IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B

Abstract

This paper proposes using constructivist grounded theory (CGT) to extract spatial data from ethnographic sources, for use in digital representations of cultural heritage sites (CH). Sophiatown, a historic neighbourhood in Johannesburg, South Africa demolished circa 1955, is used as a case study. Digital, including VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), representations of CH sites typically emphasise the visual appearance of CH sites as they currently stand. This favours well-preserved CH sites such as those in Europe where most digital CH representations are based since spatial data is readily available. By contrast, CH sites in the Global South are frequently degraded, continuously occupied, altered, or physically lost, complicating the acquisition of spatial data and resulting in fewer digital representations of these sites. Focusing on the visual aspects of CH sites as they currently stand presents two main challenges. Firstly, this approach is ineffective when representing physically lost CH sites digitally; secondly, the intangible aspects of a CH site, such as memories, rituals, and events, crucial for communicating the significance of CH, may not be well-represented through visual sources alone. Ethnographic sources emerge as valuable data sources, providing spatial descriptions and accounts of intangible qualities with verifiable accuracy. By demonstrating the translation of ethnographic sources into spatial data, this paper aims to introduce a methodology that expands the potential data sources, particularly for difficult-to-represent CH sites, as are common in the Global South.