Digital meets Culture

Pisa, 8 February - 7 March 2013

Una mostra di Rudy Pessina

Associazione Culturale Imago

Via Bovio, 10 – 56100 – Pisa

Tel. 328 66 10 814

imagopisa@tiscali.it

www.imagopisa.it

Lincoln (NE), USA 16-19 July 2013

Digital Humanities 2013

Digital Humanities is the annual international conference of the following organizations:

The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations, which includes the Association for Computers in the Humanities, the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing, the Society for Digital Humanities/Société pour l’étude des médias interactifs, and centerNet, is an umbrella organisation whose goals are to promote and support digital research and teaching across arts and humanities disciplines, drawing together humanists engaged in digital and computer-assisted research, teaching, creation, dissemination, and beyond, in all areas reflected by its diverse membership.

The Digital Humanities conference in 2013 will be hosted by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Lincoln Nebraska is located on the Great Plains in the center of the United States.

Call for papers:

The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO) invites submissions of abstracts for its annual conference, on any aspect of the digital humanities. This includes but is not limited to:

humanities research enabled through digital media, data mining, software studies, or information design and modeling;
computer applications in literary, linguistic, cultural, and historical studies, including electronic literature, public humanities, and interdisciplinary aspects of modern scholarship;
the digital arts, architecture, music, film, theatre, new media, digital games, and related areas;
the creation and curation of humanities digital resources;
social, institutional, global, multilingual, and multicultural aspects of digital humanities
and the role of digital humanities in pedagogy and academic curricula.

Cultura project, a 36 months EU project funded under Seventh Framework Programme, has answered to the Call, submitting an abstract. The abstract called “An Evaluation of the Involvement of General Users in a Cultural Heritage Collection” by Agosti, Benfante, Manfioletti, Orio, Ponchia has been accepted.

Cultura project will attend the International Conference presenting the following papers and posters:

“An Evaluation of the Involvement of General Users in a Cultural Heritage Collection” by Agosti, Benfante, Manfioletti, Orio and Ponchia
“Normalisation in Historical Text Collections” by Lawless, Hampson, Mitankin and Gerdjikov (Poster)
“The FAST-CAT: Empowering Cultural Heritage Annotations” by Munnelly, Hampson, Ferro and Conlan (Full Paper)
“CULTURA: Supporting Professional Humanities Researchers” by Sweetnam, Bailey, O’Siochru and Conlan (Short Paper, Abstract)

Linked Documents (PDF):

More information on the DH2013:

http://dh2013.unl.edu/about/

Registration will open on March 1, 2013.

Pratical information to reach Lincoln (NE) will be available soon…

A new publication enriches the research in the field of the new technologies scanning using 2D and 3D modelling

Scanning Technologies for Heritage

by our referent from Jordan, Marwan Asmar

Theaters scalped in new 3D digital scanning and modelling technologies is at the heart of preservation, conservation and protection of ancient structures. It is using digital technology to preserve culture and heritage.

This latest publication, written and prepared by the academic staff of the Dipartimento di Storia Disegno e Restauro dell’Architettura (DiSDRA) of La Sapienza Università di Roma, is a great addition to new technology scanning using 2D and 3D modelling with a special focus on the Merida theaters.

Whilst, it’s part of the ATHENA Project to sustain ancient theaters, and as the introduction emphasises, there is a much tangible quality about what is sure to become a work of reference on the use of new technologies for documentation.

The book, which is made in a glossy format combines broad sections, documentation results and history and analysis of ancient theaters to draw out the best in exploring new technologies on theatre upkeep.

There is for instance theoretical and practical chapters, giving it a strong case in integrated representation whilst examining the importance of historical drawings, numerical models, 2D profiling. There is also focus on point cloud digital modelling, critical surveying, data communication and 3D scanning whilst contextualizing the analysis within historical and archaeological paradigms.

The volume, which is both in Italian and English is rich in graphics, top quality photos, theatre plans surveys and line and water colour drawings, exploring details, facades, angles and angles of the Merida theatre structures.

There is a plethora of types of plans and sections in black and white as well as colour, giving the text a fabric texture feel for the specialist as well as those who want to learn about the theater structure. They are designed to show the importance of scanning in the preservation of heritage.

