, alongside the Dance Pilot team. Over two days George Ioannidis (IN2) and Hetty Blades (Coventry University) worked with participants from a range of backgrounds including dancers, choreographers, researchers and educators to consider the usability and potential uses of the tools for dance practice, analysis, teaching and documentation. The findings were very interesting and really highlighted the multitude of ways in which such tools might inform and facilitate engagement with dance, both in and out of the studio.

The re-worked DanceSpaces tool offered a number of improvements over the previous versions. Apart from the many behind-the-scenes improvements that the technical team made to the gears that power DanceSpaces, what caught the eye was a friendlier and more polished interface. The people testing the tool found it very easy to re-use existing content around dance and create their own fascinating collections based on specific topics of interest.

In order to analyse DancePro we worked with dancers and choreographers, who were recorded performing both improvised and set material from a range of styles, including hip-hop and contemporary dance. The participants then used the tool to analyse themselves dancing, inscribing through drawing and language to draw attention to features of the movement.

[Show as slideshow]

The use of the ‘think aloud’ methodology, discussion and questionnaires allowed us to gather extensive informative data to contribute to the next stage of development. Generally speaking, participants seemed very interested in the potentials of the tools, demonstrating the relevance and importance of this research. There seems to be an appetite for thinking about how digital technology can interact with dance practice and documentation in innovative ways. The Dance Hackathon, which will take place in Prague in November will further explore this area, providing an opportunity for participants to engage in and experiment with innovative digital dance tools.

The students were asked to explore the Photomediation open book, test its usability and provide a detailed evaluation of their experience.

Open & Hybrid Publishing Pilot: Interactive Student Seminars at Coventry University

by Kamila Kuc, Goldsmiths

On 23th and 30th October 2015 Ross Varney (Coventry) and Kamila Kuc (Goldsmiths) ran interactive seminars for five groups of undergraduate students at Coventry University, in which they introduced the main outcome of the Open and Hybrid Publishing pilot: Photomediations: An Open Book. The students were then asked to explore the book, test its usability and provide a detailed evaluation of their experience.

Coventry University’s BA Filmmaking Students during the session. Photograph: Ross Varney.

These five hour-long sessions were conducted with BA Filmmaking students. The students were first offered a short introduction that highlighted the key features of the Photomediations: An Open Book project, which is part of Europeana Space. They also received information about the use and reuse of Creative Commons-licensed material and about getting involved in editing the book’s open chapters.

In the next half hour the students were asked to browse through Photomediations: An Open Book. Although, as instructors, Ross and Kamila were available for questions throughout the session, they refrained from coaching the students about the book’s structure and overall purpose since their interest was primarily in the students’ immediate impressions and feedback. This approach allowed them to effectively test user experience.

During the final, 25-minute long chunk of the session, the students were asked to fill in an online questionnaire that aimed to test their understanding of the main purpose behind the book and behind the open and hybrid publishing model. Among some of the questions asked were:

How familiar are you with copyright issues with regard to the texts and images available on the Internet?
How likely are you to return to Photomediations: An Open Book and use it on regular basis? What could you use it for?
Has Photomediations: An Open Book clarified any issues about copyright or added to your knowledge of copyright in any way?

The questionnaire results have clearly shown that most students had no knowledge of Creative Commons licences or of the idea of using open resources and open and hybrid publishing prior to looking at Photomediations: An Open Book. The majority were strongly in favour of the book’s open access nature and of its creative use of freely-licensed material. Some of the students are now also considering submitting their work to the open call as for the Photomediations exhibition, which will be held under Europeana’s umbrella in 2016.

Berlin (Germany), 16 – 18 November 2015

E-Space at symposium “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Innovation”

Europeana Space and the Dance pilot in particular was presented by the coordinator Sarah Whatley at this three-day symposium, which discussed the current status of research on recording and visualisation techniques and their application within the field of intangible cultural heritage, while focussing on different expressions of artistic dance.

Different expressions of artistic dance were the main focus: as a volatile art form the preservation of dance – also for future generations – is a tricky, but important question. Thus, looking at the possibilities of its digitalisation and visualisation is a very challenging and fascinating task. Yet, other forms of spatiotemporal movement, dynamics and expressions – as they exist in rituals, liturgies, folklore and other performing arts – were addressed at the event.

While looking at the technical achievements, the symposium also put an emphasis on the applicability of these techniques for artistic processes, forms and languages.

More information and the programme is available here

Cross pilot event in Berlin

E-Space – Presentation and Evaluation of Toolbox

by Beatrix Lehmann, Museumsmedien

On October 29th and 30th the workshop “Presentation and evaluation of the Toolbox” took place in Berlin, at German Resistance Memorial Center.

The memorial is content provider of the Toolbox pilot and hosted the workshop together with E-Space partner and Museums sub pilot leader Museumsmedien. On the first day staff members of different memorials had the possibility to work and test the Toolbox. Day two was reserved for creatives and developers. The participants came from different memorials and small enterprises in Berlin and Brandenburg.

[Show as slideshow]

The partners from RBB and SPK attended the workshop and took the chance to inform about their activities in the project. Their participation enlarged the presentation of the E-Space project and supported the discussions concerning the use of data for different purposes.

The workshop’s atmosphere of testing, learning and discussing, was very inspiring and gave a lot of input for a further development of the Toolbox, after the project time. A questionnaire that was given to each participant, gives a detailed overview over questions concerning the usability and desirable improvements of the Toolbox.

Many thanks to all the participants!

Caption photos: workshop presentation and evaluation of the Toolbox,

photo: B. Lehmann