Digitalization vs. the spirit of place: sixty years after Venice - what is the role of digital technologies in the museum sector?

António Ponte; Vera Gonçalves

doi:10.14568/cp36015

Authors

António Ponte National Museum Soares dos Reis, Porto, Portugal; CITCEM – Center for Transdisciplinary Research Culture, Space and Memory, School of Arts of the University of Porto, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7865-5275
Vera Gonçalves ARTIS – Institute of Art History, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Portugal https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2601-4805

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14568/cp36015

Keywords:

Cultural heritage, Historic house museum, Sustainability, Management, Artificial intelligence, Genius loci

Abstract

Digital technologies have emerged as important tools for the cultural heritage and for the museums sector. When the Venice Charter was published in 1964, technological tools were essentially used to collect and store data. Nowadays, with the advent of artificial intelligence, they cover more and more functional areas of work in cultural heritage. This also includes the possibility to visit exhibitions and museums without leaving our houses. But can these immersive experiences replace the direct contact with the spaces and the objects? Without denying the potentialities of digital technologies for the cultural heritage sector, we aim to analyse, through the case study of historic house museums, their impact on the perception of the spirit of place. This concept transforms the visit to the real place into a unique experience, capable of creating in the public a sense of identity, affection, belonging and memory.

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