There is an extensive bibliography to show the scientific balance of work that meanders between technology and heritage while highlighting works on history and archaeological studies, proportional and geometric analysis, archaeological representation, 3D laser scanning, and photo-modelling.

The book is a rich addition to the field of heritage that is looking to be invaluable to the study of preserving heritage.

La Documentazione Dei Teatri Antichi Del Meditterraneo, Le Attivita Del Progetto ATHENA A Merida (Documentation of Mediterranean Ancient Theaters, ATHENA’s Activities in Merida), Carlo Bianchini et al, Rome: Gangemi Editore, PP 206.

Taipei, 17-22 March 2013

International Symposium on Grids and Clouds (ISGC) 2013

The International Symposium on Grids and Clouds (ISGC) 2013 will be held at Academia Sinica in the wonderful scenario of Taipei from 17-22 March 2013, with co-located events and workshops. The conference is hosted by the Academia Sinica Grid Computing Centre (ASGC).

For more than a decade, ISGC has been tracking the advances in distributed computing across the Asia Pacific region and leading the development of regional e-Science activities and collaborations around the world. With the continuous support and dedication from the delegates, ISGC has provided the primary international distributed computing platform where distinguished researchers and collaboration partners from around the world share their knowledge and experiences.

The theme of ISGC 2013 is Collaborative Simulation, Modelling and Data Analytics in Grids and Clouds.

The global e-science movement is bringing with it fundamental changes in the way we produce, manage, understand and exploit data within worldwide collaborations. At its heart is the complex large-scale data analytics that takes place around the large data sets generated from simulations, modelling and physical instruments.

ISGC 2013 will bring together from the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, researchers that are developing applications to produce these large-scale data sets and the data analytics tools to extract the knowledge from the generated data, and the e-infrastructure providers that integrate the distributed computing, storage and network resources to support these multidisciplinary research collaborations. The meeting will feature workshops, tutorials, keynotes and technical sessions to further support the development of a global e-infrastructure for collaborative Simulation, Modelling and Data Analytics.

Topics of discussion include Physics (including HEP) and Engineering Applications, Biomedicine & Life Sciences Applications, Earth & Environmental Science & Biodiversity, Humanities & Social Sciences Applications, Infrastructure & Operations Management, Middleware & Interoperability, Infrastructure Clouds & Virtualisation, Business Models & Sustainability, Data Management, Managing Distributed Computing Systems, High Performance & Technical Computing (HPTC), and Big Data Analytics.

ISGC sincerely invites and encourages anyone who is interested in grids and clouds to participate in this grand event. For abstract submission and detailed information on the topics, please visit the Call for Paper page.

In this light, the DCH-RP project submitted an abstract and will attend the meeting. Please find the attached abstract “The DCH-RP Project” by R. Barbera, A. Fresa (PDF, 63 kb).

Press conference disseminate results and actions of four major projects in framework of Euromed-Heritage 4 Program

Mobilising Heritage Through 4 EU Projects

by our referent from Jordan, Marwan Asmar

It’s all for the love of culture, using the latest multimedia technologies to preserve cultural heritage across a dynamic area of the world that links Europe, the Mediterranean, north African and on to the Fertile Crescent countries that include Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

With the holding of the Euromed Heritage press conference in Amman at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Amman, on 10 December 2012, culture and technology for preservation of heritage and protection take the high-seat.

Minister Fayez on a lighthearted note

Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Minister of Environment Nayef Hmeidi Al-Fayez launched the event in collaboration with European Delegation in Amman to disseminate the results and actions of 4 EU-supported projects in Jordan and the Euromed countries in a blustering force.

Under the spotlight were the projects of ATHENA (Ancient Theaters Enhancement for New Actualities), Med-Mem (Sharing our Mediterranean Audio-Visual Heritage), Medliher (Safeguarding Mediterranean Living Heritage,) and Youth in Lebanon and Jordan Promote Cultural Heritage, (Foundations for a Strong Future projects).

Minister Al Fayez was upbeat telling the gathering which included managers and staff from the projects, media personalities from the press, radio and terrestrial and satellite channels, from archaeological institutions in Jordan and civil society organizations, he is very pleased about these important projects both for Jordan and the Euromed countries together.

