Digital meets Culture

presenting and discussing the WEAVE LabDays methodology for engaging vulnerable communities and promoting social innovation

WEAVE goes to ECQI, the European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry

text by Marie-Louise Crawley (Centre for Dance Research [C-DaRE], Coventry University).

On 3^rd February 2022, WEAVE’s Rosa Cisneros and Marie-Louise Crawley (Centre for Dance Research [C-DaRE], Coventry University) organized and facilitated a Dream Team session at ECQI 2022.

The Dream Team session used the case study of WEAVE to underpin the exploration of the project’s innovative methodological framework for capacity building for Cultural Heritage Institutions (CHIs) to work with cultural communities and with Digital Intangible Heritage. This session specified hands-on methodologies for such capacity building, building on the model of the LabDay methodology that Cisneros and Crawley used in the CultureMoves Europeana Generic Service project (CultureMoves [2019] D3.1 White Paper: Dance in Tourism, Research and Education [p. 89-91]).

The session was supported by the use of an interactive enviroment based on a MIRO Board. View the WEAVE session MIRO board HERE.

The LabDay methodology has enabled WEAVE to create social, digital and artistic platforms and to set up and maintain various spaces that include vulnerable communities and promote social innovation. This participatory and collaborative has allowed for multicultural communities to join forces towards excellence in Cultural Heritage and social transformation. Through its LabDay methodology, WEAVE allows participants to create and explore connections to Europeana and its collections, as well as to other European heritage professionals. The LabDays also allow for the direct, active participation of all participants as an entirely experiential process during which each participant’s creative involvement extends to the point that he/she decides. Further, the constant interaction between the participants throughout the whole process has enabled the participation of multicultural communities and individuals to freely express their attitude and cultural values through dance, art and cultural heritage activities. Finally, the methodology allows participants to re-evaluate their personal experiences within an emotionally supportive framework of trust and acts as a self-aware exchange process of knowledge, culture and experience.

The Dream Team session took itself the form of a ‘LabDay in action’ examining the methodology in terms of capacity building for digitising intangible cultural heritage and dance. It offered an open space for discussion around key themes related to the methodology with a collective writing output responding to and developing from thinking explored during the session.

after the validation meeting, marking the project's end, more editorials are being published to showcase interesting stories and beautiful Chinese heritage

PAGODE project lives on

On the 2nd December 2021, the validation meeting of project PAGODE – Europeana China took place with participation of HaDEA Project Officer Ms. Kyriaki Tragouda and representatives of European Commission DG CNECT Ms. Katerina Moutogianni and Mr. Fulgencio Sanmartín.

The validation meeting had the scope to assess the correct and complete achievement of the project’s objectives. All project partners were invited in the meeting, together with a number of colleagues from Europeana’s various areas, to present to the reviewers all the work done across the project’s activities to improve, enrich and enhance user experience with Europeana content.

Normally, the validation meeting marks the project’s end; but in line with the sustainability efforts that the PAGODE consortium committed to, some more work is continuing even beyond the end of the funding period.

In particular, few more blogs were recently published on Europeana to enrich the Chinese Heritage feature page:

About the Chinese Garden

In China, spirituality has historically been a crucial aspect of arts and architecture. A specific part of art and architecture where the spiritual and the real meet is garden design and horticulture, as in facts traditional Chinese garden design and cultivation is an activity associated with deeply intellectual and artistic practice. Not intended to be discovered at a glance, but hoping to continuously incite and surprise, the Chinese garden is laid out as a road of discovery. The surrounding garden wall, ponds with lotus flowers and other water plants, lacquered bridges, bamboo groves, pavilions, temples and pagodas make for inspiring scenery. The goal of these gardens is to connect the realm of the physical with that of the ideal, to express the harmony that should exist between humans and nature.

Read the full blog about the Chinese garden, authored by Sofie Taes on Europeana website >>

image: Stairs, pathways, pavilions, pond, rocks and exquisitely varied vegetation, depicted on a black lacquer tray with inlaid mother-of-pearl decoration, s.d. CC-BY-SA United Archives / WHA via Europeana.

About the history of Jesuits in China

The Society of Jesus, better known as the order of Jesuits, was a society founded in 1539 by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) with the aim to convert the world to Catholicism. In the 16th century, the first Jesuits arrived in China settling in the port-city of Macao in South China, at that time owned by Portugal. From this base, the Jesuits entered the Chinese hinterland and began their work of conversion. While establishing churches at different locations, they even started fostering the dream of converting the Chinese emperor himself. During their stay in China, the cultural exchange between Jesuits and Chinese would result in advances in astronomy and mathematics, beautiful works of art, and shining beacons of architecture. But there was also intrigue, spying, and political and religious opposition to Jesuits.

Discover the stories and history of Jesuits in China in a two-part blog authored by Julien Ménabréaz on Europeana website >>

image: Church in Beijing , c. 1860-1900, United Archives / WHA, CC-BY-SA via Europeana.

Five will be selected to enjoy the benefits of a NEMO membership for free

New opportunity for museums! Call for applications for the one-year trial NEMO memberships

News from UNCHARTED Community!

