8.5 Cultural Heritage Practices
Tracks
Track 5
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 |
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM |
Plaza P9 |
Speaker
Mr Patrick Kruse
Researcher
University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf
FP: AR Poengsgenpark: Multiperspective Storytelling with Augmented Reality as an Attempt of Dialogue Facilitation in a Multifaceted Dispute
1:30 PM - 1:55 PMAbstract
By presenting the process of developing an augmented reality (AR) installation, the paper explores the transformative potential of AR as a mediation tool in the context of a multi-faceted socio-cultural issue. Focused on the removal of a 120-year-old Atlas cedar from a municipal park in the German town of Ratingen, the study employs research through design (RtD) approach, combining qualitative field research and digital documentation. The AR application serves as a platform for location-based storytelling, aiming to foster dialogue among citizens, scientists and city officials through a multiperspective approach. As the project envisions a future where AR serves as a potent tool for mediating intricate societal challenges, this paper adds to the ongoing discourse regarding the convergence of technology, nature, and public engagement.
Biography
Patrick Kruse is a communication designer with a focus on interaction design in mixed reality applications. As a researcher in the field of human-technology interaction, he is part of the MIREVI team (Mixed Reality and Visualization) at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences. Since completing his master's degree in communication design, he has also been working as a freelancer on visual storytelling and content creation projects.
In his work, he pursues the goal of making complex issues easy to understand. With a background in moving images, he communicates knowledge through storytelling. Between the virtual and real space, he works on technically adept, user-oriented and environmentally responsible problem solutions.
Dr Chris Henschke
RMIT University
SP: Hyperrealia: Augmented Reality Cultural Heritage Object Interventions
1:55 PM - 2:10 PMAbstract
Hyperrealia is a media art collective that explores creative ways to engage with cultural heritage objects and investigates the potential of AR from both creative and critical perspectives. Hyperrealia developed a collection of prototype Augmented Reality (AR) interventions that enable interaction with objects known as “realia”, in the collections of State Library Victoria (SLV), in Melbourne, Australia. In this paper we discuss the possibilities and challenges involved in the creative application of AR technologies and present what we have developed and exhibited, and discuss insights gained from observing public engagement with our AR interventions. Using the medium of AR, we have creatively and experientially linked the past and the present through selected archival objects. This is a way to enable engagement with concepts of living history, by providing visitors with a creative interpretation of historical artefacts and the fragments of stories and information connected to them, enlivening hidden static objects through contextualising research-based narratives.
Biography
Chris Henschke works across digital and analogue media, utilizing and interrogating the technologies and techniques of experimental science. His practice involves cross-disciplinary collaboration and research, and he teached media art at RMIT University. He has undertaken various residencies and collaborations including the National Gallery of Australia, 2004; Asialink, 2007; the Australian Synchrotron, 2007 and 2010; ANAT SYNAPSE at the CSIRO 2018-2019; and CERN, 2013-2018 through the art@CMS collaboration program.
Dr John McCormick
Associate Professor
Swinburne University of Technology
Co-presenter
Biography
John McCormick is a technology-based artist with a major interest in human movement, extended reality and robotics. John has collaborated on works worldwide, including at peak festivals ISEA, ZERO1SJ, SIGGRAPH, Melbourne Festival, Venice Biennale, Siggraph Asia, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) London, Ars Electronica, Tokyo International Forum and Art Science Museum Singapore. John is Associate Professor of Interactive Media and Acting Director of the Centre for Transformative Media Technologies at Swinburne University of Technology. John was an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow on the final voyage of the Aurora Australis to Antarctica. Lately he investigates robots as collaborative performing partners and the use of machine learning enabling non-human systems to co-create artworks with humans.
Ms Donna Kendrigan
Co-Founder / Artist
Hyperrealia
Co-presenter
Biography
Donna Kendrigan is an Australian artist working with animation, photography, installation, sculpture, and interactive digital media, with a particular interest in merging traditional stop motion animation techniques with immersive technologies. Fusing experimental animations and soundscapes, Donna creates immersive installations, often collaborating with musicians and sound artists. Her work draws upon the archive to explore and reframe historic objects, bringing alternative perspectives and creative agency to objects.
Donna was recently commissioned by State Library Victoria (SLV) to create an experimental animation installation, 'Season of the Orchid', exhibited at 'Handmade Universe' in 2022 - 2023. This work was informed by Donna’s research around collection objects (known as realia) during her 2018 SLV Creative Fellowship. In 2021, Donna co-founded 'Hyperrealia', an augmented reality media art collective, together with Chris Henschke and John McCormick, with support by the Alchemy program. 'Hyperrealia' has recently been awarded further development support from Creative Victoria and Creative Australia.
