Showing papers on "Cultural heritage published in 2010"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present six areas of tourism in which VR may prove particularly valuable: planning and management, marketing, entertainment, education, accessibility, and heritage preservation, and numerous suggestions for future research are presented.
937 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyse the evolution of the concept of cultural heritage in West European states, starting from a purely normative approach, one went to a less restrictive approach, based on the capacity of the object to arouse certain values that led the society in question to consider it as heritage.
574 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a consumer-based model is proposed to examine the relevance and conceptualizations of the authenticity concept in cultural tourism from the managerial standpoint. But the model is empirically examined by means of a survey conducted on 25 Romanesque heritage sites in four European countries.
520 citations
TL;DR: Education and close collaboration of mycologists and restorers are needed to develop object specific methods for the conservation and treatment of contaminated objects.
426 citations
TL;DR: A classification of VR installations, specifically oriented to cultural heritage applications, based on their features in terms of interaction and immersion is proposed, aiming to provide a tool for framing VR systems which would hopefully suggest indications related to costs, usability and quality of the sensorial experience.
378 citations
TL;DR: A complete methodology to create a virtual exhibition system, based on realistic high-quality 3D models of archaeological finds and a low-cost multimedia stereoscopic system called MNEME, which allows the user to interact in a free and easy way with a rich collection of archaeological Finds.
344 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors summarized available literature on the biological and cultural significance of agro-biodiversity in home gardens and discussed future constraints and opportunities in home garden research, in the prospect of defining and promoting their role in conservation of agricultural biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Abstract: Over the last two decades, the importance of conserving genetic resources has received increasing attention. In this context the role of home gardens as repositories of biological diversity has been acknowledged but still a comprehensive, interdisciplinary investigation of their agro-biodiversity is lacking. Home gardens, whether found in rural or urban areas, are characterized by a structural complexity and multifunctionality which enables the provision of different benefits to ecosystems and people. Studies carried out in various countries demonstrate that high levels of inter- and intra-specific plant genetic diversity, especially in terms of traditional crop varieties and landraces, are preserved in home gardens. Families engage in food production for subsistence or small-scale marketing and the variety of crops and wild plants provides nutritional benefits. At the same time, home gardens are important social and cultural spaces where knowledge related to agricultural practices is transmitted and through which households may improve their income and livelihoods. The present article summarizes available literature on the biological and cultural significance of agro-biodiversity in home gardens. It discusses future constraints and opportunities in home garden research, in the prospect of defining and promoting their role in conservation of agricultural biodiversity and cultural heritage.
337 citations
TL;DR: This report focuses on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games, and provides an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain.
Abstract: 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.
268 citations
Posted Content•
01 Jan 2010TL;DR: The first comprehensive account of the application of economic theory and analysis to the broad field of cultural policy can be found in this paper, where the authors argue that an understanding of the nature of both the economic and the cultural value created by the cultural sector is essential to good policy-making.
Abstract: Cultural policy is changing. Traditionally, cultural policies have been concerned with providing financial support for the arts, for cultural heritage and for institutions such as museums and galleries. In recent years, around the world, interest has grown in the creative industries as a source of innovation and economic dynamism. This book argues that an understanding of the nature of both the economic and the cultural value created by the cultural sector is essential to good policy-making. The book is the first comprehensive account of the application of economic theory and analysis to the broad field of cultural policy. It deals with general principles of policy-making in the cultural arena as seen from an economic point of view, and goes on to examine a range of specific cultural policy areas, including the arts, heritage, the cultural industries, urban development, tourism, education, trade, cultural diversity, economic development, intellectual property and cultural statistics.
246 citations
TL;DR: This review reports and discusses LIBS achievements and results obtained for soils and aqueous samples, meteorites and terrestrial samples simulating extraterrestrial planets, and cultural heritage samples, including buildings and objects of various kinds.
