Virtual heritage

First use

The first use of virtual heritage as a museum exhibit, and the derivation of the name virtual tour, was in 1994 as a museum visitor interpretation, providing a 'walk-through' of a 3D reconstruction of Dudley Castle in England as it was in 1550. This consisted of a computer controlled laserdisc based system designed by British-based engineer Colin Johnson. It is a little-known fact that one of the first users of virtual heritage was Queen Elizabeth II, when she officially opened the visitor centre in June 1994. Because the Queen's officials had requested titles, descriptions and instructions of all activities, the system was named 'Virtual Tour', being a cross between virtual reality and royal tour.

Projects

One technology that is frequently employed in virtual heritage applications is augmented reality (AR), which is used to provide on-site reconstructions of archaeological sites or artefacts. An example is the lifeClipper project, a Swiss commercial tourism and mixed reality urban heritage project. Using HMD technology, users walking the streets of Basel can see cultured AR video characters and objects as well as oddly-shaped stencils.

Many virtual heritage projects focus on the tangible aspects of cultural heritage, for example 3D modelling, graphics and animation. In doing so, they often overlook the intangible aspects of cultural heritage associated with objects and sites, such as stories, performances and dances. The tangible aspects of cultural heritage are not inseparable from the intangible and one method for combining them is the use of virtual heritage serious games, such as the 'Digital Songlines' and 'Virtual Songlines' which modified computer game technology to preserve, protect and present the cultural heritage of Aboriginal Australian Peoples. There have been numerous applications of digital models being used to engage the public and encourage involvement in built heritage activities and discourse.

Place-Hampi is another example of a virtual heritage project. It applies co-evolutionary systems to show a cultural presence using stereoscopic rendering of the landscape of Hampi landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India.

References

References

1. Ann Marie Sullivan, Cultural Heritage & New Media: A Future for the Past, 15 J. MARSHALL REV. INTELL. PROP. L. 604 (2016) https://repository.jmls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1392&context=ripl
2. Bawaya, M.. (2010). "Virtual Archaeologists Recreate Parts of Ancient Worlds". Science.
3. (2009). "Learning by Playing. Game-based Education System Design and Development: 4th International Conference on E-learning, Edutainment 2009, Banff, Canada, August 9-11, 2009, Proceedings". [[Springer Science & Business Media]].
4. link. "Application Guide". UNESCO. (2008). Applications to UNESCO-Vocations Patrimoine Fellowships for World Heritage site managers. [[UNESCO World Heritage Centre]]
5. link. "Imaging The Past". Susan S. Lukesh. (Feb 1995). CSA Newsletter, Feb. '95. Center for the Study of Architecture
6. (1996). "Imaging the Past: Electronic Imaging and Computer Graphics in Museums and Archaeology". [[British Museum#British Museum Press.
7. Colin Johnson. "Virtual Tours of Dudley Castle archive".
8. (2002). "ARCHEOGUIDE – Augmented Reality-based Cultural Heritage On-site Guide". ARCHEOGUIDE Project.
9. Champion, Erik. (2016-03-09). "Critical Gaming: Interactive History and Virtual Heritage". [[Routledge]].
10. (2009). "Serious Games in Cultural Heritage". Faculty of ICT, [[University of Malta]].
11. link. "Digital Songlines". Brett Leavy. Virtual Songlines (Bilbie Labs)
12. {{Citation. "Doing Cultural Heritage Using the Torque Game Engine: Supporting Indigenous Storytelling in a 3D Virtual Environment". International Journal of Architectural Computing. (2007)
13. Laing, Richard. (2020). "Built heritage modelling and visualisation: the potential to engage with issues of heritage value and wider participation". Developments in the Built Environment.
14. (2008). "New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage". Routledge.