Miss Quynh Nhu Bui
Researcher
RMIT University
AT: Play to Preserve the Past: Safeguarding Vietnamese Intangible Heritage through Augmented Reality Creative Practice
2:25 PM - 2:40 PMAbstract
Intangible heritage, globally, is under threat from aggres-sive urbanization and globalization, particularly in de-veloping nations like Vietnam. UNESCO defines intan-gible cultural heritage as encompassing oral traditions, social practices, rituals, festive events, traditional craft skills, childhood play, and food-making traditions. To safeguard this heritage, technology-driven solutions, such as augmented reality (AR), have emerged as potent tools. AR, initially a concept of fiction, has transformed into a prevalent medium that blends digital and physical environments, allowing digital objects to coexist with real-world elements. Using AR to digitize intangible her-itage is a powerful application of modern science in cul-tural artifact protection. However, this trend poses ques-tions about the appropriate use of these advanced tools and their impact on preserved content, necessitating fur-ther research. With a dedicated lens on the oral traditions and social rituals intrinsic to Vietnamese culture, this research undertakes a nuanced exploration of creative practice methodologies and considerations for crafting immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. Central to this pursuit, the research endeavours to respond to a pivotal inquiry: "How can creative practitioners harness the potentials of AR for seamless transmission of intan-gible cultural heritage?”
Biography
Nhu Bui is a designer-researcher “living between cultures” with a deep sense of responsibility towards preserving and celebrating her heritage. She was born in Saigon (HCMC), Vietnam, and is currently based in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). Nhu is a research assistant at RMIT PlaceLab and a graduate of the Master of Animation, Games & Interactivity at RMIT. Her research focuses on Safeguarding Vietnamese Intangible Heritage through Augmented Reality Practice.
Nhu has worked as a UX/UI Designer for several creative agencies in Naarm (Melbourne). However, her deep passion led her to pursue a master’s degree, where she em-braced Augmented Reality to preserve Vietnamese intangible heritage. This is when Nhu realises an underlying sticky problem of technology overreach and challenges herself to explore how practitioners can uphold cultural authenticity while harnessing 3D advanced tools.
For Nhu, this journey is not just about exploring new inter-action methods; it's also a personal evolution. It's connected to her shifting cultural identities, her growing awareness of her responsibilities as a Vietnamese individual living in Australia, and the role she plays as a creative practitioner and researcher in the expanding domain of digital heritage.
Nhu's research is poised to take a step forward as a potential PhD project under the supervision of experts in the field. Her series of apps is accessible on the App Store and is exhibited at Vietnam's Festival of Creativity and Design exhibition, where she also hosts an artist talk and workshop. Additionally, she will soon present her research at the Future Heritage Symposium and mentor in the "Future Ancestors" Study program at RMIT Hanoi.
Ms Wing Shan Wong
Assistant Professor
Hong Kong Baptist University
PIC: Preserving the Past for the Future: 3D Scanning and Community Involvement in Hong Kong's Heritage Conservation
2:10 PM - 2:25 PMAbstract
In the face of rapid urban development in Hong Kong, a unique project since 2016 has been capturing the essence of traditional small businesses via sketches and a novel 3D scanning method using Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF). This collaborative effort between artists and community shop owners produces detailed 3D point cloud models of historic shops, enabling virtual preservation and exploration. The project evolves further into a performative art project, "Foreseen Property Agency," which reimagines the value of these traditional businesses in a speculative commercial setting. This initiative challenges perceptions of cultural heritage and market dynamics, offering a critical commentary on urban transformation.
Additionally, the digitization process results in the creation of the "Book of Points," a physical publication that narrates the spatial and aesthetic essence of these shops through a non-conventional medium, emphasizing the project's innovative blend of art, technology, and community heritage preservation. The initiative's findings underscore the authenticity of a community-led archival process and its potential to foster political dialogue and cultural reevaluation. Through interactive exhibitions and an online archive, this project not only combats the disappearance of small businesses but also enriches public engagement and the understanding of Hong Kong's rapidly changing social landscape.
Additionally, the digitization process results in the creation of the "Book of Points," a physical publication that narrates the spatial and aesthetic essence of these shops through a non-conventional medium, emphasizing the project's innovative blend of art, technology, and community heritage preservation. The initiative's findings underscore the authenticity of a community-led archival process and its potential to foster political dialogue and cultural reevaluation. Through interactive exhibitions and an online archive, this project not only combats the disappearance of small businesses but also enriches public engagement and the understanding of Hong Kong's rapidly changing social landscape.
Biography
Pat Wingshan Wong, an artist-researcher and assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Visual Arts, graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2021. Specializing in community narratives with a focus on architecture, technology, memory, and identity. Wong's ongoing Barter Archive project, awarded the Varley Memorial Award in 2020 and funded by Art Council England in 2021, collaborates with curators from Tata Archive and Whitechapel. Wong, a 2022 Museum of London fellow, gained media attention in The Guardian, The World of Interior, It's Nice That, The Londonist, and the South China Morning Post.
Their Ongoing projects, including the Foreseen Property Agency initiative, received funding from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Design Trust HK in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
Asst Prof Kachi Chan
Resaerch Assistant Professor
Hong Kong Baptist University
Co-presenter
Biography
Kachi Chan, an interdisciplinary artist, and research assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Visual Arts, employs computational animation, digital reality technologies, and robotics to explore the intersection of physical and digital realities. Recognized at international venues such as Ars Electronica and Art Basel, Kachi received accolades including the Ars Electronica Honorary Mention (2022), Bartlett School of Architecture Medal (2022), and Golden Pin Design Award (2019). Funded by the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme in 2019, Kachi pursued a Master's at the Royal College of Art and Bartlett School of Architecture, focusing on robotics as an art form to address socio-political and cybernetic themes.
Session chair
Elke Reinhuber
Associate Professor
SCM School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong
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