Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cultural heritage'

Background and rationale: Collecting is a basic human activity, a cultural phenomenon establishing cultural values, defining authenticity and creating new identities for collected objects and collectors. For more than a decade, I have studied cultural heritage collections from three key interwoven perspectives. These approaches are evident in the six publications selected for this submission: • Architectural and organisational perspective: at the Vatican Gallery (Innocenti 2001a), Uffizi (Innocenti 2003a) and Biblioteca Laurenziana (Innocenti 2002a) I investigated institutional collector and key stakeholder strategies for designing collection space and displays. I then applied this analysis to‘knowledge architecture’ for industrial design artefacts and processes (Innocenti 2004c). • Procedural and functional perspective: from Palladio drawings (Innocenti 2005a) to industrial design knowledge bases (Innocenti 2004a), I investigated how to digitize, archive, render and make accessible cultural heritage as an accurate iconic representation, interwoven with documentary and cultural contexts. The work further led me to study the authenticity of born-digital artworks (Innocenti 2012c). • Artefact perspective: I explored how artists and institutional collectors address the preservation of artworks, from the Renaissance desks of the Biblioteca Laurenziana (Innocenti 2002a) to digital artworks (Innocenti 2012c), and the historical and theoretical implications of their choices. In each of these areas, I contextualized the interrelations between cultural heritage discourse and the history of collecting cultural artefacts within given historical, social and cultural periods. My work began in Italy, where cultural heritage is deeply rooted and widespread, and moved on to encompass Europe and North America in tracing the evolution of cultural heritage collectors’ strategies. I adopted an interdisciplinary approach, engaging perspectives, methods and theoretical frameworks from art history, art theory, museography, museology, library and information science, information technology, social anthropology and engineering. Starting from this multi-focal vantage point my research has resulted in contributions to knowledge, methods and theory. These publications on one hand demonstrate the continuum of key issues in cultural heritage creation, preservation and access as manifested in the strategies of institutional collectors and artists. On the other hand, they highlight the new paradigms and transformations introduced by digital and communication technologies, the shaping of cultural heritage informatics to address these transformations and the theoretical and methodological implications underlying them. Through my scholarly research, I contributed to progressing the canonical historicisation of cultural heritage, museography and museology, and to exploring the new paradigms and transformations introduced by digital and communication technologies to the disruptive and exciting world of cultural heritage informatics. The portfolio: The portfolio is a selection from Perla Innocenti’s more than forty publications of research carried out since 2001 on cultural heritage and informatics with the Universitá degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte in Rome, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Fondazione Andrea Palladio, Politecnico di Milano and EU-funded projects SHAMAN and MeLa. Six scientific publications are presented: two journal articles, a scholarly treatise, a published conference paper, key chapters from a monograph and one book chapter from an edited volume. The works have two key themes relevant to the critical analysis and understanding of heritage institutions’ evolution up to the digital age. The themes illustrate the contribution each publication has made to the literature and explain the relationship between the works submitted, including developments which have occurred between one piece and another. Theme I: Evolution of museography, museology and heritage studies Three publications are presented under this theme, each of these presenting the critical analysis of cultural heritage institutions and their artefacts within the historical evolution of museums and libraries. Publication I presents the critical analysis of the museographic principles applied by Luca Beltrami to the design of the Vatican Gallery, investigated and contextualised within its museographical and cultural history (Innocenti 2001a). Publication II presents the critical analysis and findings of the museological and museographical principles applied by Corrado Ricci to the Uffizi Gallery in the 19th Century, compared with the contemporary principles in the Uffizi applied by the former Superintendent and Italian Ministry Antonio Paolucci (Innocenti 2003a). Publication III presents the analysis and original findings of Michelangelo’s ergonomic design of the Biblioteca Laurenziana fittings, within the historical evolution of libraries (Innocenti 2002a). Theme II: Creating, managing, disseminating and preserving digital cultural heritage The publications presented in this theme relate to methodologies and processes characterising diverse typologies of analogue and digital cultural heritage and the emerging field of cultural informatics. Publication IV presents the novel methodological approach defined and applied within a relevant digitization project of Andrea Palladio manuscripts and maps (Innocenti 2005a). Publication V presents the outcomes of my investigation defining and implementing an online knowledge-based system supporting research and teaching of industrial design, which is formally considered part of Italian cultural heritage (Innocenti 2004a). Publication VI discusses the repositioning of traditional conservation concepts of historicity, authenticity and versioning in relation to born-digital artworks, based on findings from my research on preservation of computer-based artefacts by public collectors (Innocenti 2012a).

Authorised narratives of British popular music history have been deployed as representations of national identity by a range of institutions and individuals. The London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, for example, presented a range of musical artists and songs that had been selected to represent aspects of British cultural identity to an international audience. The following year, a speech delivered by British Prime Minister David Cameron cited examples of British popular music in order to demonstrate British cultural successes in an international field. This thesis argues that authorised narratives such as these have failed to reflect the diversity of music cultures in the UK, drawing upon literature that highlights the concerns of ethnic minority groups who are frequently faced with exclusion from mainstream heritage narratives, and on a case study on British Bhangra music. British Bhangra is a musical genre closely associated with the BrAsian community, and in this thesis it is used to explore the relationship between popular music heritage and multiculturalism and address the following research questions: How have individuals involved with the British Bhangra music industry and audience groups responded to authorised narratives (Smith, 2006) of British popular music? How has British Bhangra been constructed as heritage – whether authorised, un-authorised or self-authorised – and where is this taking place and by whom? In order to address these questions, the thesis adopts two methodological approaches: qualitative research in the form of ethnographic fieldwork, and the analysis of particular musical works produced by British Bhangra artists and promoted as heritage – such as songs featuring in audience-constructed online charts attempting to define the ‘50 Best British Bhangra albums’. The ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in three areas in England: Bradford and Leeds in the North-East of England, Birmingham, and Tower Hamlets in East London, and enabled an exploration of British Bhangra heritage sites and practices in each location. Face-to-face and email interviews were also conducted with artists, music promoters and archivists involved with the British Bhangra music industry as well as with Bhangra audiences, and published interviews from print and online sources were consulted. This helped to examine British Bhangra heritage from the perspective of the artist, audience and music industry workers involved. At the same time specific British Bhangra songs were analysed in order to explore musical constructions of national identity and cultural memory and related concepts, such as ‘homeland’ or ‘authenticity’, both of which emerged as highly valued by British Bhangra audiences and artists. Attempts by artists and music journalists to construct a ‘canon’ of British Bhangra music frequently involve efforts to evaluate these musical works in terms of their perceived ability to express authenticity, or to evoke connections with a rural Punjab. The music is analysed in relation to such debates, and the way in which particular artists and songs have become enshrined within British Bhangra music heritage practices is explored.

This thesis researches into the heritage tourism characteristics on Gotland. Many destinations see a great potential to develop new tourism products around their heritage and thus meet a rising demand for enriching and unique visitor experiences. However, different considerations and stakeholders need to be taken into account to foster a sustainable development. The Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea has a long history as a tourism destination and is rich in heritage resources of diverse origin. A qualitative approach has been taken to study which traits characterise heritage related tourism to Gotland, and which potentials and challenges are seen by major stakeholders in the tourism and heritage development. One protruding result has been the strong connection between natural and cultural elements at the heritage sites as well as in tourism demand. Also the tourism strategy for Gotland strives for a further development of nature and culture as thematic tourism areas. Hence, a closer look has been taken into the relation of these two heritage elements. With help of the concept and methodology of heritagescapes two heritage sites have been analysed in a case study approach. The result shows that the integration of natural and cultural heritage to create cohesive and immersive visitor experiences at one site is challenging. However, taking both heritage elements into account can create synergies and they enhance how the respective other heritage element is experienced. This can broaden which visitor groups are attracted and in which season. Furthermore, the heritagescape approach gives practical management implications for the sites.

Digitale oder digitalisierte Tonaufnahmen sind zunehmend gefragte, wichtige Quellen für die Wissenschaft und als Dokumente des kulturellen Erbes auch für eine breite Öffentlichkeit von großem Interesse. Die Online-Bereitstellung frei zugänglicher Audiodokumente als Open Cultural Heritage erweist sich für Bibliotheken und Archive in der Praxis jedoch häufig als schwierig. Der Beitrag umreißt die besonderen Herausforderungen bei der Digitalisierung und Bereitstellung von Tondokumenten und skizziert – auch anhand von Praxisbeispielen – verschiedene Wege, auf denen Sammlungen den Anforderungen von Open Science gerecht werden können.
Digital or digitized sound recordings are increasingly demanded, and important sources for science. As documents of cultural heritage, they are also of great interest to the general public. However, providing freely accessible audio documents online as Open Cultural Heritage is often difficult for libraries and archives in practice. The article sketches the specific challenges of digitizing and publishing sound documents and outlines – also on the basis of practical examples – different ways in which collections can meet the requirements of open science.

