VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages

Abstract

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Museums, as physical repositories of memory, represent the place of the stratified dimension of cultural heritage, as open to transformation and innovation, inconceivable in an immutable state. In this sense, it is interesting to underline two points of investigation: on the one hand, the link between museums and cultural territory, as connection between tangible and intangible, between artworks and community values; on the other hand, the communication and fruition of cultural heritage start from the communities involvement within museums, not only as activators of the exhibition path, but also as content drive for collective cultural histories. This position is expressed by the updating of the ICOM definition of the museum, emphasising the interpretative value of cultural heritage and the community participation for diversified experiences. Therefore, the role of digital technologies, as mixed reality, enhances the possibility to overlap different points of view, channelling participations into a process of identification with the stories, stimulating dialogue and gestures. Case studies are declined in the integration of different devices: from apps to engage visitors, in a co-curatorial role (Depot, Rotterdam) or sharing their personal objects (Your stories, National Museum of Serbia) to tangible interactions devices, as smart objects (The Hague and the Atlantic Wall. War in the city of peace, Museon) or sensitive environments (Sensitive city, Shangai Expo). This approach allows to superimpose multimodal visions, bringing the past to the complexity of actualities. The aim is to map best practices, as an overview of the link between museums, digital technology, and community practices.