“It gives me a great sense of pride to be able to talk to you about these Euromed Heritage projects that link heritage, culture and history with the needs of the modern world. Their success is bearing fruit because of their diversity as they connect different institutions of society and contribute to the economy, culture, heritage and the arts,” the Minister stressed.

“All four projects…are powerful landmarks to build on because they touch “tangible” aspects of our lives, revolving around a structure of actions in the field of cultural heritage for a better environment and sustainable human and economic development,” he continued.

Minister Fayez who takes a keen interest in putting Jordan on the map as a powerful tourist destination said it was remarkable to see how the notion of cultural heritage has been dealt with, tackling different aspects from forging mechanisms for safeguarding heritage, reinforcing institutional capacities and civic institutions, to extensive multi-media archiving, as well as bringing the youths and local communities and getting them involved to support culture and heritage.

He paid tribute to the international organizations, authorities and academic institutions and universities that have been on these projects in the countries of Algeria, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, France, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria and said he was particularly pleased Jordan is leading the ATHENA Project under the Department of Antiquities and is coordinating with all partners.

ATHENA Project Manager Nizar Al Adarbeh

It was a full program of dissemination through power-point presentations. Nizar Al Adarbeh, Manager of the ATHENA Project in the Department of Antiquities spoke on behalf of Christian Dabdoub Nasser, team leader in the Regional Monitoring and Support Unit in Brussels responsible for the projects under the Euromed Heritage IV Program.

“We are disseminating presently the results and achievements of four projects out of 12 regional projects under the Euromed Heritage IV Program which took effect from late 2008 and is ending in early 2013 at a total budget of 17 million euros,” he said.

“The Euromed program, started in 1998 with total spending of 57 million till 2007, shows the commitment of the European Union to the Euromed area that includes Algeria, Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and other countries in the region,” Al Adarbeh added.

EU First Councillor Mingasson

Representative of the EU mission in Amman and First Councillor Ms Irene Mingasson and expressing the European Union’s view when she said the Mediterranean has a rich cultural legacy that provides a vital link to promote coexistence, international relations and dialogue.

Khaled Al Abdallat said the Med-Mem is a 14–television network from Jordan, Italy, Algeria, Morocco and France that had collected a massive 4000 videos in support of Euro-Mediterranean and can be viewed free at the online archive of www.medmem.eu site.

The Safeguarding Mediterranean Living Heritage, Medliher, involved protecting heritage through strengthening the institutional organizations on the local, national and international levels and raising their capacities and creating the avenues to safeguard cultural heritage.

Robert Maroney of Mercy Corp with Jordan Museum invitee Dr Khaireh Amr

The Youth in Lebanon and Jordan Promote Cultural Heritage project about instilling culture and heritage amongst youths in both countries was presented by Mercy Corp in Amman Director Robert Marony whose organization represents the through the Foundations for a Strong Future. The project also involved developing programs for these young members of society to make sure they identify and develop pride in their cultural heritage.

The last presentation was on the ATHENA Project for the Ancient Theaters Enhancement for New Actualities. Nizar Al Adarbeh spoke about the successes and moves to sustain ancient theaters and make people and local community more aware of the need to sustain these structures by safeguarding them from long-terms risks.

“The ATHENA Project achieved a great deal of work actions on the research, documentation and digital scanning levels of ancient theaters across the Euromed region and this included networking with the partner countries of Jordan, Tunisia, Italy, Algeria and Spain, and this involved regional meetings in Amman and Tunis to ensure a smoother work process,” he added.

Such cooperation with the different partner institutions, interacting with archaeologists, academics, archivists, media workers, television professionals and skilled digital surveyors ensured the success of these projects.

Much banners were hoisted around the hall that highlighted different ancient sites in Jordan as well as laser scans while two banners of Alladin’s Magical Journey to Ancient Theaters displayed to signal the children’s book written by award-winning writer Mohammad Al Thaher.

Al Thaher book signs for UNESCO representative in Amman

At the end of the press conference there was a book signing ceremony of Alladin’s tale that was distributed amongst the audience. The children’s book is to be disseminated across many public schools in Jordan which is seen as a way to ensure the sustenance of ancient theaters among young people for future generations.

