The effects of atmospheric moisture on the mural paintings of the Mogao Grottoes

The aim of this paper is to study the influence of atmospheric humidity and temperature on the mural paintings in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang by measuring the weight of a simulated mural block. Under open conditions, the daily changes in the atmospheric humidity and temperature have an apparent effect on the water content of these murals. There exists an obvious water exchange between atmosphere and mural, that is, there is a ±43?g?m^?2 moisture absorption–desorption ‘breathing’ process between the two. Evapotranspiration from the tree-belt, precipitation, and extremely dry weather also have an effect on the moisture associated with a mural painting. If the cave is closed, a comparable study finds that closure can make the effects of temperature and humidity changes disappear. The mural water content in this case remains stable and the harm due to water-salt deterioration is greatly reduced. Under closed conditions, artificial condensation dehumidification and control of the cave's temperature and humidity stabilizes water activity in the mural paintings very effectively. This is a clear indication of the future steps required to protect the cave's cultural relics.     

The potential role of citizen conservation in re-shaping approaches to murals in an urban context

Public visual spaces, populated by a blend of community murals, unauthorised street art, and historic painted mercantile signs, are often the mark of an urban environment that is both progressive and eclectic. Changes in the aesthetic and cultural value of these urban mural forms have led to an increase in the appreciation and, in some instances, promotion of their artistic merit and cultural significance as examples of public art. However, examining the significance of these works, with a view to implementing a conservation approach is problematic. This is due to a number of practical and theoretical considerations that are primarily a result of the ephemeral existence of urban murals outside conventional exhibition spaces, and issues associated with their often fragmented ownership and uncertain authorship. Consequently, larger thinking on the interpretation, conservation assessment, and advocacy for the conservation of urban murals are required. Key to defining and implementing such strategies is contextualising the public visual spaces that these murals occupy and, as part of this, the local and wider communities’ perception of these murals as culturally significant objects as well as fostering awareness and understanding of appropriate measures aimed at their conservation. This paper examines the role of citizen science, or crowd-sourcing, of local community members in establishing a conservation dialogue and generating conservation- relevant data on urban murals. It looks specifically at a project involving a collection of in situ historic painted mercantile signs — also known as ghost signs — in the City of Port Phillip, Melbourne, Australia. The project fostered the establishment of an informed and open dialogue between conservation specialists and participants from the local community on the significance of local ghost signs whilst transferring knowledge on conservation processes and assessment methods. Working directly with community members, a programme was designed in which conservation and community knowledge of these urban art forms, could be collected and exchanged across digital platforms. This enabled researchers to examine how citizen science can be utilised as a research tool as well as a means to advocate for the conservation of collections of urban murals. It created the opportunity to consider the role of non-specialists and shared authorities in the collection and collation of conservation- relevant data and how information generated from what we call citizen conservation projects, can inform the way in which conservators evaluate and prioritize the conservation of urban cultural heritage. The data gathered and interpreted proved to be the most effective means of ‘conserving’ these often ephemeral forms of cultural material.     

Diagnosis of pathologies in ancient (seventeenth-eighteenth centuries) decorative blue-and-white ceramic tiles: Green stains in the glazes of a panel depicting Lisbon prior to the 1755 earthquake

Decorative panels of ceramic glazed tiles comprise a valuable cultural heritage in Mediterranean countries. Their preservation requires the development of a systematic scientific approach. Exposure to an open-air environment allows for a large span of deterioration effects. Successfully overcoming these effects demands a careful identification of involved degradation processes. Among these, the development of micro-organisms and concomitant glaze surface staining is a very common effect observed in panels manufactured centuries ago. This paper describes a study on the nature of green stains appearing at the surface of blue-and-white tile glazes from a large decorative panel with more than one thousand tiles, called Vista de Lisboa that depicts the city before the destruction caused by the 1755 earthquake. The characterization of green-stained blue-and-white tile glazes was performed using non-destructive X-ray techniques (diffraction and fluorescence spectrometry) by directly irradiating the surface of small tile fragments, complemented by a destructive scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of one fragment. Despite the green staining, analytical X-ray data showed that no deterioration had occurred irrespective of the blue or white color, while complementary SEM-EDX data provided chemical evidence of microorganism colonization at the stained glaze surface.     

