Page 155 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

Since its launch in 2012, the Giza3D experience, which is available in thirteen languages, has been enriched every year with new monuments digitally reconstructed from data from the excavation currently under way in Giza and from materials and studies contributed by interna- tional collaborating partners from institutionsin Berkeley, Berlin, Cairo, Hildesheim, Leipzig, Philadelphia, Turin and Vienna.This project, which features an example of the so-called digital archaeology, was designedto show part of the studies (both artistic and academic) of the excavations carried out in ancient Egypt so that they can be enjoyed by professionals, enthusiasts and users all over the world.Spain is CultureThe Spain is Culture141 portal belonging to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport o ers various digital services, prominent among which is “3D Heritage”, which consists of 360-degree visits to monumental ensembles that have been designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The virtual visits allow users to tour monuments such as Covaciella Cave142 (Cabrales, Asturias), the church of Santa María del Naranco143 (Oviedo), the Alhambra144 (Granada), the Lonja de la Seda145 (Valencia) and Casa Milà “la Pedrera”146 (Barcelona), providing views and additional information of both their exterior and interiorby means of di erent perspectives and details that are often di cult to access or see duringan actual visit but are within reach in the virtual viewing. 3D digital models of several pieces from the Museo Arqueológico Nacional have also been added to this virtual catalogue, making it possible to interact with monuments such as the Lady of Elche or the Visigothic treasure of Guarrazar through virtual copies.2.2 The digital medium in heritage sitesThe presence of cultural heritage on the Web overcame unprecedented cultural and geo- graphic barriers some time ago, giving rise to countless possibilities that showed the versatility of the digital medium. But in recent decadeswe have been witnessing a reinvention of the medium that is highlighting its huge capacity for communication, enabling it to boost its presence and coexist in real physical space. Today desktop computers are not the only windows through which we can explore virtual worlds; the prolifer- ation of other portable devices like smartphones and tablets or wearables, especially smartglasses, has ushered in a new age for heritage sites.Actually this situation is not entirely new: the digital medium soon aroused the interest of cultural institutions with the possibilities o ered by interactive kiosks or immersive rooms for showing multimedia content in situ, enhancing the experience by combining perception of the cultural object with multimedia interpretative resources.Today digital practices involving cultural heri- tage take place in a hybrid space in which the boundary between these two worlds, real and virtual, is becoming increasingly blurred, owing in particular to the spread of technologies such as augmented reality. This has marked a new milestone and is mutually bene cial to both the cultural object and the digital resources.Figure 12 - 360-degree view of the interior of the Lonja de la Seda (Valencia). Screenshot. Source: http://www.xn--espaaescultura-tnb.es/AC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2017155The use of digital technologies in the conservation, analysis and dissemination of cultural heritage