All communities form attachments, both physical and metaphysical, and these define a community’s cultural identity. The social phenomenon that connects people and places is as significant as the material heritage; at times more significant. The dominant disourse of heritage has long focused on the preservation and conservation of material remains, and as a consequence it has drawn attention away from the social and cultural contexts which are important. Originating from a set of Western elitist ideas, the ideas of patrimoine and historic monument directed the heritage conservation of the early French in Angkor. Since the rediscovery of the Angkor temples in 1862, early French research was concentrated solely on Angkor’s monumental heritage. A systematic process of documentation, restoration and conservation was begun with the establishment of Conservation d’Angkor in Siem Reap in 1908. The interventions centred on the monuments paid very little attention to the social relevance to the small communities that lived in the region at the time. The local Khmer associations with Angkor Wat and some of the ruined temples through Animism and Buddhism went unnoticed and as a result there is a limited understanding of social values that may have previously existed. The political instability of the 1970s further contributed to this lacuna of knowledge. Authorised Heritage Discourse (after Smith 2006) is legitimised internationally through a series of recommendations, charters, conventions and documents; including the 1972 W orld Heritage Convention. The imposition of these hegemonic constructs of heritage exclude other notions of heritage, and the over-arching outstanding universal value negates the local social values, overshadows local communities and raises concerns about fundamental cultural rights. Angkor World Heritage Site (AWHS) was studied using case study methodology. Five study villages were chosen due to their proximity to signifi cant heritage features, and sixty-three villagers were inter! viewed u sing semi- structured in-depth interview methods, along with thirteen experts. The findings from the interviews clearly establish that the local Khmers are connected to the Angkorian landscape, amidst the heritage conundrums. The study has helped reveal the complexity that exists at Angkor, and the tenuousness of cultural connections that link the local villagers with the Angkorian temples and archaeological remains. These delicate connections, currently threatened by heritage management restrictions, development and tourism need to be nurtured and strengthened. They are important in the assertion of the local community’s cultural identity and an understanding of these connections will help facilitate a better management of the AWHS.

Many microorganisms, influenced by environmental conditions, are the main responsible for biological contamination in built heritage. Biocides based on chemical toxic compounds have been the most often used to mitigate this problem. Thus, it is of vital importance to develop proper remediation actions based on environmentally innocuous alternatives. Bacteria of the genera Bacillus are emerging as an optimistic alternative due to their capacity to produce secondary metabolites with antagonistic activities against many fungal pathogens. This work aimed to develop ground-breaking research in the area of cultural and built heritage rehabilitation, by the development of natural and green safe biocides for biodegradation/biodeterioration treatment of Cultural Heritage. A complementary methodology, including antifungal tests and molecular approaches was used, in combination with microscopic and analytical techniques to detect, characterise and study the efficiency of the biological active compounds produced by Bacillus sp. strains. Flow cytometry allowed a comprehensive study of the physiological mechanism behind the bioactive compounds production in order to understand and improve the strategic approaches for process optimisation and scale up production. Moreover, according to the results of the toxicological tests, these compounds have proven to be a real environmental safe and innocuous alternative to the chemical biocides commonly used during the conservative interventions. Thus, they have shown a great potential for their future application in cultural and built heritage rehabilitation; Novos Biocidas para o Património Cultural Resumo: Vários microrganismos influenciados pelas condições ambientais são os principais responsáveis pela contaminação biológica do património cultural edificado. Na tentativa de mitigação destes agentes, compostos geralmente tóxicos têm sido os mais utilizados. Assim, é de enorme importância desenvolver ações de remediação dirigidas aos agentes efetivamente biodeteriogénicos, baseados em alternativas inócuas para o meio ambiente. As bactérias do género Bacillus surgem, como uma viável alternativa devido à capacidade de produzir metabolitos secundários com atividade antagonista, contra diversos fungos. Este trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver uma investigação inovadora que possa vir a ser útil na área de reabilitação do património cultural edificado, através da produção de novos biocidas naturais e mais ecológicos. Utilizou-se uma abordagem metodológica, que incluiu testes antifúngicos e abordagens moleculares, combinadas com técnicas microscópicas e analíticas, de forma a detetar, caracterizar e estudar a eficiência de compostos biologicamente ativos produzidos por estripes de Bacillus sp.. Foram ainda utilizados os mecanismos fisiológicos por detrás da produção destes compostos, de forma a perceber e melhorar as abordagens estratégicas no processo de otimização da produção. Em testes toxicológicos, compostos produzidos por estirpes de Bacillus sp. selecionados, provaram ser uma alternativa ecológica aos biocidas químicos, comumente utilizados em intervenções de conservação. Desta forma, estes demonstram um elevado potencial para futura utilização na reabilitação do património cultural edificado.

Doutoramento em Turismo
With this work we propose to analyze the perception of the concept of quality by managers of museums and archaeological sites. To this end, we chose to analyze some heritage areas open to the public and certified by HERITY - World Organisation for the Certification of Quality Management of Cultural Heritage, the only international certification of this kind which has been officially recognized by UNESCO and the World Tourism Organization. The application of the principles of quality and Total Quality Management to cultural heritage management is part of the efforts towards a continuous improvement of the cultural tourism offer and - in our opinion – towards an increasing capacity to promote intercultural dialogue between local population and visitors. In this context, we have therefore investigated the perception of quality within the context of cultural heritage management, and how the culture of quality can provide a greater involvement of local communities, contributing to the strengthening of authenticity and destination personality, as well as the promotion of intercultural dialogue between tourists and residents. To answer these questions, we have defined a theoretical model and subsequently carried out an empirical work at European level on the perception of quality by managers of cultural heritage sites, namely archaeological heritage. An in-depth comprehension of areas such as Archeology, Tourism and Quality Management, as well as its role within the broader context of sustainable regional development, are the basis of this work. The latter is intended, in turn, to be a vehicle of reflection within the creation of public policies on territorial management and tourism development. We thus undertook a research line which is still almost unexplored, that is, the analysis of quality principles within the cultural heritage management, their potential and the measurement of their actual impact on the territory, through an integrated approach, by considering in a specular, complex way the two main beneficiaries: residents and tourists.
Com o presente trabalho nos propomos de analisar a perceção do conceito de qualidade por parte dos gestores dos museus e sítios arqueológicos. Para tal, escolhemos analisar algumas áreas patrimoniais abertas ao publico e certificadas por HERITY - World Organisation for the Certification of Quality Management of Cultural Heritage, única certificação internacional deste género e cuja importância já foi oficialmente reconhecida pela UNESCO e pela Organização Mundial do Turismo. A aplicação dos princípios da qualidade e do Total Quality Management à gestão do património cultural se insere nos esforços para uma melhoria contínua da oferta cultural e turística e – no nosso entender – no aumento da capacidade de promover o diálogo intercultural entre população residente e visitantes. Nos questionamos portanto sobre a percepção do significado de Qualidade no âmbito da gestão do património cultural, e de que forma a cultura da qualidade pode proporcionar um maior envolvimento das comunidades locais, contribuindo assim para o reforço da autenticidade e do caracter do destino, bem como do diálogo intercultural entre turistas e residentes. Para responder a estas perguntas, procuramos definir um modelo teórico que, a seguir, confrontamos com os resultados de um trabalho empírico de âmbito europeu sobre a perceção da qualidade por parte dos gestores do património cultural, nomeadamente arqueológico. O estudo aprofundado do que é a Arqueologia, o Turismo e a Qualidade e a reflexão do papel destes três domínios no âmbito mais abrangente do desenvolvimento territorial sustentável representam a base deste trabalho, que se propõe por sua vez de ser um veículo de reflexão no âmbito da criação das políticas públicas de gestão do território e de desenvolvimento turístico. Empreendemos assim uma linha de investigação ainda pouco explorada, dedicada à analise dos princípios da qualidade no âmbito da gestão do património, às suas potencialidades e à medição dos seus efetivos impactos no território, através de uma abordagem integrada e considerando duma forma não convencional, mas sim especular e complexa os dois principais beneficiários: população residente e turistas.

