Preserving today for tomorrow: A case study of an archive of Interactive Music Installations

This work presents the problems addressed and the first results obtained by a project aimed at the preservation of Interactive Music Installations (IMI). Preservation requires that besides all the necessary components for the (re)production of a performance, also the knowledge about these components is kept, so that the original process can be repeated at any given time. This work proposes a multilevel approach for the preservation of IMI. As case studies, the Pinocchio Square (installed in EXPO 2002) and the Il Caos delle Sfere are considered

Roots Reloaded. Culture, Identity and Social Development in the Digital Age

This edited volume is designed to explore different perspectives of culture, identity and social development using the impact of the digital age as a common thread, aiming at interdisciplinary audiences. Cases of communities and individuals using new technology as a tool to preserve and explore their cultural heritage alongside new media as a source for social orientation ranging from language acquisition to health-related issues will be covered. Therefore, aspects such as Art and Cultural Studies, Media and Communication, Behavioral Science, Psychology, Philosophy and innovative approaches used by creative individuals are included. From the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, to the Maoris of New Zealand, to the mystical teachings of Sufi brotherhoods, the significance of the oral and written traditions and their current relation to online activities shall be discussed in the opening article. The book continues with a closer look at obesity awareness support groups and their impact on social media, Facebook usage in language learning context, smartphone addiction and internet dependency, as well as online media reporting of controversial ethical issues. The Digital progress has already left its dominating mark as the world entered the 21st century. Without a doubt, as technology continues its ascent, society will be faced with new and altering values in an effort to catch-up with this extraordinary Digitization, adapt satisfactorily in order to utilize these strong developments in everyday life

Digital cultural heritage: from OAIS until the personalised augmented experiences: perspectives

Comunicação apresentada no Seminário International sobre "Archiving in Performing Arts", realizado em Coimbra a 16 de Novembro de 2017.Aborda-se a Herança Cultural e as problemáticas históricas e atuais relacionadas com os processos de registo e salvaguarda através dos meios digitais, incluindo a estandardização de formatos, a salvaguarda e manutenção e os sistemas de apoio à visita e fruição, apresentando exemplos de projetos concretos nacionais e europeus, passados e atuais nestas áreas, abrindo espaço para a análise e discussão dos desafios atuais e perspetivas de desenvolvimento futuro. Cultural heritage and historical and current issues related to registration and safeguarding processes through digital means, including format standardization, archiving, maintenance, and support systems for visiting and enjoyment, are presented, with examples of concrete projects national and European, past and current in these areas, opening space for the analysis and discussion of the current challenges and perspectives of future development.N/

Virtual reality in theatre education and design practice - new developments and applications

The global use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has already established new approaches to theatre education and research, shifting traditional methods of knowledge delivery towards a more visually enhanced experience, which is especially important for teaching scenography. In this paper, I examine the role of multimedia within the field of theatre studies, with particular focus on the theory and practice of theatre design and education. I discuss various IT applications that have transformed the way we experience, learn and co-create our cultural heritage. I explore a suite of rapidly developing communication and computer-visualization techniques that enable reciprocal exchange between students, theatre performances and artefacts. Eventually, I analyse novel technology-mediated teaching techniques that attempt to provide a new media platform for visually enhanced information transfer. My findings indicate that the recent developments in the personalization of knowledge delivery, and also in student-centred study and e-learning, necessitate the transformation of the learners from passive consumers of digital products to active and creative participants in the learning experience

Preservation through access: the AHDS performing arts collections in ECLAP and Europeana

This poster provides an overview of the ongoing rescue of valuable digital collections that had been taken down and consequently lost to general access. The University of Glasgow was home to the Arts and Humanities Data Service Performing Arts (AHDS Performing Arts) [1], one of the five arts and humanities data centres that constitute the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS). Since 1996 AHDS supported the creation, curation, preservation and reuse of digital materials for the UK Arts and Humanities research and teaching community. AHDS Performing Arts, based in Glasgow, supported research, learning and teaching in music, dance, theatre, radio, film, television, and performance for thirteen years. Working with the AHDS Executive, relevant performing arts collections have been ingested, documented, preserved, and where possible made available via the AHDS Cross Search Catalogue and Website to researchers, practitioners, and the general public. Furthermore strong relationships were developed with research and teaching community upon a scoping study investigating user needs [2]. In 2007 the co-funders of the AHDS - Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for the UK and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) - withdrew their funding. A detailed risk assessment report was produced in response to the withdrawal of core funding [3], but to no avail. When the AHDS funding stopped, online access to these cultural resources eventually became discontinued [4]. In 2010, the School of Culture and Creative Arts at the University of Glasgow joined the EU-funded ECLAP project to ensure that at least part of these resources could be accessible for the long term by scholars and practitioners in the performing arts arena, and by the general public. Below we briefly describe the ECLAP project, the AHDS Performing Arts collections progressively available through it and some thoughts on providing preservation through access for this type of digital cultural resources