scholarly journals Making the Invisible Visible: Underwater Malta—A Virtual Museum for Submerged Cultural Heritage

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1558
Author(s):  
Timmy Gambin ◽  
Kari Hyttinen ◽  
Maja Sausmekat ◽  
John Wood
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Virtual Museum ◽  
Underwater Imaging ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
The Public ◽  
3D Photogrammetry ◽  
Underwater Sites

The seabed can be considered as the world’s largest museum, and underwater sites explored and studied so far provide priceless information on human interaction with the sea. In recognition of the importance of this cultural resource, UNESCO, in its 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, determined that objects/sites should be preserved in situ, whilst also advocating for public access and sharing. The implementation of these principles is not without difficulties. Some states have opened up underwater sites to the public—mainly through diving, yet the vast majority of the world’s population does not dive. In Malta, 7000 years of human occupation is reflected in and on the landscape, and recent offshore surveys show that the islands’ long and complex history has also left an indelible mark on the seabed. Besides difficulties related to their protection and management, these sites also present a challenge with regard to sharing and communicating. Recent advances in underwater imaging and processing software have accelerated the development of 3D photogrammetry of submerged sites and the idea for a virtual museum was born. The virtual museum, UnderwaterMalta, was created out of a need to share the plethora of underwater sites located on the seabed of the Maltese Islands. A multitude of digital tools are used to share and communicate these sites, offering visitors a dry dive into submerged sites that would otherwise remain invisible to the vast majority of the public. This paper discusses the basic principle of the sharing of underwater cultural heritage and the difficulties that beset the implementation of such a principle. A detailed explanation and evaluation of the methods used to gather the raw data needed is set in the context of the particular and unique working conditions related to deep water sites. The workings of this paper are based on first-hand experiences garnered through the recording of numerous wrecks over the years and the creation and launch of The Virtual Museum-Underwater Malta—a comprehensive virtual museum specifically built for “displaying” underwater archaeological sites that are otherwise invisible to the general public.

Maritime Archaeology, the Dive Community, and Heritage Tourism

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur B. Cohn ◽  
Joanne M. Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
General Public ◽  
Heritage Tourism ◽  
Maritime Archaeology ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
The Public ◽  
Vehicle Technologies ◽  
Underwater Sites

In modern times, the development of new survey, navigation, diving, and remotely operated vehicle technologies have made the location, exploration, and excavation of historic shipwrecks feasible to the general public. The debate on the value of underwater cultural heritage is recent and the issues of protecting underwater sites are now accepted. The diving community has been engaged in this debate for several decades, and a wide variety of viewpoints have developed. Museums focusing on underwater cultural heritage serve as platforms to foster discussions on submerged cultural resource protection. As any archaeological site, shipwrecks excite the general public. While museums provide a venue to share the story of the wrecks, or the historical contexts in which they existed, there are multiple ways to share this information with the public that will allow them a first-hand experience with a shipwreck. This notion has given rise to the concept of heritage tourism.

scholarly journals WHAT WE HAVE LOST FROM WHAT HAVE BEEN DONE: ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE SALVAGED SHIPWRECK CARGOES IN INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-234
Author(s):  
Hutomo Putra
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Indonesian Government ◽  
Archaeological Methods ◽  
Underwater Sites ◽  
Term Management

The struggling in the ethical issues of submerged underwater sites and underwater cultural heritage have been undertaking in Indonesia for the last two decades. During these 20 years, commercial companies in collaboration with the National Shipwreck Committee recovered and salvaged substantial numbers of material cargoes. Unfortunately, the majority of these operations occurred without the involvement of archaeologists and lack of proper and controlled archaeological methods and excavation techniques. Since 2010, the Indonesian Government has declared a moratorium that temporarily stopped all commercial survey and salvage activities, and prohibits the sale of the artefacts.  Nowadays, more than 190,000 artefacts raised by salvagers are currently stored at the National Shipwreck Committee warehouses near Jakarta, in Cileungsi, West Java, Indonesia. This study attempts to illustrate the disadvantages of the commercial salvage practices and the auction of salvaged artefacts. This research also discusses some recommendations to contribute to a more ethical system of protection and the long-term management of the Indonesian maritime cultural resources, including its existing collections from salvaged shipwreck sites that are stored at the National Shipwreck Committee warehouse today.

scholarly journals VIRTUAL MUSEUMS AS A MEANS FOR PROMOTION AND ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W15 ◽  
pp. 33-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Aiello ◽  
S. Fai ◽  
C. Santagati
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Virtual Museum ◽  
Project Proposal ◽  
The Public ◽  
Real Objects ◽  
To Come ◽  
Artistic Heritage ◽  
The Relationship

