New life for destroyed cultural assets

The wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have destroyed cultural assets of inestimable value. Think, for example, of the ancient sites in Palmyra or the Buddha statues in Bamiyan. During the Nazi era, over 1000 synagogues were destroyed in Germany. Digitalisation and especially virtual reality create the possibility to revive these monuments.

Projects like Rome Reborne or Ancient Palmyra resurrect old cultural treasures, even entire cities. Two afternoons in Zurich and Basel are dedicated to the topic: New life for destroyed cultural assets. In Zurich, the focus is more on digital reconstruction, in Basel on artistic appropriation. In a workshop, experts will present their projects and give insight into their experiences; in the subsequent panel, they will discuss the potential of VR technology.

Wednesday 26.6. 2019 Kosmos, Zurich

14.30 - 18.00 Workshop: The potential of digital reconstructions

18.30 - 20.00 Panel discussion with keynote Marc Grellert, TU Darmstadtfollowed by book vernissage Edition Digital Culture 6: Virtual Reality

Speakers

- Marc Grellert, TU Darmstadt: The Potential of Virtual Reality in the Reconstruction of Destroyed Synagogues in Germany

- Patrick M. Michel, archaeologist, University of Lausanne: The VR reconstruction of the Baalshamin Temple of Palmyra

- Nora Al-Badri, artist, Zurich & Berlin: The Nefertiti Hack of Berlin

- Barry Threw, #newpalmyra, San Francisco: The #newpalmyra Project as an Open Platform for Artists and Scholars

- Peter Fux, Museum Rietberg Zurich: Archaeological objects are more than just objects

- Bastien Varoutsikos, ICONEM, Paris: Documenting and Preserving Cultural Heritage - the Potential of Virtual Reality and Other Digital Methods

Thursday 27.6.2019 HeK, Basel

14.30 - 18.00 Workshop: VR and digital media in archaeology and their potential for art

18.30 - 20.00 Panel discussion with keynote address by Brendan Cormier, Victoria & Albert Museum London followed by book vernissage Edition Digital Culture 6: Virtual Reality

Speakers

- Brendan Cormier, Curator Victoria & Albert Museum London: Remix: Artistic Appropriation of Cultural Heritage

- Patrick M. Michel, archaeologist, University of Lausanne: The VR reconstruction of the Baalshamin Temple of Palmyra

- Nora Al-Badri, artist, Zurich & Berlin: The Nefertiti Hack of Berlin

- Barry Threw, #newpalmyra, San Francisco: The #newpalmyra Project as an Open Platform for Artists and Scholars

- Christine Schranz, University of Art and Design FHNW in Basel: The interactive web installation A Journey to Palmyra

The event is also the book launch of the sixth volume in the Edition Digital Culture series on virtual reality.

Pre-registration for the afternoon workshop via the Website.