面向敦煌壁画的移动视觉搜索模型研究

[目的/意义]保护敦煌文化遗产,为敦煌壁画提供移动视觉搜索服务,以助用户高效、便捷地获取敦煌壁画丰富知识资源。[方法/过程]构建基于BoW的图像底层特征匹配和基于主题标签的高层语义关联的移动视觉搜索模型,用SIFT提取图像局部特征,K-means生成有K个视觉单词组成的视觉词典,计算图像映射到视觉词典的TF-IDF向量,通过内积计算相似度匹配图像并排序;根据图像主题添加语义标签,提取最匹配图像的标签实现语义关联搜索;最后收集1200张敦煌壁画图片验证模型的有效性。[结果/结论]在视觉单词数为1000时BoW+SIFT的图像搜索耗时163ms,且图像大小在0.5-2.5倍范围的准确率在83.7%以上,可有效搜索主题语义关联图像。     

Spatial Data Infrastructures and Spanish Cultural Heritage: The INSPIRE Framework Applied to the Monastery of El Escorial

The INSPIRE Directive established an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE), aiming to enable the interoperability and harmonization of spatial data sets and services across Europe. There are two main data specifications inside INSPIRE that might concern cultural heritage data: the Data Specification on Protected Sites, and the Data Specification on Area Management/Restriction/Regulation Zones and Reporting Units. These data specifications include the technical documentation of the application schema that defines the content and structure of the data required by one or more applications. Cultural heritage also overlaps the Data Specification on Buildings, for architectural heritage is to be taken as constructed buildings under that data specification. Nonetheless, many heritage features do not fit within the definition of a building. The Cultural Heritage Application Schema developed by IDEE (Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales) [Spatial Data Infrastructures] Working Group suggests the inclusion of cultural heritage protected areas as a special kind of protected site, and develops a minimal schema to include information about the real world protected entity. This approach involves some difficulties. As a case study we propose the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the surrounding Royal Estates.     

The Long-Term Conservation of the Australopithecus-bearing Member 4 Excavation Walls at the Sterkfontein Caves,South Africa

The Sterkfontein Caves UNESCO World Heritage site represents one of South Africa’s most valuable cultural heritage resources and is one of the world’s most prolific palaeoanthropological sites with its fossiliferous deposits spanning the last 3.5 million years. One of the most famous fossil-bearing deposits at Sterkfontein is the 2.5 million-year-old Member 4. This is the world’s richest Australopithecus-bearing deposit and has yielded iconic fossils like StS 5 – Mrs Ples, StW 53, two partial skeletons, and two species of Australopithecus. After 80 years of research, Member 4 continues to provide crucial evidence for human origins research. Over the last 35 years, since excavation of the Member 4 started exposing the walls of the deposit, their deterioration has been accelerating. The implications of this deterioration and impending collapse are severe, not only from a palaeoanthropological perspective but also a heritage management point of view. This article focuses on our efforts to conserve the deteriorating areas of the Member 4 excavation site. The project required the development of a comprehensive set of strategies that had to be adapted to the specific requirements of the national and local heritage management agencies and remain sensitive to ongoing research programmes. The strategy developed included: multiscale integrative documentation of the exposed deposits; comprehensive, independent but cohesive stabilization of the different components of the deposit while maintaining visibility for ongoing and future research; and installation of stabilization infrastructure that could be adapted to the long-term conservation excavation plan while maintaining deposit integrity and site safety.     

Buddhist Wall Paintings at Nako Monastery,North India: Changing of the Technology Throughout Centuries

The technical study of wall paintings from the Buddhist temple complex at Nako, Western Himalayas, was one of the basic preconditions required for designing an appropriate conservation strategy. The complex, composed of four temples from the eleventh–twelfth century, offered a unique possibility to carry out a comprehensive research of technology and painting materials used in early and later western Tibetan Buddhist wall paintings as well as a comparative assessment with murals from other sites in the Western Himalayas. The study was based on extensive fieldwork and an integrated analytical approach comprising a wide range of non-destructive and micro-destructive methods. Answering the question of the coevality of paintings in the smaller temples with other original murals, the precise characterisation of binding media, the detection of the yellow dye gamboge and natural minerals posnjakite and brochantite identified for the first time in Himalayan murals, the clarification of technology of metal decoration, and the making of raised elements are some of the most exciting results which emerged from the research.     

Breaking the rules: A new life for Rescue Public Murals

The understanding of the conservation needs of outdoor community murals has increased exponentially since Rescue Public Murals (RPM) was introduced at the IIC London Congress in 2008, and this paper serves as a synopsis of current trends in the creation of exterior murals, and philosophies in dealing with their preservation. With the recent closing of its umbrella organization Heritage Preservation in Washington DC, the RPM initiative is redefining its mission and its usefulness to the worlds of conservation and community murals. The standard ethics and principles of the conservation profession are insufficient, or inappropriate, to meet the needs of community murals. Respect for the artist's intent is not high on the list of concerns in the case of saving such works. If established conservation procedures are applied to such paintings, much can be lost in exchange for a decision to proceed in a traditional manner. Outdoor murals are made of relatively short-lived materials and they are part of a continuing community dynamic and thus are not ‘completed’ in the same manner as an easel painting when prepared for exhibition or sale. When a community mural no longer serves its function in the context of its community, informed decisions must be made about how — or whether — to proceed in order to prolong its life. Conservators can play an important part in this process.     