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The use of virtual reality and ICT in the museum context provides a new key to understand and promote Cultural Heritage: thanks to these technologies the user has the opportunity to experience without the need to come into contact with the real objects. For the museum institutions VR and ICT are a valuable tool that allows them to perform different cultural tasks, addressing the public in a much more effective way than has previously been possible. Especially through VR, it is possible to reconstruct the original context of the artworks through the interconnection of contents: the virtual visitor, while viewing the artwork, can consult useful contents for the learning process. Another revolutionary element introduced by the new technologies is linked to the possibility of creating virtual exhibitions through which it is possible to exhibit works that are not accessible or not visible. These reflections and these theoretical principles were the basis for the development of the project proposal presented in these pages, that was born as a collaboration between the R<sup>3</sup>D Lab of the Museo della Rappresentazione of University of Catania and the CIMS Lab of Carleton University, Ottawa. It consists in the creation of a virtual museum, the Timeless Museum, in order to create an educational experience, able to make the users reflect on topics such as the value of history, the sense of beauty, the relationship with our past and our future, the protection and transmission to future generations of the artistic heritage we have.</p>

scholarly journals The Innovative and State of the Art Public Access Management of Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 3365-3381
Author(s):  
Timmy Gambin ◽  
Maja Sausmekat ◽  
Darko Kovacevic
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Maritime Archaeology ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Unesco Convention ◽  
The One

The obligation to preserve underwater cultural heritage is a core principle of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. A key element of this obligation is a balance of scientific research, protection, and the promotion of responsible access to underwater cultural heritage sites. Such a balance requires the setting up of a network of communication between the tourism and heritage sectors on the one hand and the maritime and diving communities on the other hand. A variety of approaches have been developed to promote responsible access to underwater cultural heritage sites, and since the vast majority of the public does not dive, this also includes the development of virtual access. In Malta, maritime archaeology can be traced to humble and sporadic beginnings in the 1950s. The following decades brought a growing interest in diving activities and a rising number of diving schools and clubs. Whilst Malta has today established itself as a diving tourism destination, responsible access to underwater cultural heritage sites was not always entrenched in dive operations or institutionally recognized. The protection and management of underwater cultural heritage has recently been firmly established within Heritage Malta, the national agency for museums, conservations, and cultural heritage. This paper is intended to outline the trajectory of Malta’s underwater cultural heritage management and to present the innovative and state of the art public access system that is managed by the Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit within Heritage Malta.

scholarly journals Challenges for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH), from Waterlogged and Weathered Stone Materials to Conservation Strategies: An Overview

Heritage ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-411
Author(s):  
Michela Ricca ◽  
Mauro Francesco La Russa
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Stone Materials ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Underwater Sites

Despite the growing attention to Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) in Europe and worldwide, the efforts in wholly enjoying underwater archaeological assets and sites are still remarkable; hence, the need for innovative research and solutions that are suitable for raising knowledge on the subject. In this way, this paper wants to be a review for highlighting all of the developments, potentials, and results achieved in the last decade to reach a good protection of UCHs related to the study of stone materials, degradation processes, and the new methods for protection/consolidation directly in situ. The present work is focused on the analysis of the main results obtained from several studies conducted to date, providing additional guidelines for operators in the UCH sector (i.e., restorers, archaeologists, conservation scientists, geologists, etc.). Such guidelines will be a very useful key factor in enhancing knowledge, management, protection, and promotion of underwater sites. In particular, the purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the state of the art on both consolidated techniques for studying materials coming from seawater and innovations in the field of protection and consolidation of UCH against biofouling, the main cause of damage in underwater environments.

Management of Maritime Cultural Resources: An American Perspective

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Runyan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Underwater Cultural Heritage ◽  
The Public ◽  
American Perspective ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Submerged Cultural Resources

The management of a maritime cultural resource suggests control by a manager for appropriate treatment of the resource, with the objective of its protection and prevention. The advances in the technology have made underwater cultural heritage available not only to archaeologists and other scientists, but also to treasure salvors and the public. Underwater cultural heritage is protected to lesser or greater extents by various laws at the local, regional, state, national, and international levels. The United States has not ratified any of the conventions meant for the conservation of maritime heritage but has asserted sovereign rights in its territorial sea. The United States has nearly 1,800 areas in the marine environment that are reserved by federal, state, territorial, tribal, or local laws or regulations with the aim of long lasting protection of these areas. The effective management of submerged cultural resources is still a challenge to many communities and nations.

scholarly journals Public Domain and the Copyright. State Participation and Public Interests in the Information Age

2015 ◽  
pp. 32-36
Author(s):  
Ivan I. Zasursky
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Public Domain ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Public Interests ◽  
The Public ◽  
State Participation

The article presents a review of development of the copyright system and brings up the issue of public domain. The role of state is considered to be in dissemination, conservation and augmentation of cultural values, knowledge and information. Currently, the attempts to protect intellectual property and interests of the industry in Russia jeopardize the public access to the objects of public cultural heritage. The author suggests 10 steps necessary to develop the public domain in the field of culture and science and to transform the current copyright standards.

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