A cidade de São Luiz do Paraitinga, localizada no Vale do Paraíba, estado de São Paulo, nos primeiros dias do ano de 2010, foi atingida pela maior inundação de sua história. As águas do rio Paraitinga subiram aproximadamente doze metros acima de seu leito habi-tual, causando a destruição de grande parte do patrimônio histórico arquitetônico e causando diversos prejuízos à população atingida. O processo de reconstrução da cidade foi marcado por ter a cultura local como pro-tagonista que, em diversas situações obrigou o poder público e os órgãos de preservação do patrimônio histórico a reverem projetos pré-concebidos e contemplar a identidade local como objetivo primordial. Para estudar a cultura popular protagonizando o processo de reconstrução de São Luiz do Paraitinga, primeiramente apresentei o lugar que a memória e as manifestações da cultura popular têm na construção da identidade da cidade. Diretamente envolvido no pro-cesso que também era meu objeto de estudo, coletei uma rica documentação que, com minha vivência, fundamentou a análise apresentada. Nela, ressalto o lugar central que o modo de viver dos moradores ocupou em diferentes momentos ligados à tragédia ocorrida, às ações voltadas para a retomada da normalidade e à reconstrução do que havia sido destruído. A experiência trouxe contribuições relevantes não só para a vida pública de São Luiz do Parai-tinga, como para a reflexão acerca das situações resultantes de tragédias que alteram a vida de cidades, transformando completamente seu cotidiano e envolvendo ações e relações ex-cepcionais de órgãos públicos, entidades coletivas e da população.
The city of Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, located in the Paraiba Valley, State of Sao Paulo, in the first days of calendar year 2010, was hit by the biggest flood in its history. The waters of the river Paraitinga rose about twelve meters above its usual riverbed, causing destruction of a great portion of the architectural heritage and causing several damages to the affected population. The process of reconstruction of the city had the local culture in a leading role since in various situations the government and agencies responsible for national heritage preser-vation were forced to review pre-designed projects and contemplate the identity of that community as an essential goal. In order to study this leadership of popular culture in the process of rebuilding São Luiz do Paraitinga, I first brought up the significance that memory and expressions of pop-ular culture have for the identity of the town. Directly involved in the process, which was also my object of study, I collected rich documentation that along with my experience jus-tified the analysis presented. In that analysis, I highlight the main role that peoples life-style played in different moments which are linked to the tragedy that occurred, to the ac-tions taken to return to normality and to the reconstruction of what had been destroyed. The experience brought significant contributions, not only to the people of Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, but also to the understanding of situations resultant from disasters that change the living conditions in cities, completely transforming its daily routines as well as the practices of governmental and collective agencies and the population.

Current treatments of cultural heritage as an object of moral concern (whether it be the heritage of mankind or of some particular group of people) have tended to treat it as a means to ensure human wellbeing: either as ‘cultural property’ or ‘cultural patrimony’, suggesting concomitant rights of possession and exclusion, or otherwise as something which, gaining its ethical significance from the roles it plays in people’s lives and the formation of their identities, is the beneficiary at most of indirect moral obligations. In contrast, I argue that cultural heritage, as something whose existence can go well or badly, can itself qualify as a moral patient towards which we may have obligations which need not be accounted for in terms of subsequent benefits to human beings. Drawing inspiration from environmental ethics and suggesting that heritage, like an ecosystem, is a complex network of interrelations which invites a holistic understanding, I develop a framework for thinking about cultural heritage which shows how such a thing can feature in our ethical reflections as intrinsically worthy of respect in spite of its most obvious differences from the ‘natural’ world: the very human origins of cultural heritage and its involvement with human life in all its forms. As part of the development of this framework I consider the epistemic difficulties which arise when for all our holistic sophistication we do find ourselves in the predicament of having to judge the moral worth of some item of heritage, possibly someone else’s heritage and possibly something which we find ourselves disposed to value more because of than despite any mysteries surrounding it. I conclude by offering some tentative illustrations of how such a framework might operate in the practical course of normative moral reasoning about what should be done with items of cultural heritage.

Digital technologies are becoming extremely important for web-based cultural heritage applications. This thesis presents novel digital technology solutions to 'access and interact' with digital heritage objects and collections. These innovative solutions utilize service orientation (web services), workflows, and social networking and Web 2.0 mashup technologies to innovate the creation, interpretation and use of collections dispersed in a global museumscape, where community participation is achieved through social networking. These solutions are embedded in a novel concept called Digital Library Services for Playing with Shared Heritage (DISPLAYS). DISPLAYS is concerned with creating tools and services to implement a digital library system, which allows the heritage community and museum professionals alike to create, interpret and use digital heritage content in visualization and interaction environments using web technologies based on social networking. In particular, this thesis presents a specific implementation of DISPLAYS called the Reanimating Cultural Heritage system, which is modelled on the five main functionalities or services defined in the DISPLAYS architecture, content creation, archival, exposition, presentation and interaction, for handling digital heritage objects. The main focus of this thesis is the design of the Reanimating Cultural Heritage system's social networking functionality that provides an innovative solution for integrating community access and interaction with the Sierra Leone digital heritage repository composed of collections from the British Museum, Glasgow Museums and Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. The novel use of Web 2.0 mashups in this digital heritage repository also allows the seamless integration of these museum collections to be merged with user or community generated content, while preserving the quality of museum collections data. Finally, this thesis tests and evaluates the usability of the Reanimating Cultural Heritage social networking system, in particular the suitability of the digital technology solution deployed. Testing is performed with a user group composed of several users, and the results obtained are presented.

This research investigation used digital photography in a hemispherical dome, enabling a set of 64 photographic images of an object to be captured in perfect pixel register, with each image illuminated from a different direction. This representation turns out to be much richer than a single 2D image, because it contains information at each point about both the 3D shape of the surface (gradient and local curvature) and the directionality of reflectance (gloss and specularity). Thereby it enables not only interactive visualisation through viewer software, giving the illusion of 3D, but also the reconstruction of an actual 3D surface and highly realistic rendering of a wide range of materials. The following seven outcomes of the research are claimed as novel and therefore as representing contributions to knowledge in the field:  A method for determining the geometry of an illumination dome;  An adaptive method for finding surface normals by bounded regression;  Generating 3D surfaces from photometric stereo;  Relationship between surface normals and specular angles;  Modelling surface specularity by a modified Lorentzian function;  Determining the optimal wavelengths of colour laser scanners;  Characterising colour devices by synthetic reflectance spectra.

This thesis uses the example of school departure rituals, such as the school ball and graduation ceremony, to examine how Intangible Cultural Heritage is represented in scholarly heritage literature. The study draws on interview data collected from secondary students in their final year of schooling to establish if there is a place in heritage literature and policy for Intangible Cultural Heritage performed in a Western context by young people.