Abstract: Analytical applications of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), namely optical emission spectroscopy of laser-induced plasmas, have been constantly growing thanks to its intrinsic conceptual simplicity and versatility. Qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed by LIBS both by drawing calibration lines and by using calibration-free methods and some of its features, so as fast multi-elemental response, micro-destructiveness, instrumentation portability, have rendered it particularly suitable for analytical applications in the field of environmental science, space exploration and cultural heritage. This review reports and discusses LIBS achievements in these areas and results obtained for soils and aqueous samples, meteorites and terrestrial samples simulating extraterrestrial planets, and cultural heritage samples, including buildings and objects of various kinds.
239 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a mixed logit model to evaluate the economic value of cultural heritage sites and found that only some of them are valued positively: extending the period of temporary exhibitions, hosting various events and having "shop and cafe" and "fine dining".
TL;DR: The increasing creation of 3D cultural heritage models has resulted in a need for the establishment of centralized digital archives, and the need for centralized 3D archives is characterized, including a preliminary needs assessment survey of virtual heritage practitioners.
Abstract: The increasing creation of 3D cultural heritage models has resulted in a need for the establishment of centralized digital archives. We advocate open repositories of scientifically authenticated 3D models based on the example of traditional scholarly journals, with standard mechanisms for preservation, peer review, publication, updating, and dissemination of the 3D models. However, fully realizing this vision will require addressing a number of related research challenges.In this article, we first give a brief background of the virtual heritage discipline, and characterize the need for centralized 3D archives, including a preliminary needs assessment survey of virtual heritage practitioners. Then we describe several existing 3D cultural heritage repositories, and enumerate a number of technical research challenges that should be addressed to realize an ideal archive. These challenges include digital rights management for the 3D models, clear depiction of uncertainty in 3D reconstructions, version control for 3D models, effective metadata structures, long-term preservation, interoperability, and 3D searching. Other concerns are provision for the application of computational analysis tools, and the organizational structure of a peer-reviewed 3D model archive.
TL;DR: The authors discuss ways in which heritage tourism experience acts as a symbolic mechanism through which national belonging can be reconstructed and communicated, emphasizing the importance of individual interpretations and unofficial narratives in articulating and affirming nationalist sentiment in relation to the emotional and subjective nature of heritage encounters and experiences.
TL;DR: The article reviews some important documentation requirements and specifications, the actual 3D surveying and modeling techniques and methodologies with their limitations and potentialities as well some visualization issues involved in the heritage field.
Abstract: The importance of cultural and natural heritage documentation is well recognized at international level, and there is an increasing pressure to document and preserve heritage also digitally. The continuous development of new sensors, data capture methodologies, and multi-resolution 3D representations and the improvement of existing ones can contribute significantly to the 3D documentation, conservation, and digital presentation of heritages and to the growth of the research in this field. The article reviews some important documentation requirements and specifications, the actual 3D surveying and modeling techniques and methodologies with their limitations and potentialities as well some visualization issues involved in the heritage field. Some examples of world heritage sites 3D documentation are reported and discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present case studies drawn from different areas of the sub-continent of sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrate that the discourse of community participation is sometimes overly ambitious in its intents and, from a practical point of view, is not easy to apply.
Abstract: The application of participatory management has had varied success in the field of heritage management depending on the context in which it has been applied, and the evidence from some heritage sites in sub‐Saharan Africa reveals mixed results; some far from satisfactory. Most of the goals – particularly those aimed at involving local communities in decision making in heritage resources – still remain unfulfilled and at best experimental. This contribution deals with these issues within the context of case studies drawn from different areas of the sub‐continent. The case studies demonstrate that the discourse of community participation is sometimes overly ambitious in its intents and, from a practical point of view, is not easy to apply. This is because communities are neither universal nor homogenous. Furthermore, many professionals pay lip‐service to the whole concept of participation because the interests of local communities and those of professionals do not always coincide. Also, in some situations, ...
TL;DR: How conservation science can benefit from the conceptual and the methodological background derived from both soft and hard nanoscience is highlighted, and the development of novel nanomaterials and the study of nanoscale physicochemical phenomena will further improve the performance of restoration formulations and the comprehension of degradation mechanisms.
