IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
Metropolises’ cultural and collective memory is woven as a pulsating constellation of meeting places, where diverse pasts communicate and intersect in the same places. We develop walking explorations along forgotten, indistinct urban paths with the aid of digital systems. The narrative of Istanbul unfolds in parallel and silently, highlighting the inherent contradictions of a multifaceted city with a long history and a distinctive character. Augmented reality technological framework can retrieve these memories with clarity and purity, offering visitors the opportunity to discover remaining materials or lost intangible evidence within the space. Wanderings through neighbourhoods of Istanbul, such as Tarlabaşı and Kurtuluş, are encapsulated within the urban fabric. They appear both visible and invisible—enigmatic, secret, and mysterious—characterized by ruined buildings that bear the marks of abandonment and the passage of time. They present scenes from the city’s unfolding narrative. These architectural chronotopes enable us to tell stories that incorporate ruptures with the past, as well as the changes and unpredictable transformations of the 20th century. Walking tours and AR experiences disconnect travellers from the present moment by guiding them toward the revelation of the urban palimpsest and fostering a new perception of cultural heritage through immersion in digital historical environments. These tools enable anchoring at points of historical significance, visualization of urban complexity and the intangible aspects of places, and the reconstruction of sensory experiences, thereby offering a deeper spatial, emotional, and cognitive understanding of the metropolis’s intricate character.
Dr. Maria Moira, assistant professor at the University of West Attica, department of Interior Architecture. She teaches ‘Spatial Narratives’, ‘Landscape Architecture: Space, memory, Culture’ and ‘Architectural Interventions in Historic Buildings: Methodology and Interpretation of History’. In the main focus of her research interest, lies the relationship between literary representations and urban places. She has participated in many conferences and written articles in scientific magazines and collective books. She has participated in the scientific team ‘Critical Interdisciplinary’.
Dr. Dimitrios Makris, Computer Scientist, and Interior Architect, Associate Professor, Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art. His research interests focus on the fields of 3D documentation and enhancement of cultural assets through modelling and artificial intelligence, and the augmentation of spatially referenced urban narratives based on novels.
His work explores complementary approaches such as 3D digital promotion, and visualization of cultural heritage. His research horizons include optimizing and developing techniques for imaging optically challenging cultural heritage materials, as well as integrating and visualizing 3D imaging data obtained from photogrammetry, laser scanning, Neural networks and Gaussian splats.
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Wednesday 8th July, 2026