Abstract In recent years, operators in the restoration sector are adding to their historical-artistic competences also scientific knowledge in order to find solutions more and more effective and respectful toward the cultural heritage, the operator and the environment. Among the different scientific branches, biotechnologies allow for an innovative and precise approach to the complexity of the problems that the restorer has to face in his own daily work. Biotechnology research in the field of cultural heritage develops in two directions: on the one hand focuses on the development of accurate diagnostic techniques, useful for the correct identification and characterization of alterations and biodeteriogens; on the other hand focuses on the development of innovative restoration methods, based on the employment of new products. The employment of biotechnologies in restoration of cultural heritage is the main topic of the present PhD doctoral thesis, which deals with both of the aforementioned sides. In Chapter 1 a review on the employment of biotechnologies in the field of cultural heritage is presented, considering both diagnostic techniques for characterization of biodeteriogens, and the use of microorganisms and enzymes for restoration. The first part of the thesis focuses on a microbial product, based on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) belonging to D. vulgaris species, applied for the removal of sulfate crusts from artwork surfaces. In studies carried out in the last decades, this product has turned out to be very promising and favorable, compared to traditional restoration techniques, thanks to its capability of combining effectiveness to selectivity and safety for the restorer and the environment. Such a technology, original, innovative and sustainable, has been successfully experimented on important artworks. In Chapter 2 a review on the current knowledge of Desulfovibrio genus is presented, in particular concerning its physiology, biochemistry and biotechnological applications. Nevertheless, the D. vulgaris-based product presented four limitations: i) low production yields and inability of long-term conservation of D. vulgaris biomass; ii) lack of an appropriate method for monitoring of abundance and activity of the biomass; iii) time-consuming application technique; iv) application limited to stone surfaces. The overcoming of the above mentioned limitations has been the aim of the first part of the present work. A research work, structured in different phases, has been conducted for the optimization of the production process and the development of a method for the long-term conservation of the bacterial biomass (Chapter 3). Initially the laboratory protocol has been set up on small volumes at liter scale, in order to define the growth curve of the bacterium and evaluate its metabolic response to different substrates and growth conditions. subsequently the fermentative process has been transferred from the flask to 5 lt fermentor, optimizing the control of pH and H2S concentration. H2S is the main metabolic product in the fermentative process of SRB, its accumulation is toxic for bacteria, leading to unfavorable growth conditions. These improvements allowed a significant increase in biomass production, from a concentration of 1*108 cell/ml in 120h of fermentation in flask, to the concentration of 3*109 cell/ml in 72h of fermentation in bioreactor. For the long-term conservation of D. vulgaris biomass, freeze-drying has been carried out, testing the effectiveness of different cryoprotective agents. Among them, the best in terms of cell viability post-rehydration resulted to be lactose, which ensured the stability of the product for a minimum of 6 months. Chapter 4 deals with the development of new molecular approaches for monitoring of D. vulgaris biomass concentration and viability since traditionally employed methods, such as Most Probable Number (MPN) and microscope counting, resulted unsuitable. The research focused on the set up of a method applicable not only to liquid cultures, but also to cells embedded in the delivery system used for the applications of D. vulgaris cells on the surfaces during the biorestoration treatment. Among all the tested methods, the most effective and suitable resulted to be the spectrophotometric measurement of the fluorescence specifically emitted by the prosthetic group of bisulfite reductase, a key enzyme in dissimilatory sulfate reduction. The results showed that fluorescence emission is proportional to viable cells present in liquid culture as well as when embedded in the delivery system. Real-time PCR quantification of the SRB-specific dsr gene allowed to significantly quantify D. vulgaris cells in liquid culture, but when applied on cells embedded in the delivery system the detection limit (107 cell/ml) was too high to make this method efficient. The development of new methodologies for the application of D.vulgaris-based product, aimed at the reduction of time and number of required applications for the removal of sulfations, has been conducted on the funeral monument realized in memory of ‘Neera’, the poetess Anna Zuccari, located in the Cimitero Monumentale in Milan (Chapter 5). Besides biological treatment, two other methods have been tested: chemical treatment, based on the non-ionic detergent Tween 20 and a combined treatment, consisting in a chemical pre-treatment followed by the biological treatment. The combined method resulted to be effective in the removal of the black crust, without altering the underlying stone, obtaining a 70% reduction in cleaning time. Moreover, the combined method preserved all the advantages of the biocleaning approach: selectivity toward the alteration and respectfulness toward the original material. For the purpose of extending this biocleaning approach to substrates other than stone artworks, such as mural paintings, an experimentation has been carried out on two scenes belonging to the pictorial cycle decorating ‘Queen Teodolinda Chapel’ in Monza Cathedral (Chapter 6). The applicability test on surfaces characterised by fragility, such as pigmented surfaces, is of primary importance for the further development of this technology. The obtained results can be regarded very promising, in terms of sulfations removal and respectfulness towards such a delicate surface. However, this study has to be considered merely preliminary and incomplete, and further research must be conducted in order to verify the compatibility of the treatment with different kinds of materials, such as pigments. The last part of this thesis focuses on diagnostic methodologies for the identification and characterisation of biodeteriogens from two artworks. In the past, microorganisms responsible for deterioration of cultural assets were identified through conventional methods based on the cultivation of potential biodeteriogen microorganisms and their identification and phenotypic characterisation. Here molecular biology technologies independent from bacteria cultivation were employed, which complete and expand the information provided by the cultivation-dependent approach. These methodologies have been employed for the analysis of an acrylic monochrome painting on canvas realised by the artist E. Castellani (Chapter 7) and of a paper print realized in the 17th century, conserved in the Monastery of “S. Maria al Carrobiolo” in Monza (Chapter 8). The acrylic monochrome painting on canvas presented alterations characterised by yellow-earth/red point areas of different extensions, spread on the whole posterior surface. Molecular analyses on the total microbial community have been carried out through Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) method. Among the identified bacteria, the most abundant were Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Deinococcus gobiensis; whereas among fungi, Leptosphaerulina and Penicillium genera. Culture-dependent techniques confirmed the dominance of bacteria belonging to Bacillus genus, whilst no fungal species has been isolated. However, presence of fungi was confirmed by microscope analysis, which allowed the visualization of fungal hyphae and spores in all the samples. Considering morphology and dimensions, these structures visualized by microscope were ascribable to mycelia and spores of fungi belonging to Penicillium genus, confirmed also by comparison with literature images. Afterwards the characterization of microbial community, the activity of four different biocides on the potential biodeteriogens was evaluated. Biotin N, Biotin R, New Des 50 and Amuchina (in single and mixed) were tested toward the single microbial isolates and the whole microbial community. According to the antibiogram test, the combination of Biotin R 4% in ethyl acetate + Biotin N 4% in white spirit resulted to be the most effective in terms of inhibiting activity, both on single strains and on the whole bacterial community. The paper print realized in the 17th century, conserved in the Monastery of “S. Maria al Carrobiolo” in Monza, presented whitenings and small dark spots, on the obverse and on the reverse side, respectively. In this case, a microbial investigation was executed through culture-dependent techniques for the isolation of bacteria and fungi, in order to characterize the possible deteriogens and determine their phylogenetic affiliation. The results demonstrated a negligible presence of bacteria. The most frequently cultured strains belonged to the Staphylococcus genus, which is associated to human skin, and to the Sphingomonas genus, which is an environmental bacterium, which have never been associated to biodeteriogen activity. As concerns fungi, the results showed a dominant presence of Neurospora pannonica, both on the obverse and on the reverse side of the print. In summary, the research emphasized the importance of biotechnologies in the field of cultural heritage. The optimization of D. vulgaris-based product, described in the first part of the work, has been successful, therefore this result underlines the importance of research for the improvements of biotechnological methodologies employed in restoration. The overall results suggest that further research is required for additional enhancement of this sulfates removal methodology and for the development of novel approaches, more and more effective and convenient, to be used in the field of cultural heritage.

This thesis evaluates the Keklik Street and its Surrounding Conservation and Development Project with respect to sustainability principle of Cultural Heritage Management. The achievements and deficiencies of the Project will be discussed and a performance measurement of the physical, functional and organizational sustainability will be done. Finally, the thesis will emphasize the contribution of the sustainability principle of the management approach and its instruments to the heritage conservation process.

This thesis examines how cultural heritage policies are developed in New Zealand. Cultural heritage symbolises the development of a society, illustrating past events and changing customs and values. Because of its significance, the government has accepted responsibility for protecting cultural heritage, and has developed a number of institutions and a variety of policies to address this responsibility. It is important to understand how the goverment uses these mechanisms to protect cultural heritage, and the subsequent relationships that have developed between actors in the cultural heritage area. These will have an impact on the effectiveness of the policy which is developed. Cultural heritage is treasured by society for a number of reasons, but as social attitudes change, so does the treatment of cultural heritage. It is re-defined, re-interpreted and used to promote a sense of pride in the commmunity. This manipulation extends to policy making. Since the 1980s, the government has influenced, and been influenced by, two major social changes. There has been an introduction of free market principles such as rationalisation, competition and fiscal responsibility into the New Zealand economy and political structure. These principles have been applied to cultural heritage and consequently cultural heritage is treated as a commodity. As the result of changing attitudes towards the treatment of the Maori and Maori resources, there has been a movement towards implementing biculturalism. This has meant a re-evaluation of how Maori taonga is treated, particularly of the ways Maori cultural heritage has been used to promote a sense of New Zealandness. There are several major actors involved in cultural heritage policy making - government, policy units, cultural heritage organisations and local authorities. Central government is the dominant force in the political process, with control over the distribution of resources and the responsibilities assigned to other actors. Because the use of market principles and movement towards biculturalism have been embraced at the central government level, other actors in the policy making process are also expected to adopt them. Policy units develop options to fit with the government�s general economic and political agenda. The structures adopted for the public service are designed to encompass market principles, particularly the efficient use of resources and competitiveness. While cultural heritage organisations may influence the government�s agenda through lobbying and information-sharing, they are limited by issues such as funding and statutory requirements. Government has shifted many responsibilities to the regions, but while territorial authorities are influenced by the concerns of their communities, they are also subject to directions from the government. The process and structures which have been outlined do not contribute to an effective policy making system. The use of market principles to direct cultural heritage protection tends to encourage uneven and inconsistent policies, both at national and local levels. The range of cultural heritage definitions used by government agencies also promotes inconsistency. Cultural heritage is encompassed in a large number of government departments and ministries, which makes the co-ordination funding by meeting required �outputs� and the government�s requirement of fiscal responsibility. This is not appropriate language for cultural heritage, which should not have to be rationalised as an economic good. Although the government has devolved a number of responsibilities and territorial authorities have a variety of mechanisms available to protect cultural heritage, there is no nation-wide criteria for territorial involvement. Because of regional differences there is an uneven treatment of cultural heritage. Those policies developed by territorial authorities will also be influenced by the government�s economic direction. Organisations supported by the Dunedin City Council, for example, must also provide budgets and strategic plans which fit with Council�s fiscal objectives.