Abstract: Modern civilization's inherited artworks have a powerful impact on society, from political, sociological, and anthropological points of view, so the conservation of our Cultural Heritage is fundamental for conveying to future generations our culture, traditions, and ways of thinking and behaving. In the conservation of cultural artifacts, scientists intervene in the degradation of often unique handcrafts, resulting from a delicate balance of aging, unpredicted events, environmental conditions, and sometimes incorrect previous restoration treatments, the details of which are often not precisely known. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are revolutionizing materials science in a pervasive way, in a manner similar to polymer chemistry's revolution of materials science over the preceding century. The continuous development of novel nanoparticle-based materials and the study of physicochemical phenomena at the nanoscale are creating new approaches to conservation science, leading to new methodologies that can “rev...
TL;DR: The UNESCO World Heritage List contains the 900 most treasured Sites of humanity's culture and landscapes as discussed by the authors, which is beneficial where heritage sites are undetected, disregarded by national decision-makers, not commercially exploitable, and where national financial resources, political control and technical knowledge for conservation are inadequate.
Abstract: The UNESCO World Heritage List contains the 900 most treasured Sites of humanity’s culture and landscapes. The World Heritage List is beneficial where heritage sites are undetected, disregarded by national decision-makers, not commercially exploitable, and where national financial resources, political control and technical knowledge for conservation are inadequate. Alternatives such as the market and reliance on national conservation list are more beneficial where the cultural and natural sites are already popular, markets work well, and where inclusion in the List does not raise the destruction potential by excessive tourism, and in times of war or by terrorists.
TL;DR: Preservation in the Age of Large‐Scale Digitization explores the implications for preservation practice of the digitization of books and, by implication, the authors' cultural heritage in general.
Abstract: The cultural heritage preservation community now functions largely within the environment of digital technologies. This article begins by juxtaposing definitions of the terms “digitization for preservation” and “digital preservation” within a sociotechnical environment for which Google serves as a relevant metaphor. It then reviews two reports published twelve years apart under the auspices of the Council on Library and Information Resources. Preserving Digital Information presented an insightful and visionary framework for digital preservation in 1996. Preservation in the Age of Large-Scale Digitization explores the implications for preservation practice of the digitization of books and, by implication, our cultural heritage in general. These juxtapositions frame four dilemmas for preservation relating to the impact of environmental storage, new challenges to preservation quality, threats to audiovisual heritage, and an emerging expertise gap. The article concludes with recommendations and observations on making difficult choices. It’s the end of the world as we know it. (R.E.M.)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyse ecosystem services in areas of the urban fringe of Copenhagen, where the services provided are mainly related to human perception, and employ relatively simple methods in selected landscapes to qualify or quantify the aesthetics and recreational value, and the scale of the welfare economic value of these ecosystem services.
Book•
01 Sep 2010
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a vulnerability atlas and its accompanying guidelines, which together reveal the effects of future climate variations on cultural heritage, including cultural heritage preservation and adaptation.
Abstract: This Atlas is comprised of a vulnerability atlas and its accompanying guidelines, which together reveal the effects of future climate variations on cultural heritage.
TL;DR: The authors argue that it is the felt experience and the organisation of sensibilities towards heritage which are often as important as the symbolic construction of the past through heritage institutions, and that these have racialised modalities.
Abstract: This paper picks up from extensive literatures that have addressed the relationship of heritage to national identity. Much work focuses upon the symbolic construction of the past through heritage institutions, but in so doing it tends to underplay the affective experience of heritage sites. In this paper we argue that it is the felt experience and the organisation of sensibilities towards heritage which are often as important, and that these have racialised modalities. We thus look at attempts to foster civic inclusion and argue that they need to work through not just civic openness but felt exclusions and fears. We take two canonical heritage sites to exemplify these issues. First, the British Museum was chosen as an urban national institution that is conventionally seen speaking in an unemotive, pedagogical register. The history of the museum as collecting artefacts from around the world and bringing them to London is related to diasporic communities' feelings about the collections, focusing on the Oceanic gallery. The second exemplar is the English Lake District, chosen as a rural national park that is seen to mobilise more visceral affective responses, which is deeply bound up with national sensibilities but has attracted attention for racial exclusivity.