This is because of the importance of the each with Alladin flying from one theater to the next carrying messages for the respect of ancient theaters.

Another book on the stand was Crossing Viewpoints: Living Heritage in the Mediterranean, a latest publication of the Euromed Heritage Program in cooperation with the Adverbum and Jarouss Press to stress the importance of cultural heritage in the region.

Girona, on 20 - 23 November 2012, hosted a prestigious event

12th IMAGE & RESEARCH Conference

by David Iglésias Frank, CRDI – Centre for Image Research and Diffussion, Girona City Council

In the third week of November (from 20th to 23rd) it was held a new edition of the Image and Research Conference, organized by the Centre for Image Research and Diffusion (CRDI) of the Girona City Council with the collaboration of the Association of Archivists of Catalonia. In that edition, around 150 people attended representing twelve different countries. The Image and Research Conference held its twelfth year, and after 22 years, we have become the benchmark event in Spain for professionals involved in photography and audiovisual mainly in the field of archival, preservation, history and document management.

photo by Jordi S. Carrera

The Conference started on the 20th at the facilities of the Centre for Image Research and Diffusion with the completion of the workshop “Preparation of original photographs for digitization” by Angelica Soleiman, Master’s degree in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management, at Ryerson University and at George Eastman House (Toronto, Canada – Rochester, NY, USA). The workshop aimed to look at, among other things, the reasons that justify digitalization, and the most common specific problems encountered during photographic processes in archives and collections, while proposing valuation measures along with recommendations before and after the digitalization process. The workshop was repeated on 21^st November, 50 people attended.

On the 22^nd and 23^rd it took place the sessions for papers and presentations that make up the main event of the Conference in the Girona Conference Centre.

photo by Jordi S. Carrera

To highlight some of the speakers we quote Howard Besser, Director of New York University’s Moving Image Archiving & Preservation masters degree program with the paper “Preparing the Next Generation of Audiovisual Archivists: Lessons from New York University’s Moving Image Archiving & Preservation Program”.

Augusto Pieroni, who teaches Photography History and Criticism at the University of Rome Sapienza, dedicated his talk to the analysis and interpretation of the photographic work with the idea that interpretation is entailed by every use of photography. Pau Maynés, photograph conservator, made a series of reflections on the history of the restoration and conservation of photographs, from the seventies to the present. Last, Carles Mitjà, Professor at the Image Processing and Multimedia Technology Centre (CITM) at Polytechnics University (UPC) took us through the various stages in the digitalization of photographs with regard to infrastructures and procedures.

In the experiences session we quote the speakers that took part of the Conference. Richard Wright, the archive preservation specialist in the BBC Research and Development department in London, presented the European project for digital preservation with audiovisual Prestoprime as a director of this project. Nathalie Doury, general manager of Parisienne de Photographie, the company in charge of digitization and management of reproduction rights of the City of Paris’ photographic and iconographic collections, talked about the experience in managing this collection. She mainly focused on the commercial strategies. The commercial issue, but focused on audiovisual materials, was also the main subject in the paper of Sue Malden, Media Archive Consultant and chair of the Federation of Commercial Audio Visual Archives (FOCAL International). David Iglésias, from CRDI, presented a conceptual information map to design the photographic digital archive. And last, Didier Grange, archivist from Municipal Archive in Genève explained its strategies to preserve the video fonds of the city.

photo by Jordi S. Carrera

The program gives also special importance to the debate and participation. On the 22^nd it took place the round table titled ” What is the Archives position in front of legal uncertainty of mere photographs?” in which were involved Jordi Lluís Forgas (Judge), Josep Matas (Lawyer), Lluís Salom (representative of the photographers from UPIFC) Joan Boadas (Archivist at CRDI), and David Iglésias (Rapporteur of the on-line debate, at Facebook).

Concerning the Europeana Photography Project, some publicity was made. People could get the leaflet at the reception, we had 75 copies. In the opening session, Joan Boadas, Director of CRDI, mentioned the project and did a short explanation about its mission.

photo by Jordi S. Carrera

Also, Ms. Nathalie Doury, from Parisienne de Photographie, mentioned the project during the presentation of her paper. However, the main presentation of the project will take place in the Conference organized by the International Council on Archives (ICA) that will be host in Girona in October 2014. It will include three events: the 2^nd ICA annual Conference, the 9^th European Conference on Archives and the 13^th Image and Research Congress.