La scoperta di oggetti antichi solleva una serie di questioni quali la corretta determinazione del contesto storico-culturale, la provenienza ed il metodo di lavorazione, oltre alla scelta dei trattamenti e delle condizioni di restauro e conservazione. Vengono qui presentati risultati riguardo l’applicazione di tecnologie neutroniche nel campo dei beni culturali e promettenti prospettive future nel binomio scienza-tecnologia per lo studio di oggetti archeologici. Vengono discusse attività relative allo sviluppo di strumentazione ad hoc quali un sistema di posizionamento successivamente integrato nello strumento Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging/Neutron Tomography (PGAI/NT) e l’utilizzo del fotomoltiplicatore al silicio (SiPM) accoppiato con un cristallo scintillante YAP come rivelatore di neutroni e gamma al fine di ottenere un sistema di rivelazione di piccole dimensioni, compatto e a basso costo. Vengono poi presentati quattro risultati significativi riguardo l’utilizzo di tecniche neutroniche ‘standard’ su oggetti di reale interesse archeologico. Da ultimo, alcuni risultati preliminari riguardanti l’applicazione della nuova tecnica di Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging (PGAI) combinata con la Neutron Radiography (NR) su due preziosi pezzi, quali due teste in bronzo dorato provenienti dalle porte del Battistero di Firenze del Ghiberti, completeranno lo studio.
The discovery of ancient artefacts often raises a variety of questions such as the correct determination of its historical and cultural time-frame, the place and method of production, the choice of treatments and conditions for restoration and preservation. Research results about the application of neutron technology in the field of cultural heritage are presented together with promising perspectives for the future of science and technology within cultural heritage studies. Activities on neutron instrumentation such as sample positioning system for Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging/Neutron Tomography (PGAI/NT) instrument and the use of silicon-photomultiplier (SiPM) as neutrons and gammas detector coupled by YAP crystal to obtain small and compact, low cost, portable detector system, are discussed. The systematic assessment of neutron diffraction application to the study of archaeological objects is also carried out. Four significant results from the use of ‘standard’ techniques on real archaeological objects are reported. Finally, results about first preliminary measurement by the new Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging (PGAI) combined with Neutron Radiography (NR) on two precious gilded bronze heads from the monumental doors of the Florence Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti will complete the study.

Metadata are fundamental for the indexing, browsing, and retrieval of cultural heritage resources in digital repositories. Since the manual control of metadata quality in digital repositories may not be feasible, especially when working with large collections, this Ph.D. thesis focuses specifically on the problem of automatic metadata quality assessment. Taking as the main reference the Metadata Quality Framework developed by Thomas Bruce and Diane Hilmann, we propose to evaluate metadata information according to three aspects. The first is metadata Completeness, approached as a statistical analysis. We compute the ratio of the filled elements with respect to the metadata schema taking into account its structure as well as the specific topic of a collection. The second is metadata Accuracy of the textual description of a given cultural heritage object, approached as a binary classification problem. We determine whether the field contains a high-quality or low-quality description, measured as the compliance of the textual content with the description rules from the guidelines used to implement metadata information. The last aspect concerns metadata Coherence, where we investigate the feasibility to use high-quality metadata at source while implementing metadata information. We assess the metadata Coherence of the subject element recommending the three most likely subjects of the resource analyzing the iconography of the resource. Applying this methodology to the Italian digital library ``Cultura Italia'', we noticed overall that it is indeed possible to automatically evaluate metadata quality. However, despite the promising results we obtained, to have a more detailed picture about automatic metadata quality evaluation, our methods should be also tested on a wider range of digital repositories.

Much recent debate surrounding the conservation of cultural built heritage (CBH) concerns its instrumental role in society. In Britain, the ascendance of openly contested identity politics and New Labour's orthodoxy of socially progressive reform draw attention to particular challenges facing heritage conservation activities in a pluralist, multicultural society. Here, it is argued, ethnic minorities face exclusion from state-defined heritages which they may not share. Yet despite its appropriation to pursue social objectives, the meaning of CBH, in terms of what it is and what it does at local community level, remains little understood. Accordingly, as heritage agencies strive to democratise their activities, the benefits of broadening access to national CBH, while taken as a matter of faith, remain untested and unexplored. This thesis tests the actuality and extent of post-modem notions of CBH in a culturally diverse local community setting. By building on a cross-disciplinary theoretical framework, and using qualitative methods within an in-depth spatially defined case study, the research explores how CBH is defined, given meaning and how and why it is contested. Perceptual dysfunction between producer aims and consumer requirements is identified through critically analysing efforts to re-evaluate and revise existing definitions of national CBH. The research challenges the sustainability of reform directives stemming from the heritage sector and government, which are shown as incompliant with the values and meanings placed on heritage by participants. Reformist intervention in heritage policy must therefore acknowledge and accept the reality that such moves also have the potential to generate new forms of exclusion. The thesis concludes that we should focus less on efforts to (re)define CBH in a way that neutralises difference and more on developing understandings of the processes through which people define their experiences of heritage in their own social contexts. The work provides a platform for critical discourse and reflection on heritage encompassing the key fields of identity, democracy and ownership of the past.

The Christian cultural heritage of north Africa is ancient and rich, but at risk after recent political events. Many Christian minority communities living in Islamic environments feel at risk of persecution. This is a topical and timely PhD. The Christian, Coptic heritage of Egypt remains poorly studied from the perspective of heritage management and is also at risk from a number of factors. Using first-hand study and analysis based upon original fieldwork, the thesis offers a state of the art assessment to risks facing Coptic monuments in Egypt today. It does this by situating Egyptian heritage policy within the English framework, and it establishes theoretical approaches to value, significance, meaning, and interpretation in Egyptian heritage within a wider global framework. It is based on the analysis of three markedly different Egyptian Christian Coptic sites, each with their own unique management issues and it offers a series of solutions and ideas to preserve, manage and interpret this unique material culture and to emphasise community solutions as being the most viable and sustainable approaches, whilst taking into account the varied levels of significance of these monuments.

The present work of thesis is focused on application of X-ray K-edge technique to paintings. This technique allows one to achieve a topographic map of a pigment on the whole surface of the painting. The digital acquisition of radiographic images by using monochromatic X-ray beams allows to take advantage of the sharp rise of X-ray absorption coefficient of the elements, the K-edge discontinuity. Working at different energies, bracketing the K-edge peak, allows recognition of the target element. The K-edge radiography facility installed at Larix Laboratory, at Department of Physics in Ferrara, consists of a quasi-monochromatic X-ray beam obtained via Bragg diffraction on a mosaic crystal from standard X-ray source. In this work the K-edge technique and the facility used are illustrated. A characterization of the monochromatic beams in the energy range 7-40 KeV range and the elemental mapping on pictorial layers obtained are presented. At the end, a transportable facility for digital radiography is presented and some radiographic analysis of works of art performed are shown.

This thesis compares archaeological culture areas and contemporary cultural landscapes of the Hopi and Zuni tribes as an evaluation of the scale in which stakeholders consider heritage resources. Archaeological culture areas provide a heuristic for interpretations of past regional patterns. However, contemporary Hopi and Zuni people describe historical and spiritual ties to vast cultural landscapes, stretching well beyond archaeological culture areas in the American Southwest. Cultural landscapes are emic delineations of space that are formed through multiple dimensions of interaction with the land and environment. Concepts of time and space and the role of memory, connectivity, and place are explored to help to delineate the scale of Hopi and Zuni cultural landscapes. For both Hopis and Zunis, the contemporary cultural landscape is founded upon the relationships between places and between past and present cultural practices. Cultural landscapes provide a framework, for anthropological research and historic preservation alike, to contextualize the smaller, nested scales of social identity and practice that they incorporate.