NEMO, the Network of European Museum Organisations, recently launched a call to select five museums or museum-oriented organizations and offer them free trial subscriptions to enjoy the benefits included in a NEMO membership:

the opportunity to participate in NEMO’s training activities
join one of NEMO’s topic-specific Working Groups
connect with the European museum community
get help in establishing cross-border collaborations,
be up to date with information about relevant EU policies and funding
take part in furthering political demands to EU and national institutions

Trial members will also receive two complimentary tickets to the NEMO European Museum Conference.

The call is open for all interested and eligible museums, museum networks, organisations and service providers. Museums and museum-oriented organisations with interest and experience in the topics of diversity, inclusivity and climate action are especially encouraged to apply for a trial membership.

The deadline for submitting applications is the 11th February 2022.

The call will be the first of three rounds: the next will be published in January 2023 and January 2024.

Further information:
NEMO is an independent network of national museum organisations representing the museum community of the member states of the Council of Europe.
Learn more about NEMO here and here.

The call for applications is available here.

Online event, February 1, 2022

Annual Policy Conversation: A Cultural Deal for Europe!

Organized by Culture Action Europe, European Cultural Foundation, Europa Nostra also in its capacity as coordinator of the European Heritage Alliance, and in partnership with the Rebuilding Europe with Culture Campaign, the Policy Conversation ‘A Cultural Deal for Europe! ‘ aims to spark a discussion to explore how culture can contribute to Europe’s recovery and to its green, sustainable and inclusive future.

The event will take place fully online on Tuesday February 1st in the afternoon.

It will include three dedicated sessions:

Culture for recovery and sustainability in Europe
Culture and cultural heritage in the European Green Deal
Culture for the future of Europe

High-level speakers will make a fundamental contribution to the debate highlighting the role of culture, heritage and the arts as the basis of the European project and the future of our societies.

Consult the detailed agenda here.

Registration is available here.

To learn more about the Cultural Deal for Europe:

deadline for submissions is 7th March 2022

Open Screen 2022: Call out for disabled artists working in the digital realm

Developed in partnership with Shape Arts in 2021, Open Screen seeks proposals for existing works that respond to the theme of Sci-Fi.

arebyte welcomes work from artists who are working with technology to their advantage, as a way to overcome barriers, criticising matters of inclusivity within technology, and everything in between.

The selected work will be presented on arebyte on Screen, arebyte’s expanded and innovative online platform for digital animations, videos, web-based interactive experiences and curatorial interventions.⁠
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The deadline for submissions is 11.49pm on 7 March 2022
For more information and how to apply, please visit arebyte.com/open-screen⁠
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#AOS #OpenScreen #OpenScreen2021 #DigitalArt #DisabilityArts

Website: aos.arebyte.com

Berlin, 7-9 November 2022

Languages & the Media 2022 – call for papers EXTENDED DEADLINE 28/2

With big hopes that the 2022 edition of Languages & the Media will be held in presence in Berlin, a call for papers is announced.

The conference will be held under the overall theme “Media Localization: Welcome back to the Future” and will focus on the trends and developments that have emerged through the challenges brought about by the pandemic and the newest practices and technological innovations driving us into the future. The conference themes include among others: remote working, talent crunch and talent retention, proliferating platforms, machine translation implementation, AI for subtitling and dubbing, digital accessibility, experimental research, access and inclusion, policy and videogame localization.

For the full list of themes and subthemes click here.

EXTENDED DEADLINE until February 28, 2022 to submit a proposal through the online form.

It is currently open the OOONA contest which will grant the winner a paid trip to Berlin for participating in the conference: https://ooona.net/landing/ooona-contest-2022

For any questions on the submission or session formats, please write to proposals@languages-media.com.

with this new App, users can access information, book and buy experiences and exclusive tours in the Vesuvian area and the islands of the Gulf of Naples.

Vesuvius Tourism App

In March 2022, on the occasion of the next Mediterranean Tourism Exchange that is the most important b2b fair about tourism in the Mediterranean, a new digital resource will be presented to promote the area of Vesuvius and to facilitate visitors access information and organize their visit in the Campania Region: Vesuvius Tourism App.

img. sourced from https://vesuviustourism.com/en/

It is a free App concerning the Vesuvius Cultural Tourism offer, where users can access information, book and buy experiences and exclusive tours both in the Vesuvian area and the islands of the Gulf of Naples. Thanks to the patronage with public bodies as well as to the agreements with Tourism Offices, the Vesuvius Tourism App showcases a great variety of activities that represent a valuable regional tourist offer.

img. sourced from https://vesuviustourism.com/en/

The Vesuvius Tourism App is a quick, free and easy way to make this richness available to all. The App is thematically organized, so that the user can choose among many types of unique activities: archaeological sites, museums churches, cultural activities; sport and wellness, locations, nature, but also cinema, music, shows, restaurants, pizzerie, pubs hotels.

The App is created by Vesuvius Cultural Tourism, a social company aimed to promote the great potential of the Vesuvian territory, the colors of its landscape and the contradictions of its culture on a global scale. Under the patronage of public bodies, agreements with local companies and the organization of international events, the Vesuvius Cultural Tourism created a social net aimed to promote this area and its activities all over the world.