Once again, the two-days meeting in Girona was for all of us a good opportunity to be in contact with colleagues with different backgrounds, but with a shared interest: the photographic and audiovisual heritage.

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A BPN project that is collecting very good results.

LINKED HERITAGE: achievements and next steps

Linked Heritage (www.linkedheritage.eu) is a Best Practice Network which includes ministries, responsible government agencies, content providers and aggregators, leading research centres, publishers and SMEs from 20 EU countries, together with Israel and Russia. Its main focus is on the one hand the provision of large quantities of new content (3 million) to Europeana (www.europeana.eu), from both the public and private sectors, and on the other hand the enhancement of the quality of both new and existing Europeana content, in terms of its metadata richness, its re-use potential and its uniqueness.

The activities are delivered through the work of 7 Work Packages, led by different partners, with the support of 4 European Thematic Working Groups as well as a number of Interdisciplinary National Working Groups, which address the following issues:

1. The use of linked data to support more expressive semantic processing within Europeana, as well as making Europeana information available to third parties.

2. Persistent identifiers and their use for preventing duplicate records and broken links

3. Metadata and standards to improve the richness of content and the alignment with the Europeana data models (particularly from non-library sources)

4. Multilingual and cross-domain combination of terminologies to improve semantic-web-based-access and retrieval of cultural objects within Europeana.

5. Engagement with the private sector (especially publishers) and remediation of their metadata via Europeana.

During the first half of the project, which ended with a very successful review by the European Commission, the following main results were achieved.

The state of the art in linked data, its applications and potential was explored through the publication of a Best practice report on cultural heritage linked data and metadata standards, that identifies the most appropriate models, processes and technologies for the deployment of cultural heritage information repositories as linked data; this work constitutes the basis for the experimentation on open data in the Europeana context that can be performed through a demonstrator that has been developed in the scope of the project.

The identification of the most appropriate approach to persistent identification of digital resources that has been analysed too, and the results of this analysis have been published in a State of the art report on persistent identifier standards and management tools.

A Terminology Management Platform has been developed to demonstrate how it is possible to create and update a network of multilingual cross-domain thesauri and controlled vocabularies in a collaborative way. It hereby aims to reduce the large gap between the actual state of terminology management in cultural institutions, and the skills and means necessary to deliver these vocabularies in a standardised format.

The results of the work on Terminologies & Multilingualism have been published in a Booklet which contains recommendations for the design and management of terminologies to help people working in European museums, experts or non-experts in Information Engineering and/or Linguistics, to improve the future retrievability of their digital collections online.

The work carried out by the Working Group on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) focused on the exploration of metadata management practices in the private sector, including the analysis of the metadata models in use across multiple media sectors (books, music, photography, film), identity management, controlled vocabularies and IPR related issues. The results have been published in a Best Practice Report on PPP.

All these topics and even more are part of the comprehensive training programme designed and implemented by the University of Padua. The learning objects are tailored for an entry-level target audience and will be made available through a Virtual Library Environment which will be presented at the next Linked Heritage Training and Dissemination Event which is planned in Padova on March 6th-8th, 2013.

For more information, see the Linked Heritage showcase

This important conference was held on 29-30 November 2012, in Krakow, Poland.

Conference: ‘Heritage in the web – different approaches to digitalization’

by Aneta Kopczacka, Museum of History of Photography in Krakow

Since 1997 Museum of History of Photography in Krakow runs website and systematically adds more pictures to online catalogue. Since then MHF was becoming more and more involved in digitization and sharing content issues. In recent years the matter of digitization got more common and more important. Being aware of the problems that accompany digitization process, we organized conference “Heritage in the web – different approaches to digitalization” to start professional discussion and give different people and different institutions opportunity to meet and talk on current problems.

photo by Mirosław Żak

The event took place in Krakow (Poland) in three attractive locations: Museum of History of Photography, Municipality of Krakow and in Jagiellonian University. Scope of the conference was to gather specialist from different fields, all connected with the matter of digitization to exchange knowledge and experience. Very important point was to show the dissonance between theory and everyday reality. Therefore participants were in one hand employees of different museums and other cultural institutions in whole country (public institutions, foundations, societies as well as private companies) and in the other digitalization and aggregation experts, representatives of Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, lawyers and archivists. The conference was an opportunity for regular employees of cultural institutions to ask questions and dispel many doubts about digitization, perspectives of development and current problems. We wanted to give participants chance to discuss these things officially and collectively as well as privately during the breaks.