This thesis examines the relationship between mass tourism and heritage tourism in the construction and perpetuation of histories and identities of local stakeholders on Roatàn Island, Honduras. I explore how identity is constructed by and through the tourism industry, and how much of the agency in forming identity and telling cultural stories resides in the hands of key stakeholders involved in the development of tourism on the island. Local cultural stories that focus on the people who live and have lived on the island for centuries are becoming increasingly silenced by a more commoditized, tourism driven, picture of life on Roatàn. Here, I examine how this silencing takes place, what its effects are on tourism and development, and consider what elements of the tourism industry have contributed to this silencing. On Roatàn, the issue of identity as interpreted through museums has become increasingly contested, as the tourism industry now controls the presentation of cultural and archaeological history of the island. This control influences how tourists visiting Roatàn interpret the past and present the heritage of local groups.

Radiographic techniques, usually, don’t give information about the chemical composition of a sample. However, thanks to the K-edge differential technique, it is possible to highlight the presence of target chemical elements with the radiography. This technique takes advantage on the K-edge discontinuity of the X-rays mass absorption coefficient. Considering a target element and acquiring two radiographies with monochromatic beams under and over the K-edge energy, the main difference between the two images is due to the presence of the element itself. To apply this peculiar radiographic technique, using the traditional X-ray tubes, two ways are possible: 1. Monochromatizing the beam coming out through the Bragg diffraction and acquiring the two radiographic images at the energies under and over the K-edge of the target; 2. For a target element with atomic number Z, using a set of three filters of the elements Z, Z+1 and Z-1, acquiring three different radiographies that, after the digital subtraction, would give images similar to the ones obtained with monochromatic beams. Both the two techniques have been employed in Ferrara, giving attention to the development of portable instruments, thus to promote their application in situ. For the first, the work of the thesis has been focused on the implementation of a new goniometric set-up, in respect of the existing one, and on the alignment of all the components (X-ray tube, Bragg diffraction crystal and detectors). For the second, the research has mainly regarded the use of balanced filters on canvas mock-ups painted with cadmium, copper and cobalt based pigments and their superimposition with other ones. The filters has been tested using the radiographic scanning systems developed in Ferrara. The new radiographic scanner for in situ application has been designed, realized and tested in the PhD period. Its reduced dimensions have allowed its use also on a big dimension painting (195 x 154 cm) in the Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo in Siracuse.
Tipicamente le tecniche radiografiche non permettono di ottenere informazioni riguardanti gli elementi chimici presenti in un campione. Tuttavia, grazie alla tecnica differenziale al K-edge, anche tramite la radiografia è possibile evidenziare la presenza di elementi chimici bersaglio. La tecnica sfrutta la discontinuità del K-edge nel coefficiente di assorbimento di massa dei raggi X. Considerando un elemento target e acquisendo due radiografie con fasci monocromatici di energia sotto e sopra il K-edge, la maggiore differenza tra le due immagini sarà dovuta alla presenza dell’elemento stesso. Per effettuare questa particolare tecnica radiografica, sfruttando i classici tubi a raggi X, si possono percorrere due vie: 1. monocromatizzare il fascio uscente tramite diffrazione di Bragg e acquisire le due immagini radiografiche alle energie sopra e sotto il K-edge del target; 2. per un elemento bersaglio di numero atomico Z, usare un set di tre filtri degli elementi Z, Z+1 e Z-1, acquisendo tre radiografie diverse che, dopo sottrazione digitale, daranno immagini simili a quelle ottenute con i fasci monocromatici. Entrambe le tecniche sono state impiegate a Ferrara, ponendo particolare attenzione allo sviluppo di strumenti portatili, così da favorirne la loro applicazione in situ. Per la prima, il lavoro di tesi si è concentrato sull’implementazione di un sistema goniometrico rispetto a quello esistente e sull’allineamento di tutte le sue parti (tubo a raggi X, cristallo per la diffrazione di Bragg e rivelatori). Per la seconda, la ricerca ha riguardato maggiormente l’applicazione dei filtri bilanciati a provini su tela di pigmenti a base di cadmio, rame e cobalto e della loro sovrapposizione con altri pigmenti. I filtri sono stati testati impiegando i sistemi a scansione per le radiografie sviluppati a Ferrara. Il nuovo scanner radiografico per le applicazioni in situ è stato progettato, realizzato e testato durante questo lavoro di tesi. Le sue ridotte dimensioni, ne hanno consentito l’applicazione anche su un dipinto di grandi dimensioni (195 x 154 cm) nella Galleria di Palazzo Bellomo di Siracusa.

In questo documento vengono analizzati i campi di gamification e le digital humanities nei loro aspetti sia positivi che negativi. Sono poi stati applicati i metodi di entrambi al progetto "di Piazza in Piazza" creando un percorso di contenuti digitali esplorabile dall'utente, con all'interno meccaniche di gamification per rendere l'esplorazione divertente e creare una sensazione di progressione all'interno dell'applicativo.

The pursuit of cultural heritage conservation is particularly problematic in China as the country has been undergoing substantial changes in its governance processes in the post-reform era. As the regime becomes less authoritarian and more pluralized, a multitude of stakeholders (both state and non-state), are now involved in promoting, constructing, challenging and safeguarding a variety of meanings and values in heritage. This thesis incorporates an urban governance lens to examine the policy and practical problems in conserving urban built heritage in contemporary China. This approach offers a new perspective in understanding the distribution of authority and power between the state and society as well as its effect on the management of public affairs. The reconfigurations of the role of the state, market and civil society have ushered in a new phase of urban politics that have enormous implications for built heritage conservation practices. As a result of reforms, conventional stakeholders have assumed new roles in politics; meanwhile, an increasing variety and number of new stakeholders connected to the non-state sector have also emerged; and their relationships and interactions with the state have become increasingly complex. An urban governance perspective draws attention to the new arrangements embedded in these relationships, which have profoundly impacted the decision-making processes in conservation, re-shaped the interpretation of heritage values, re-defined the scope of heritage and re-thought the use of heritage in Guangzhou. By employing a case-study approach, this thesis provides a detailed analysis of the conservation efforts undertaken by various stakeholder groups in Guangzhou in the post-reform era. Guangzhou is one of the country’s designated historic cities; it is also the provincial capital of Guangdong and has experienced rapid marketization over the past three decades. Three district-specific cases are selected to provide an in-depth analysis on the changing relationships among concerned stakeholders. The case of Shamian Island demonstrates the rigidity and constraints of central-local relation; while the case of Xinhepu discloses the evolving state-market relation. Finally, the case of Enning Road examines the rise of non-state stakeholders and their power struggle against the state. These cases were selected because each of them covers a particular heritage aspect that is directly related to the three-pronged national conservation hierarchical framework. The findings in the three cases respectively reveal the intricacies of conservation politics: the bureaucratic politics in the management and conservation of designated heritage; the struggle between state and society over what legitimate type of history is considered as “national” history and the maintenance of its local significance; and the operation-cum-conservation of heritage assets by market forces in China’s transitional economy. The findings of this thesis contribute to a broadened understanding of the changing roles and functions of the state, market and civil society in China’s transitional period; thus revealing the major deficiencies in the existing institutional and managerial frameworks for built heritage conservation in Guangzhou. This thesis also documents the impacts and outcomes of the actions of various state and non-state stakeholders on the prospect of built heritage conservation at an urban scale in China.
published_or_final_version
Geography
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

Many Cultural Heritage (CH) reconstructions today use black box rendering solutions with little regard to appropriate addition of lighting, material light reflectance properties or light transport algorithms. This may be in favour of faster computational performance or is simply not a priority (as long as the end result is visually convincing). This can lead to misrepresenting CH environments, both in their present and past forms. The handful of publications that do pay special attention to lighting, emphasise on case specific problems rather than attempting to generalise a rendering pipeline tailored to the needs of CH scenes. The dissertation presents a research framework to render CH scenes appropriately and novel approaches to document, estimate and accelerate global illumination for virtual archaeology purposes. First, three reconstruction case studies with an unbiased rendering pipeline in mind are presented. Second, a research framework to reverse-engineer the past (through high-fidelity rendering) is overviewed. Through this proposed framework, it is possible to create historically and physically accurate models based on input available today. The approach is an extension to the established Predictive Rendering pipeline by introducing a historical comparison component. Third, a novel method to preview appropriately lit virtual environments is presented. The method is particularly useful for CH rendition, extending Image-based Lighting to employ empirically captured illumination to relight interior CH scenes. It is intended as a fast high-quality preview method for CH models before a high-quality render is initiated, therefore also making it useful in a Predictive Rendering context. Finally, a study on uses of High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging specifically for CH documentation and display purposes is also presented. This includes the use of a novel prototype camera to illustrate a proof-of-concept on how to document vast dynamic ranges of light based on the needs of CH research using HDR video.