Spaces of emergent memory: Detroit’s 8 Mile wall and public memories of civil rights injustice

This article introduces emergent memory, a conceptual extension to rhetorics of public memory, to describe memory’s genesis in sites built without commemorative commitments. Examining Detroit’s “8 Mile Wall,” a site built to reinforce segregated housing, this project argues the rhetorical tenets of emergent memory present in this space. As a relic of segregated history, the wall symbolically recalls the city’s controversial past, but has recently been the subject of a local mural project to redefine the wall’s purpose. Some consider this a step toward reclamation, as it visually repositions the disturbing remnant. For others, the murals simply cannot overwrite troubling memories of the city’s discriminatory history. This essay uses emergent memory to describe how the wall’s complicated mnemonic legacy simultaneously harkens to a difficult history and how the mural additions use that same legacy to convey an optimistic future for Detroit and those marked by this urban space.     

档案馆参与文化遗产保护的方式探讨——以福州"三坊七巷"保护修复工程为例

本文以福州市三坊七巷古街区(以下简称三坊七巷)的保护性修复工程为例,探讨了修复性保护方法并不能完全解决文化遗产不断衰老的现实问题,并阐述了数字化技术在解决这一问题上的补充优势,同时建议文献收藏机构尤其是数字化经验丰富的档案馆应积极参与文化遗产的保护。     

Muralism and the People: Culture,Popular Citizenship,and Government in Post-Revolutionary Mexico

This paper examines the history of Mexican muralism within the governmental development of a national cultural infrastructure after the Revolution of 1910. Treating mural art as a technical apparatus of popular communication, the paper argues for a more complex understanding of cultural communication through analysis of the institutional apparatuses of heritage as discursive sites of popular citizenship. In addition, this paper theorizes and historicizes Mexican state formation through the insights of Michel Foucault's essay on \ldblquote Governmentality\rdblquote for the purpose of providing a more nuanced theory of the relationship between culture, power, and the people     

基于报纸和网络文本的非物质文化遗产传播研究

[目的/意义] 非物质文化遗产是各族人民世代相传承的、与群众生活密切相关的各种传统文化表现形式和文化空间。非物质文化遗产因其地域性、传承性、动态性、多元性等特点在信息传播上有其独特的规律和要求,通过报纸和网络文本揭示现状与问题,探讨这些特点、规律和要求,不仅是对非物质文化遗产的传承与保护,还对文化类信息的传播有着重要的参考价值。[方法/过程] 以中国入选联合国教科文组织非物质文化遗产名录的37个项目作为研究案例,通过慧科数据库检索2014年度关于这些项目的新闻报道,在对这些报道进行计量分析和内容分析的基础上,研究非物质文化遗产信息传播的主体、渠道、内容、方式等,阐述当前我国非物质文化遗产传播的现状与问题。[结果/结论] 通过分析发现,当前我国非物质文化遗产传播中存在着严重的冷热不均的状况,信息传播的模式基本以单向的线性模式为主,信息传播的内容和形式都比较单一,受众的互动和参与程度都比较低。针对这种情况,提出有针对性的策略建议。     

基于关联标签的非遗图片资源主题发现研究

[目的/意义]非遗图片资源社会化标签是大众对图片内容的意识反映,蕴含丰富的知识价值。研究标签之间的关联关系有助于构建针对标签的非遗图片资源主题导航,并对非遗图片资源的组织和展示提供参考。[方法/过程]从标签关联视角探讨非遗图片资源网站社会化标签之间的关联关系,构建关联标签网络和共标签网络,对其进行社会网络分析和对比,并采用可视化方法对主题特征进行展示。[结果/结论]所分析的非遗图片资源社会化标签存在一定主题特征,便于从用户角度组织和利用非遗图片资源,促进非遗文化的传承。     