MHF as an institution well experienced in digitization processes we wanted to give participants practical, useful information about it. That is why, as a consequence of conference we planned our next step which will be digitization workshop in March 2013.

One of the most important matter presented and discussed during the event were IPR matters – problem of copyright and sharing material in the Internet. Another valid and complex topic we wanted to introduce was the problem of keywords vocabularies.

Significant goal of whole event was promotion of EuropeanaPhotography and giving solid information about the project. We distributed EP leaflets and other materials. Hubert Francuz gave the presentation titled “Strategies of sharing. Case of EuropeanaPhotography project”. Mr. Francuz spoke greatly about benefits of participating in consortia such as EP and shown how Europeana website is working and – what even more important – what end users can find there. Crucial for the presentation was giving practical information about the project itself and about places where people can find more accurate data. After speech given by Mr. Francuz some representatives of different institutions asked about possibility of creating or joining existing consortia.

photo by Mirosław Żak

To sum up. The conference was a big success. Approximately 200 people participated in session during two days. We distributed evaluation questionnaires among all participants and they gave us very positive feedback. The event was well received and developing the idea of meeting on this fields seems to be very important. We also noticed quite wide interest in participating in digitization workshop.

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Next issue will be entirely devoted about photography

UNCOMMON CULTURE call for articles: history of photography

Uncommon Culture provides unique perspectives on a rich variety of cultural activities in Europe. Examining cultural institutions and their collections, this magazine gives new insight into diverse cultural activities.

The next planned issue of Uncommon Culture journal is entirely devoted to history of photography, with special contributions from the EuropeanaPhotography project.

Types of Contributions: the following types of papers are published in Uncommon Culture:

invited papers presenting the topics relevant to the issue (up to 20 edited pages, not more than 60000 characters)- some famous names are very welcome:)
research papers, and reports describing the situation in particular countries (3- 8 pages),
Interviews with project coordinators or project presentations, or in our case with really famous contemporary 1-2 photographers
short notes, i.e. book reviews, conference reports, short news (max. 2 pages).

Manuscript Preparation: the text of a manuscript should be written in clear and concise English. The form similar to “camera-ready” with an attached separate file – containing illustrations, tables and photographs – is preferred. For the details of the preferred format of the manuscripts, authors should consult the articles already published www.uncommonculture.org and the authors guidance available on the journal Website.

The main text of a paper using a font size of 12 pt can be divided into sections (numbered 1, 2, …). The title page should include: manuscript title, authors’ names and affiliations with e-mail addresses and their CVs – ca. 6 lines long each.

Illustrations, photographs and tables provided in the digital form should be clearly named and send in JPG or Tiff format.

Manuscript Submission and Processing. Manuscript should be submitted preferably via Internet Editorial System (IES) – an online submission and peer review system www.uncommonculture.org. or by e-mail as Word.rtf document to the address icimss@icimss.edu.pl or Maria.Sliwinska@uni.torun.pl

If an e-mail delivery option is chosen, then the submission of the manuscript in two files is preferred: “Article File” containing the complete manuscript (with all figures and tables embedded in the text) and “Figures File” containing illustrations, photographs and tables. In the submission letter or on a separate page in “Figures File”, the full postal address, e-mail and phone and/or fax numbers for all co-authors must be given. The corresponding author should be indicated.

In order to submit the manuscript via IES, the authors (first-time users) must create an author account to obtain a user ID and password required to enter the system.

Copyright Transfer. The submission of a manuscript means that it has not been published previously in the same form, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that – if accepted – it will not be published elsewhere. It also means that authors agree to transfer their copyrights to the journal editorial office. The transfer covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microfilm or any other reproductions of similar nature, and translations. It also includes the right to adapt the article for use in conjunction with computer systems and programs, including reproduction or publication in machine-readable form and incorporation in retrieval systems.