Crowdsourcing has been used in the cultural heritage domain for a variety of tasks. One of them is generation of descriptive metadata for digital archives. Gamification offers citizens a more entertaining way to interact with digital collections and generate useful metadata as a side effect of gameplay. The rise of social gaming on Facebook in recent years opens new horizons for cultural heritage institutions to leverage the capabilities of social networking platforms and to gain immediate access to millions of potential contributors. In this work, we explore the integration of social networks with crowdsourcing games for generating archival metadata. We studied crowdsourcing, gamification and social dynamics from the perspective of cultural heritage and combine their features in a metadata game prototype on the Facebook platform. We tested our prototype and evaluate its results by analysing participation, contribution and player feedback. The two-week testing phase showed promising results in terms of user engagement and produced metadata: almost 3000 tags were added, 90% of which were valid dictionary terms. We conclude that deploying metadata games on social networking platforms is a feasible method for digital archives to harness human intelligence from large shared spaces.

The article analyses the Portuguese legislation about Cultural Heritage, namely the approach towards Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), a new category promoted by the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003). Furthermore, it presents general considerations regarding inventories in the Portuguese scene, considering the importance of identifying ICH as a preliminary step in order to develop safeguarding strategies.

Intangible cultural heritage is representative of a community’s cultural authenticity and identity and includes oral traditions, performing arts, festive events or traditional craftsmanship which have been inherited over generations (UNESCO, 2003). Each culturally diverse community possesses its own unique and authentic intangible cultural heritage, which is not only an integral element of the soul of a community, but can be a vital resource for generating tourism at the national and local levels. There is little argument that intangible cultural heritage can provide a destination and/or community with a unique selling point and competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Intangible cultural heritage is experiential by nature, thus supports tourists in their desire to have a culturally authentic experience. In the process of commodification, however, intangible cultural heritage is transformed and staged too often and to varying degrees, which can lead to a loss of its authenticity (Alivizatou, 2012; Giudici, Melis, Dessi, & Ramos, 2013). Therefore, an approach facilitating intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource is tenuous (WTO, 2012). Despite the increasing attention to intangible cultural heritage and the advice to adopt sustainable approach in the development of intangible cultural heritage as a tourism resource, little research has explored intangible cultural heritage from sustainability perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which the development of intangible cultural heritage facilitates the development of a sustainable tourism resource. To achieve this, the following three objectives were developed. First, to situate the sustainable tourism development literature within the context of intangible cultural heritage; second, to analyse public organisations’ documents in order to determine the extent to which they have facilitated the development of intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource; and third, to establish a framework facilitating intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource. This study adopted a single case study, with South Korea as a single representative case. A qualitative-dominant, mixed method approach was used in the process of data collection, analysis and interpretation. A total of 131 public documents from six public organisations were analysed for the second objective. Semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted with a total of 25 intangible cultural heritage practitioners and 22 locals; and questionnaires were given to 255 visitors at National Intangible Heritage Centre in Korea and then collected, to address the third objective. The critical interpretive analysis of 131 public documents revealed that overall, Korean public organisations’ goals and strategies have shown a propensity toward economic neoliberalism, mainly by regarding intangible cultural heritage tourism resources as economic tools. To a much lesser extent, they focus on social development such as ICH practitioners’ equity to participation in the decision-making process and/or intangible cultural heritage practitioners’ empowerment. The analysis of 47 interviews with intangible cultural heritage practitioners and locals, and of 255 questionnaires revealed that safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and developing its tourism role share a symbiotic relationship. This study presents a framework to facilitate the growth of the symbiotic relationships. The framework suggests, for the symbiotic relationship to be facilitated, a top-down approach blended with a bottom up approach, cooperation between stakeholders, and entrepreneurship are necessary. This research addresses a gap in the literature and provides the practical understanding of intangible cultural heritage development. The exploratory research on intangible cultural heritage provides a much-needed framework for intangible cultural heritage to be a sustainable tourism resource, which can be groundwork for future academic research. Moreover, the project offers valuable insight into the combination of various intangible cultural heritage development strategies within one destination (i.e., South Korea), in order to reduce overlapping efforts by stakeholders in South Korea and maximise synergies to facilitate a greater range of positive impacts on the development of intangible cultural heritage for communities.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Tourism, Sport & Hot Mgmt
Griffith Business School
Full Text

Research in art conservation has been developed from the early 1950s, giving a significant contribution to the conservation-restoration of cultural heritage artefacts. In fact, only through a profound knowledge about the nature and conditions of constituent materials, suitable decisions on the conservation and restoration measures can thus be adopted and preservation practices enhanced. The study of ancient artworks is particularly challenging as they can be considered as heterogeneous and multilayered systems where numerous interactions between the different components as well as degradation and ageing phenomena take place. However, difficulties to physically separate the different layers due to their thickness (1-200 µm) can result in the inaccurate attribution of the identified compounds to a specific layer. Therefore, details can only be analysed when the sample preparation method leaves the layer structure intact, as for example the preparation of embedding cross sections in synthetic resins. Hence, spatially resolved analytical techniques are required not only to exactly characterize the nature of the compounds but also to obtain precise chemical and physical information about ongoing changes. This thesis focuses on the application of FTIR microspectroscopic techniques for cultural heritage materials. The first section is aimed at introducing the use of FTIR microscopy in conservation science with a particular attention to the sampling criteria and sample preparation methods. The second section is aimed at evaluating and validating the use of different FTIR microscopic analytical methods applied to the study of different art conservation issues which may be encountered dealing with cultural heritage artefacts: the characterisation of the artistic execution technique (chapter II-1), the studies on degradation phenomena (chapter II-2) and finally the evaluation of protective treatments (chapter II-3). The third and last section is divided into three chapters which underline recent developments in FTIR spectroscopy for the characterisation of paint cross sections and in particular thin organic layers: a newly developed preparation method with embedding systems in infrared transparent salts (chapter III-1), the new opportunities offered by macro-ATR imaging spectroscopy (chapter III-2) and the possibilities achieved with the different FTIR microspectroscopic techniques nowadays available (chapter III-3). In chapter II-1, FTIR microspectroscopy as molecular analysis, is presented in an integrated approach with other analytical techniques. The proposed sequence is optimized in function of the limited quantity of sample available and this methodology permits to identify the painting materials and characterise the adopted execution technique and state of conservation. Chapter II-2 describes the characterisation of the degradation products with FTIR microscopy since the investigation on the ageing processes encountered in old artefacts represents one of the most important issues in conservation research. Metal carboxylates resulting from the interaction between pigments and binding media are characterized using synthesised metal palmitates and their production is detected on copper-, zinc-, manganese- and lead- (associated with lead carbonate) based pigments dispersed either in oil or egg tempera. Moreover, significant effects seem to be obtained with iron and cobalt (acceleration of the triglycerides hydrolysis). For the first time on sienna and umber paints, manganese carboxylates are also observed. Finally in chapter II-3, FTIR microscopy is combined with further elemental analyses to characterise and estimate the performances and stability of newly developed treatments, which should better fit conservation-restoration problems. In the second part, in chapter III-1, an innovative embedding system in potassium bromide is reported focusing on the characterisation and localisation of organic substances in cross sections. Not only the identification but also the distribution of proteinaceous, lipidic or resinaceous materials, are evidenced directly on different paint cross sections, especially in thin layers of the order of 10 µm. Chapter III-2 describes the use of a conventional diamond ATR accessory coupled with a focal plane array to obtain chemical images of multi-layered paint cross sections. A rapid and simple identification of the different compounds is achieved without the use of any infrared microscope objectives. Finally, the latest FTIR techniques available are highlighted in chapter III-3 in a comparative study for the characterisation of paint cross sections. Results in terms of spatial resolution, data quality and chemical information obtained are presented and in particular, a new FTIR microscope equipped with a linear array detector, which permits reducing the spatial resolution limit to approximately 5 µm, provides very promising results and may represent a good alternative to either mapping or imaging systems.