Ancient Mural Classification Method Based on Improved AlexNet Network

ABSTRACT

As an important part of art and culture, ancient murals depict a variety of different artistic images, and these individual images have important research value. For research purposes, it is often important to first determine the type of objects represented in a painting. However, the mural painting environment makes datasets difficult to collect, and long-term exposure leads to underlying features that are not distinct, which makes this task challenging. This study proposes a convolutional neural network model based on the classic AlexNet network model and combines it with feature fusion to automatically classify ancient mural images. Due to the lack of large-scale mural datasets, the model first expands the dataset by applying image enhancement algorithms such as scaling, brightness conversion, noise addition, and flipping; then, it extracts the underlying features (such as fresco edges) shared by the first stage of a dual channel structure. Subsequently, a second-stage deep abstraction is conducted on the features extracted by the first stage using a two-channel network, each of which has a different structure. The obtained characteristics from both channels are merged, and a loss function is constructed to obtain the classification result. This approach improves the model's robustness and feature expression ability. The model achieves an accuracy of 84.24%, a recall rate of 84.15%, and an F1-measure of 84.13% when applied to a constructed mural image dataset. Compared with the AlexNet model and other improved convolutional neural network models, the proposed model improves each evaluation index by approximately 5%, verifying the rationality and effectiveness of the model for automatic mural image classification. The mural classification model proposed in this paper comprehensively considers the influences of network width and depth and can extract rich details from mural images from multiple local channels. An effective classification method could help researchers manage and protect mural images in an orderly fashion and quickly and effectively search for target images in a digital mural library based on a specified image category, aiding mural condition monitoring and restoration efforts as well as archaeological and art historical research.     

文化遗产大数据二维分类框架研究

[目的/意义]数字化浪潮催生了类型繁多的海量文化遗产大数据,合理的分类已经成为文化遗产大数据科学管理与有效利用的关键。[研究设计/方法]根据文化遗产与大数据的基础理论提出了文化遗产大数据的概念及特征,并采用文献调研法对文化遗产数据分类现状进行探讨。[结论/发现]分类焦点应从具体类别的文化遗产信息向文化遗产大数据这一类资源整体转变;同时,现有分类体系中出现的维度单一、粒度粗糙、类目设置不严谨等问题也亟需解决。[创新/价值]采用组配分类法,以文化遗产大数据为研究对象,以文化遗产领域特征和数据特性为切入点,提出了基于文化遗产领域特征与数据特性的二维分类框架。     

CRM在文献信息个性化服务中的应用

论述了图书馆导入客户关系管理,实行文献信息个性化服务的必要性与现实意义,提出了客户关系管理在图书馆文献信息个性化服务中应用的基本条件,并对图书馆如何将客户关系管理在文献信息个性化服务中的实施进行了探讨。     

Engaging Participative Communities in Cultural Heritage: Using Digital Storytelling in Sicily (Italy)

The paper describes the project #iziTRAVELSicilia which is using digital storytelling for engaging heritage communities. The objective of the project was to bridge the Sicilian gap in cultural heritage communication using a participatory approach with the local communities, in the framework defined by the Faro Convention. The paper evidences the digital storytelling role in engaging communities to promote their heritage, promoting new partnership with local cultural heritage institutions. The positive impact of digital storytelling in cultural heritage promotion in Sicily is evidenced by the quantitative results achieved and by the feedback collected by a survey.     

数字人文视域下文化遗产图像远读可视化调查与分析

[目的/意义]文化遗产图像是人类文化记忆的重要资源载体和表现形式,是人文学科研究的关键研究材料和重要研究对象.数字人文视域下,对文化遗产图像远读可视化开展系统性调研,将有助于进一步理解远读的概念,推动对海量文化遗产图像的数字人文研究与实践,实现对其价值的挖掘.[方法/过程]首先,从数字人文的远读理念出发分析文化遗产图像...     

Use of Louisiana's Digital Cultural Heritage by Wikipedians

Analysis of how cultural heritage institutions' (CHI) digital assets are being cited on Wikipedia can be beneficial to understanding user needs and interests as well as priorities for collection development and digitization. This case study details an analysis of Wikipedia links to online resources from Louisiana cultural heritage institutions in order to determine what types of cultural heritage resources users are citing on Wikipedia, what is the content of the Wikipedia articles with Louisiana CHI citations, and how this can influence the work of CHI. The results of the study include findings that digital library items and archival finding aids are the most cited sources from cultural heritage institutions on Wikipedia and are particularly popular for Louisiana-specific Wikipedia articles on society and the social sciences and culture and the arts. Some possible strategies for determining digitization and collection development priorities based on these findings are also detailed.     

A management model for archaeological site museums in Turkey

Archaeological site museums play an important role in the protection of the world's cultural heritage. Turkey, which is a country rich with traces of many world civilizations, has five archaeological site museums. These museums, however, require sustainable and effective management plans in order to realize properly on-site preservation, documentation, research, exhibition and interpretation, as well as to raise public awareness and to provide an economic income for the locals. In this context, this paper aims to define the current situation of archaeological sites and museums with a focus on archaeological site museums in Turkey; to discuss the role of archaeological site museums in the protection of cultural heritage, as well as their management difficulties, and will conclude with a management model for archaeological site museums in Turkey.