All of Uncommon Culture’s content is also available freely to anyone with Internet connectivity. Contributors to Uncommon Culture are encouraged to release their work into the public domain or to select a Creative Commons license.

Review and amendment procedures. Each submitted manuscript is subject to a peer- review procedure, and the publication decision is based on reviewers’ comments; if necessary, Authors may be invited to revise their manuscripts. On acceptance, manuscripts are subject to editorial amendment to suit the journal style.
Proofs. Proofs will be sent to the corresponding author by e-mail and should be returned within 48 hours of receipt.

Author Benefits. Publication in the journal is free of charge. A sample copy of the journal and 5 copies of the article off-prints will be sent to the corresponding author free of charge.

Contact:

E-mail: icimss@icimss.edu.pl

URL: www.uncommonculture.org

Phone: (+48) 56 62-22-411

Post address:
Editorial Office of Uncommon Culture
ICIMSS
ul. Krasinskiego 121 b/113
87-100 Toruń, Poland

Bratislava Theatre Institute is a partner of EuropeanaPhotography project

Theatre hidden in old photographs

by Anna Grusková, curator and project coordinator, Theatre Institute Bratislava – Divadelny Ustav

We who like to attend theatre productions, we all know, how powerful and sometimes lifelong experience can leave a single performance – despite the fact that it only exists in time of meeting of artists with audience. At the present moment, at which the theatre exists, consists its strength and weakness. After a season or two, sometimes even sooner, no one has a chance to repeat the experience that touched us so deeply. Maybe in a year or two we would see the same staging differently – but we do not have a chance. It is even more difficult than in life: in our personal story, sometimes we could turn time back to find a new way, try it again … Theatre is team art of artists and audience, and the chances of a successful return are slight.

Slovak National Theatre, N.V.Gogol The Inspector General 1936 ©Divadelný ústav Theatre Institute Bratislava

More recent theatre productions are captured on video in a better or worse quality, therefore we could reconstruct them, even in the absence of the most valuable part of it – without the meeting of people in the same time and space. Theatre criticism could also help to preserve something of the essence that a staging brought in particular time and particular space, but it is transformed by the writer’s personality. At first glance, theatre photography looks objectively – on a closer inspection, however, especially in the elderly time, we realize, how important role in the capture of live theatre through the viewfinder of the camera has a standard of photographic technique, and lastly – behind a camera is always a man with his or her taste, experience, influenced by many other non-artistic factors.

Comic quartett Poverty. 2nd half of the 19. century ©Divadelný ústavTheatre Institute Bratislava

Old photos are often the only witness to the theatrical life of our great grandparents that we have. They are usually identified, but sometimes we do not know anything. We look into faces of strangers in theatrical costumes, see their fascination by Thalia, we realize the transience of theatre, of nationalities that for example used to live in the territory of contemporary Slovakia, we are confronted with our own mortality.

Theatre Institute as a partner of the European project Europeana Photography began in 2012 to digitize and describe the oldest theatre photos in today’s Slovakia. Until December 2012, has been digitized and described a collection of more than 4300 old photographs, created before 1939. Thus we create a basis for a valuable collection of the oldest theatre photographs in the territory of the contemporary Slovakia – and for a future exhibition and a book. In the preparation of the collection we cooperate with the Slovak National Archive, the Slovak National Library, the Slovak National Museum, the Bratislava City Museum and other institutions and individuals.

To our collection gradually arrive more and more theatrical and even para-theatrical old photos from the period 1839-1939. They capture not only amateur and professional theatre productions in the territory of the contemporary Slovakia, but also urban and rural staged celebrations and social life with theatrical attributes (balls, military parades, memorial exposures etc.), portraits of theatre personalities, theatre spaces (interiors and exteriors), theatre architecture, theatrical activities of Slovak minorities living abroad and also staged photographs with strong theatrical elements. The result will be in 2015 a unique collection of digitized old photographs that would otherwise be lost, discarded or remain forgotten.

Divadelny Ustav website: http://www.theatre.sk/en/homepage/