Research in art conservation has been developed from the early 1950s, giving a significant contribution to the conservation-restoration of cultural heritage artefacts. In fact, only through a profound knowledge about the nature and conditions of constituent materials, suitable decisions on the conservation and restoration measures can thus be adopted and preservation practices enhanced. The study of ancient artworks is particularly challenging as they can be considered as heterogeneous and multilayered systems where numerous interactions between the different components as well as degradation and ageing phenomena take place. However, difficulties to physically separate the different layers due to their thickness (1-200 µm) can result in the inaccurate attribution of the identified compounds to a specific layer. Therefore, details can only be analysed when the sample preparation method leaves the layer structure intact, as for example the preparation of embedding cross sections in synthetic resins. Hence, spatially resolved analytical techniques are required not only to exactly characterize the nature of the compounds but also to obtain precise chemical and physical information about ongoing changes. This thesis focuses on the application of FTIR microspectroscopic techniques for cultural heritage materials. The first section is aimed at introducing the use of FTIR microscopy in conservation science with a particular attention to the sampling criteria and sample preparation methods. The second section is aimed at evaluating and validating the use of different FTIR microscopic analytical methods applied to the study of different art conservation issues which may be encountered dealing with cultural heritage artefacts: the characterisation of the artistic execution technique (chapter II-1), the studies on degradation phenomena (chapter II-2) and finally the evaluation of protective treatments (chapter II-3). The third and last section is divided into three chapters which underline recent developments in FTIR spectroscopy for the characterisation of paint cross sections and in particular thin organic layers: a newly developed preparation method with embedding systems in infrared transparent salts (chapter III-1), the new opportunities offered by macro-ATR imaging spectroscopy (chapter III-2) and the possibilities achieved with the different FTIR microspectroscopic techniques nowadays available (chapter III-3). In chapter II-1, FTIR microspectroscopy as molecular analysis, is presented in an integrated approach with other analytical techniques. The proposed sequence is optimized in function of the limited quantity of sample available and this methodology permits to identify the painting materials and characterise the adopted execution technique and state of conservation. Chapter II-2 describes the characterisation of the degradation products with FTIR microscopy since the investigation on the ageing processes encountered in old artefacts represents one of the most important issues in conservation research. Metal carboxylates resulting from the interaction between pigments and binding media are characterized using synthesised metal palmitates and their production is detected on copper-, zinc-, manganese- and lead- (associated with lead carbonate) based pigments dispersed either in oil or egg tempera. Moreover, significant effects seem to be obtained with iron and cobalt (acceleration of the triglycerides hydrolysis). For the first time on sienna and umber paints, manganese carboxylates are also observed. Finally in chapter II-3, FTIR microscopy is combined with further elemental analyses to characterise and estimate the performances and stability of newly developed treatments, which should better fit conservation-restoration problems. In the second part, in chapter III-1, an innovative embedding system in potassium bromide is reported focusing on the characterisation and localisation of organic substances in cross sections. Not only the identification but also the distribution of proteinaceous, lipidic or resinaceous materials, are evidenced directly on different paint cross sections, especially in thin layers of the order of 10 µm. Chapter III-2 describes the use of a conventional diamond ATR accessory coupled with a focal plane array to obtain chemical images of multi-layered paint cross sections. A rapid and simple identification of the different compounds is achieved without the use of any infrared microscope objectives. Finally, the latest FTIR techniques available are highlighted in chapter III-3 in a comparative study for the characterisation of paint cross sections. Results in terms of spatial resolution, data quality and chemical information obtained are presented and in particular, a new FTIR microscope equipped with a linear array detector, which permits reducing the spatial resolution limit to approximately 5 µm, provides very promising results and may represent a good alternative to either mapping or imaging systems.

Responding to the demand of innovative solutions in a field which is experiencing hectic changes in management structures, funding constraints and the lack of a systematic approach toward site maintenance, this paper explores the current gap between theory and practice in the conservation of WCHSs. We adopt a soft system approach (Checkland, 2004) and a multidisciplinary perspective to conservation management, encompassing heritage preservation, tourism studies, conservation planning and environmental studies. The paper is meant to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of public private partnership (Pessoa, A., 2010; Bovaird, 2004) in cultural heritage conservation and assess if this model is the only solution to overcome challenges faced by the philanthropic approach and the emergency intervention model based on sporadic allocations of public funds (Rojas, E. 2007). Otherwise we try to find out if a new model for conservation management (Hutchings J. and Cassar, M. 2006) is rather emerging at the theory level from crossing fields and at the empirical level from the experience of well-established organizations operating internationally on the protection and promotion of heritage sites. The case study of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the upcoming paradigm of co-management and co-production (Pestoff, 2009) are expected to point out new routes for a sustainable management of cultural heritage preservation by suggesting a hybrid model of community involvement.

The sustainability of cultural heritage management of the resources is strongly related to support from local community via participation. It is evident that active community involvement can improve local residents’ quality of life based on better environment, social and economic conditions. However, there is little research into the question of whether the involvement of local community in heritage management derives from a genuine interest and desires to protect and conserve their local heritage assets. In the case of Malaysia, a truly local community collaborative approach is often limited due to the ways in which the community in question is conceptualised and involved in the process. In other words, local community involvement is extremely rare because they have been neglected especially in the decision making process. This has created a negative relationship between local community and government authorities in resource conservation. Therefore, it is pivotal to investigate the influence of the local community attachment towards heritage, in order to understand the local community involvement in heritage management. The attitudes and perceptions of three groups of respondents were examined by using the concept of heritage trail development, as an illustrative example to triangulate the relationship between local community involvement, government administrative structures and tourists’ experiences. The results revealed that, despite the fact the local community is highly attached to the heritage assets; the level of community involvement in cultural heritage management in Malaysia is low due to operational, structures and cultural limitation to engage the local community in both management and tourism development in the Melaka World Heritage Site. This is to say that the participation approach in Malaysia is highly controlled by the centralised government structure. The research recommends that the authorities consider implementing two major improvements in order to develop and maintain a system of sustainable cultural heritage management: Firstly, to overcome the limitations of community participation in the decision making process. Secondly, to consider the community attachment towards cultural heritage elements, before developing tourist attractions in heritage settings, in terms of residents’ emotional and functional attachments.

Há cerca de uma década a noção de Patrimônio Imaterial vem sendo incorporada às políticas de patrimônio dos Estados latinoamericanos, e também no contexto internacional mais amplo, a partir da Convenção para a Salvaguarda do Patrimônio Imaterial (UNESCO, 2003). Nesta dissertação são analisadas as experiências de identificação e registro de bens culturais desta natureza no Brasil e no México, por meio da apreciação de documentos oficiais produzidos no âmbito desta política, os Dossiês de registro realizados no Brasil e o Inventario del Patrimonio Inmaterial mexicano. Considera-se, a partir do histórico das políticas culturais e da relação entre Estado e cultura popular, que este tipo de reconhecimento tem características específicas na América Latina, configurando as potencialidades e desafios da implementação de tal política neste contexto. Partindo desta preocupação e da análise dos documentos mencionados, foram definidos dois eixos temáticos relacionados, que nortearam a comparação entre Brasil e México. O primeiro deles refere-se aos desdobramentos da ampliação da noção de cultura, que caracteriza este tipo de bem cultural, para as políticas de patrimônio destes países. Verifica-se que tal alargamento resulta na incorporação de tensões sociais igualmente amplas no universo de atenção desta área de intervenção estatal. No segundo eixo são privilegiadas questões relativas ao processo de atribuição de valor a estas manifestações, práticas e expressões culturais como patrimônio. Identifica-se a politização deste tipo de reconhecimento, na medida em que tem o sentido de corroborar oficialmente o valor já atribuído a tais bens em seus contextos de produção. Nesse sentido, a partir da documentação oficial são analisados os processos de negociação de critérios e conceitos de valoração, bem como da legitimidade dos sujeitos coletivos, Estado e grupos detentores dos bens culturais, no processo de reconhecimento.
For about one decade the notion of Intangible Cultural Heritage is being incorporated within the cultural heritage policies by the Latin American states, and also in an international context, from the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO, 2003). In this thesis the experiences of identification and registry of this category of heritage in Brazil and Mexico are analysed, by means of an appreciation of official documents produced within this policy, the Registry Dossiers (Dossiês de registro) made in Brazil and Mexican Inventory of Intangible Heritage (Inventario del Patrimonio Inmaterial). Based on the history of the cultural policies and the relationship between State and popular culture, it is considered that this kind of acknowledgment has specific characteristics in Latin America, setting the potentialities and challenges of the implementation of such politics in this context. Begining by this concern and the analysis of the mentioned documents, two related thematic axes were defined, which guided the comparison between Brazil and Mexico. The first of them refer to the deployment of the widening of the notion of culture, which characterizes this type of cultural heritage, to the heritage policies of these countries. It is verified that such widening results in the incorporation of social tensions, equally broad, within the universe of concern of this area of state intervention. The second axis privilege questions related to the process of attribution of value to cultural manifestations, practices and expressions as heritage. There has been identified the politization of this kind of acknowledgement, as far as it means to corroborate officially the values previously attributed to such heritage in its production context. In this sense, as of the official documentation an analysis is developed about the process of negociation of criteria and concepts of valuing, as well as the legitimacy of collective beings, State anda other groups of holders of cultural heritage in its recognition process.