More info about the App: https://vesuviustourism.com/en/

Elaborated by #Culture2030goal campaign

New report on ‘Culture in the localization of the SDGs: an analysis of the Voluntary Local Reviews’

The campaign #culture2030goal, formed by global cultural networks united to advocate for the role of culture in sustainable developmen, in April 2020 started the elaboration of a strategic framework within the context of the UN Decade of Action. Its main goals include:

a stronger place for culture throughout the implementation of the current global development agenda (the UN 2030 Agenda)
the adoption of culture as a distinct goal in the post-2030 development agenda
the adoption of a global agenda for culture.

The campaign, after the 2019 report “Culture in the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda”, has recently issued the new report on ‘Culture in the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) : An Analysis of the Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs)’.

The first report assessed the progress on the SDGs and United Nations 2030 Agenda, through analysis of VLRs submitted by member states, discussing the policy developments and the global conversation about culture in development.

This second elaboration highlights the great diversity of how local and regional governments (LRGs) address culture in their sustainable development policies and reporting. Culture is included at various levels of policy and action presented in the majority, but not all, VLRs: the mainstreaming of culture in sustainable development in many of these is partial, instead, ideally, it should feature in VLRs as a main policy driver, recognized at a higher level of planning and policy. On the other hand there are a great number of replicable good practices in the existing VLRs and these should be promoted and adopted within the community of practice of local SDG implementation.

The full version of the document is available at https://cultureactioneurope.org/files/2022/01/af_culture2030goal_2021.pdf

Further information on the campaign:
#culture2030goal is conducted by a core group of major networks working on cultural issues which contribute time and expertise in support of Campaign Goals and activities, working to engage their own networks in support of Campaign Goals. The current members are: Arterial Network, Culture Action Europe, International Council on Monuments and Sites , International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity , International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions , International Music Council , Culture Committee – Agenda 21 for Culture.

Learn more on the campaign on culture Action Europe website at http://culture2030goal.net/

The “Fagan fragment” comes back to Athens

The Italian Antonio Salinas Regional Archeological Museum returns Parthenon fragment to Greece

The Antonio Salinas Regional Archeological Museum in Sicily has returned a fragment from the Parthenon temple to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, where it will remain on long-term loan.
The renowned “Fagan fragment” which depicts the right foot and part of the dress of the Greek goddess Artemis, has been added to the Acropolis Museum’s frieze, which combines both original marbles as well as plaster copies of displaced fragments and the slab was unveiled in a ceremony at the Acropolis Museum the last January 10.

In exchange for the fragment, which will be on loan to the Acropolis Museum at least for the next eight years, the Italian museum will borrow a statue of Athena from the 5th century BCE and one from the 8th century BCE amphora.

Since many pieces of displaced Parthenon art are scattered in various institutions throughout Europe, this return is particularly relevant: on one hand in the prospect of a permanently (sine die) residence, following the initiative launched by the Independent Regional Authority of Sicily towards the Italian Ministry of Culture; on the other, as the Acropolis Museum’s director hopes, it could also have much greater repercussions by encouraging other European institutions to make similar moves.

Learn more about the loan at https://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/exhibition-programs/first-return-parthenon-sculpture-abroad-new-acropolis-museum

Information and photos of the ceremony are also available at
https://www.facebook.com/Museo.Archeologico.Antonino.Salinas.Palermo/

Re-exploring and revisiting traditions through a new lens can benefit communities and mobilise them: this is the ECHO goal that resonates as relevant for WEAVE too.

WEAVE collaborates with project ECHO II

Efforts to sustain communities in the engagement with their tangible and intangible heritage are always welcome and a priority for EC and the European Union at large. For this reason, various projects are funded that deal with protecting, engaging and disseminating local heritage. One of these, which recently WEAVE met for establishing mutual cooperation, is ECHO II.

“Allegro”. 2021. Artist: Remzije Lloga. Source: ECHO II website. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

ECHO II: Traditions in Transition is a project co-founded by Creative Europe Culture which emanates from a deeper need to support and realize the concept of the EU motto “united in diversity”. In particular, traditions constitute parts of local identities that are defined by the use, re-use, change and transformation of traditions in the course of community life. These traditions shape and are shaped by the group and significantly determine their culture. The existence of significant traditions is a common element among European people. Re-exploring and revisiting traditions through a new lens can benefit communities and mobilise them in order to reconsider existing perceptions of static traditions that need to be protected and reintroduce these traditions in their group life. ECHO II focuses on Traditions in Transition, as an alternative viewpoint to the established concept that tradition is fixed and in need of protection and as such we have to preserve it as an object of musealisation. Alternatively, ECHO II sustains that in order to keep alive local traditions that are important for the ingroups, it is more fruitful to understand and accept their changing, dynamic character according to the each- time needs of the communities. ECHO II aims at tightening and promoting the link between artistic creation and local traditions, enabling contemporary artistic creation based on cultural elements from different European communities

Website: https://echo-ii.eu