'Breaking the glass': preserving social history in virtual environments

New media technologies play an important role in the evolution of our society. Traditional museums and heritage sites have evolved from the ‘cabinets of curiosity’ that focused mainly on the authority of the voice organising content, to the places that offer interactivity as a means to experience historical and cultural events of the past. They attempt to break down the division between visitors and historical artefacts, employing modern technologies that allow the audience to perceive a range of perspectives of the historical event. In this paper, we discuss virtual reconstruction and interactive storytelling techniques as a research methodology and educational and presentation practices for cultural heritage sites. We present the Narrating the Past project as a case study, in order to illustrate recent changes in the preservation of social history and guided tourist trails that aim to make the visitor’s experience more than just an architectural walk through

De/construction sites: Romans and the digital playground

The Roman world as attested to archaeologically and as interacted with today has its expression in a great many computational and other media. The place of visualisation within this has been paramount. This paper argues that the process of digitally constructing the Roman world and the exploration of the resultant models are useful methods for interpretation and influential factors in the creation of a popular Roman aesthetic. Furthermore, it suggests ways in which novel computational techniques enable the systematic deconstruction of such models, in turn re-purposing the many extant representations of Roman architecture and material culture

Developing serious games for cultural heritage: a state-of-the-art review

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result, the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented

Serious Games in Cultural Heritage

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented

The representation of women’s gender roles In the Iranian cinema : a study of the stranger (2014)

La película iraní La forastera (Bigāneh, 2014) dirigida por Bahram Tavakoli, es una adaptación libre de A Streetcar Named Desire, de Tennessee Williams. Tanto la obra como su adaptación versan sobre la condición de las mujeres. Pretendemos explorar comparativamente los roles de género de las mujeres, representados en el drama y en su adaptación. Tras examinar los roles genéricos de las mujeres como esposas, madres y hermanas, se concluye que el director iraní ha adaptado exitosamente el personaje de Stella a la cultura iraní, como Sepideh. Manteniendo el argumento del texto fuente, ha creado un nuevo personaje que se imbrica en la cultura iraní-islámica. En cambio, ha incorporado el personaje de Blanche-Nasrin para contrastar con una mujer ideal en el contexto iraní. Nasrin pertenecería más al mundo de Williams, debido a sus pautas de comportamiento, ajenas a los códigos culturales de Irán, de raíz islámicaThe Iranian movie The Stranger (Bigāneh, 2014), directed by Bahram Tavakoli is a free adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Both the play and its adaptation concentrate on the life and condition of women. In the present study, we aim to assess comparatively the gender roles of women represented in the play and its Iranian adaptation to see how these roles have been de/stabilized. After investigating the roles of women as wives, mothers, and sisters, it is concluded that the Iranian director has been successful in appropriating Stella’s character to the Islamic-Iranian culture. In order to highlight her characteristics as an ideal woman in the Iranian context, he has reconstructed the character of Blanche-Nasrin so as to create a dichotomy between Iranian and western cultures. Nasrin would belong more to Williams’s world because of her alien behavioral characteristics to the cultural codes of Iranians which are based on Islamic doctrine

Vital Signs: Metro Boston's Arts and Cultural Nonprofits 1999 and 2004

Examines four "vital signs," or categories of data, to gauge the health of the area's arts and cultural nonprofit organizations in 1999-2004: a supportive environment, an innovative marketplace, an engaged audience, and the right-sized organization

Towards the 3D Web with Open Simulator

Continuing advances and reduced costs in computational power, graphics processors and network bandwidth have led to 3D immersive multi-user virtual worlds becoming increasingly accessible while offering an improved and engaging Quality of Experience. At the same time the functionality of the World Wide Web continues to expand alongside the computing infrastructure it runs on and pages can now routinely accommodate many forms of interactive multimedia components as standard features - streaming video for example. Inevitably there is an emerging expectation that the Web will expand further to incorporate immersive 3D environments. This is exciting because humans are well adapted to operating in 3D environments and it is challenging because existing software and skill sets are focused around competencies in 2D Web applications. Open Simulator (OpenSim) is a freely available open source tool-kit that empowers users to create and deploy their own 3D environments in the same way that anyone can create and deploy a Web site. Its characteristics can be seen as a set of references as to how the 3D Web could be instantiated. This paper describes experiments carried out with OpenSim to better understand network and system issues, and presents experience in using OpenSim to develop and deliver applications for education and cultural heritage. Evaluation is based upon observations of these applications in use and measurements of systems both in the lab and in the wild.Postprin

Applied arts and design in museums: USA and Milan experience

The Design represents an innovative work of art. Chairs, spoons, teapots could be an example of designed arts. Creativity and daily utility, they both “evolve in” arts. Design Museums are often collections of famous designers, stylists and firms. The supply chain of brands could find an exhibition in “Museum Rooms”. Design Museums develop own fundraising techniques. Through networks and partnerships with Industrial Museums and Fairs, they focus on targets like entrepreneurs, institutions and research centres. Merchandising could also turn out to be an opportunity in order to raise funds. The range of merchandising could really be multiple and attractive for visitors, usually engaged – in “ordinary” museums - in the choice of t-shirts or calendars. The aim of the paper is the investigation of strategies of Design Museums. How do they transform industrial concepts in museum concepts and attract resources? The analysis will be focused on USA Museums whose collections give evidence of applied arts and design.. The recently born Milan Design Museum will be illustrated as regards the collection, partnerships, networks and fundraising priorities. The Association Museimpresa as a promoter of Italian industrial collections will be presented in the ending part.applied arts; design; museum; management; fundraising

The Ohio State University Libraries Audiovisual Assessment Interim Report

The 26-month audiovisual (AV) assessment took place from June 2017 to August 2019 with a focus on rare or unique audiovisual items. Curators and archivists within each unit identified collections or collecting areas for significance or research value. Approximately 65% of AV materials in seven library units has not been assessed. Upon completion, 18,389 audiovisual items in 32 distinct formats were individually assessed