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: The authors analyzes the politics, policy and practice of cultural heritage at the global level, identifying the major directions in which international heritage practice is moving, and exploring the key issues likely to shape the cultural heritage field well into the twenty-first century.
Abstract: This volume analyzes the politics, policy and practice of cultural heritage at the global level, identifying the major directions in which international heritage practice is moving, and exploring the key issues likely to shape the cultural heritage field well into the twenty-first century It examines the tensions between the universal claims of much heritage practice, particularly that associated with the World Heritage system, and national and local perspectives It explores the international legal framework developed since World War Two to protect heritage, particularly at times of war, and from theft, showing how contemporary global problems of conflict and illicit trade continue to challenge the international legal system
TL;DR: A number of fundamentally new approaches for fully imaging the buildup of hidden paint layers and other complex three-dimensional (3D) substructures have been put into practice, and these developments and their recent practical application with CH artifacts are discussed.
Abstract: Often, just micrometers below a painting’s surface lies a wealth of information, both with Old Masters such as Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt van Rijn and with more recent artists of great renown such as Vincent Van Gogh and James Ensor. Subsurface layers may include underdrawing, underpainting, and alterations, and in a growing number of cases conservators have discovered abandoned compositions on paintings, illustrating artists’ practice of reusing a canvas or panel. The standard methods for studying the inner structure of cultural heritage (CH) artifacts are infrared reflectography and X-ray radiography, techniques that are optionally complemented with the microscopic analysis of cross-sectioned samples. These methods have limitations, but recently, a number of fundamentally new approaches for fully imaging the buildup of hidden paint layers and other complex three-dimensional (3D) substructures have been put into practice. In this Account, we discuss these developments and their recent practical appl...
TL;DR: A review of values-based approaches, exploring their weaknesses, is followed by a description of the basic characteristics, and practices of maintenance, of "living heritage sites" as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A values-based approach is the current most preferred approach to heritage conservation, adopted, and advocated by major conservation authorities, both at national level (e.g., USA, Canada, Australia, and UK) and at international level (e.g., UNESCO World Heritage Centre), and by major research and educational institutions (e.g., Getty Conservation Institute). This paper argues that a values-based approach cannot apply to all types of heritage sites. There is a specific type of sites, called 'living heritage sites', that cannot be embraced within this approach, and thus require a different conservation approach.The paper starts by setting a framework for the discussion by presenting the basic concepts of heritage conservation. Emphasis is on the concept of discontinuity. A review of values-based approaches, exploring their weaknesses, is followed by a description of the basic characteristics, and practices of maintenance, of 'living heritage sites'. Here the emphasis is on the concept of continuit...
Book•
03 Sep 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present and future trends in archaeology and conservation, and present a survey of the most important research topics in the field. But they do not discuss the current state of the art.
Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Overview of Analytical Techniques 3. Materials and Case Studies 4. Present and Future Trends in Archaeology and Conservation 5. Reference List
TL;DR: The research group has developed several acquisition systems for Digital Radiography and X-ray CT and is able to perform high resolution micro-tomography of small objects as well as CT of large objects (up to 2 m of size).
Abstract: Physical methods of diagnosis are more and more frequently applied in the field of Cultural Heritage either for scientific investigations or for restoration and conservation purposes. X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) is one of the most powerful non-destructive testing techniques for the full-volume inspection of an object, as it is able to give morphological and physical information on the inner structure of the investigated sample. The great variety of size and composition that characterizes archaeological findings and art objects requires the development of tomographic systems specifically designed for Cultural Heritage analysis. In the last few years our research group has developed several acquisition systems for Digital Radiography and X-ray CT. We are able to perform high resolution micro-tomography of small objects (voxel size of few microns) as well as CT of large objects (up to 2 m of size). In this paper we will mainly focus the attention on the results of the investigation recently performed on two Japanese wooden statues with our CT system for large works of art. The CT analysis was carried out on site at the Conservation and Restoration Center “La Venaria Reale”, where the statues have been restored before their exposition at the Oriental Art Museum in Turin.
TL;DR: This paper examined the influence of cultural factors on Filipino American students' sense of belonging in college and found that pressure to commit cultural suicide and connections to cultural heritage indirectly influence sense of feeling of belonging via their impact on cultural adjustment.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of cultural factors on Filipino American students' sense of belonging in college. The authors utilized structural equation modeling techniques to analyze a single-institution sample of 143 Filipino American undergraduates and estimate the impact of pressure to commit "cultural suicide," connections to cultural heritage, and ease of cultural adjustment on those students' sense of belonging to their campus cultures. Results indicate that pressure to commit cultural suicide and connections to cultural heritage indirectly influence sense of belonging via their impact on cultural adjustment. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on a distinct market segment based on age and life experience: Generation Y, drawing out an a priori-based sub-segment of Generation Y's perspectives of authenticity.
Abstract: To date, authenticity conceptualizations have taken into account the views of both suppliers and tourists. However, most studies, at the a priori stage, have not taken a market segment perspective but considered tourists to be a homogeneous population. This study challenges that by focusing on a distinct market segment based on age and life experience: Generation Y, drawing out an a priori-based sub-segment of Generation Y's perspectives of authenticity. It investigates if authenticity ideologies influence decisions to become a heritage tourist. Additionally, it determines other factors that predict differences between a heritage tourist and a non-heritage tourist. The study unveils interesting findings. With the exception of the objectivist and negotiation stance, other authenticity ideologies fail to inspire this generation to be heritage tourists. Intervention factors such as party size (and with it a social experience) and ethnicity prove to be better predictors of heritage preference. The results off...
TL;DR: In this paper, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometer test measurements were conducted at Birka, resulting in data of outstanding quality and newarchaeological discoveries, and demonstrating the need for increased spatial sampling regarding GPR prospection at complex Scandinavian sites.
Abstract: The Swedish UNESCOWorld Cultural Heritage siteofthe Birka and Hovgrden Iron Age settlementsiswellsuitedfor the testing of high-resolution archaeologicalprospection methods.In May 2006 ground-penetratingradar (GPR) and mag- netometer test measurementswere conducted at Birka, resultingin data ofoutstanding qualityand newarchaeological discoveries, but also demonstrating the need for increased spatial sampling regarding GPR prospection at complex Scandinavian sites. Therefore Birka was selected as a testing ground for a pilot study investigating the suitability of thenovelmultichannel GPRarray system MIRA (MAL—Imaging Radar Array) forefficient, large-scale GPR surveyswith very dense spatial sampling. The study was conducted in May 2008 by MAL— Geoscience AB in collaboration with the archaeological prospection unit of the Swedish National Heritage Board. The very high-resolution three-dimen- sional GPR pilot survey demonstrated that it is possible to survey 1ha and more per day with 8 cm cross-line spacing, mapping archaeological structures in unprecedented resolution, such as postholes of only 25 cm diameter.This paper describes the tested technology and methodology as well as the fieldwork and the results of the study. Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: Learning is said to be the most remarkable human capacity (Segall, Dasen, Berry, & Poortinga, 1999) and it is little wonder why human learning has been, since Greek antiquity, the focus of serious thinkers and scholarly endeavor in fields ranging from philosophy, modern psychology, and neuroscience to the ever expanding realm of education as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Learning is said to be the most remarkable human capacity (Segall, Dasen, Berry, & Poortinga, 1999). Humans have the capacity to learn necessary survival skills, achieve social and emotional understanding, obtain knowledge of the universe, and, perhaps most important of all, acquire culture. Humans are thus products of their own learning and are the carriers of the entire human cultural heritage. There is little wonder why human learning has been, since Greek antiquity, the focus of serious thinkers and scholarly endeavor in fields ranging from philosophy, modern psychology, and neuroscience to the ever-expanding realm of education.