scholarly journals CHALLENGES IN THE PRESERVATION OF RIGA’S ARCHITECTURAL CULTURAL HERITAGE / IŠŠŪKIAI, SU KURIAIS SUSIDURIA RYGOS ARCHITEKTŪRINIO KULTŪROS PAVELDO APSAUGA

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Sarmite Barvika ◽  
Sandra Treija ◽  
Egons Berzins

Historical buildings are the most visible part of cultural heritage. They make up Latvia’s historical landscape that has been centuries in the making. In the vast majority of cases these buildings are included in the historical cultural heritage of Latvia. However, the practical mechanisms of their preservation (ownership preservation, maintenance, renewal opportunities) and, consequently, their economic potential, still have not yet been fully evaluated. Does cultural value interact with market value? What factors affect urban planning in the Historic Centre of Riga and its PZ – a UNESCO World Heritage site? Answers to these questions, as well as the main challenges in the preservation of values of Riga’s architectural heritage will be discussed in the paper. Istoriniai pastatai – matomiausia kultūrinio paveldo dalis. Jie išryškina šimtmečiais kurtą Latvijos istorinį kraštovaizdį. Dauguma tokių pastatų įrašyta į Latvijos istorinio kultūros paveldo sąrašus. Vis tik praktiniai jų apsaugos mechanizmai (nuosavybės apsauga, priežiūra, atnaujinimo galimybės), o kartu ir ekonominis potencialas dar nėra visapusiškai įvertinta. Ar yra kultūrinės vertės ir rinkos vertės tarpusavio sąveika? Kokie veiksniai turi įtakos Rygos istorinio centro urbanistiniam planavimui – ar tai, pavyzdžiui, buvimas UNESCO pasaulio paveldo sąraše? Bandoma atsakyti į šiuos klausimus, aptariami Rygos architektūrinio paveldo vertybių apsaugos srityje kylantys iššūkiai.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Ye

Purpose This study aims to identify how the place identity of the former Portuguese neighbourhood of St Lazarus was reshaped for the purposes of place branding, tourism and consumption in post-colonial Macau. Design/methodology/approach This study sees place identity as a constructed multiplicity whose components are strategically assembled to (re)make the self. It uses the Deleuze–Guattarian theory of assemblage to analyse identity-making, specifically to examine how urban elements, including material content (material qualities of forms, programmes and life) and narrative expressions (interpretations of place), come together to shape the sense of place. Findings The heritage conservation policy and creative district planning guidance are overarching controls. Following them, several material and narrative elements are connected. The colonial character of the architecture is reinforced and an artistic atmosphere is created, while inhabitants’ everyday life is suppressed and the difficult past is almost erased. The newly processed post-colonial identity seems another kind of colonisation. Coloniality as a power relationship continues in a different form. The hidden structure driving these processes is global capitalism. Originality/value Studies on colonial architectural heritage in Macau, particularly outside of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, remain relatively scarce. This study aims to fill this gap and to further examine the Deleuze–Guattarian theory in the context of place study.


Author(s):  
Zainab Gharib

The Wadi Rum Protected Area (WRPA) in Jordan, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an iconic desert landscape and significant for both its natural and cultural heritage. The most notable form of cultural heritage in the Wadi are the thousands of petroglyphs on the local Umm Ishrin sandstone. Tourist activity, however, poses a threat and potentially accelerates the decay of this resource beyond natural rock decay rates. Therefore, in an effort to better manage this cultural resource, a large sample of these rock-art panels have been examined by an international team funded under the USAID/SCHEP program, and scored based on the degree of decay they have undergone using the Rock Art Stability Index (RASI). RASI has five general categories that rate geological stability, rock decay processes - past, present and impending - and rock-coatings; the variables within each category are scored on a scale of zero to three, corresponding to “Not Present”, “Present”, “Obvious,” and “Dominant”. This method of scoring is suitable for use by experts and non-experts alike, and data collection can be conveniently accomplished using ESRI’s Survey123, a form-centric and field-friendly mobile application. Through the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) such as ArcGIS Online, these data can then easily be organized, analyzed, represented, and shared. In an effort to better direct attention to those panels that need the most immediate care, and to validate the RASI methodology, my research focuses on using statistical analyses of correlation to highlight any relationships between processes of decay.


Author(s):  
A. Molada-Tebar ◽  
Á. Marqués-Mateu ◽  
J. L. Lerma

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Accurate color recording is a fundamental feature for proper cultural heritage documentation, cataloging and preservation. However, the methodology used in most cases limits the results since it is based either on perceptual procedures or on the application of digital enhancement techniques only. The objective of this study is to apply a rigorous procedure for the characterization of cameras based on a second-order polynomial model. Trichromatic digital cameras capture color information in the well-known RGB format. Nevertheless, the signal generated by the digital camera is device dependent. By means of the characterization, we establish the relationship between device-dependent RGB values and the tristimulus coordinates defined by the CIE standard colorimetric observer. Once the camera is characterized, users obtain output images in the sRGB space that is independent of the sensor of the camera. We applied the methodology on a set of pictures targeting Levantine rock art motifs in Cova Civil (Castellón, Spain) which is considered part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We used raw image files, with different exposure conditions, with raw RGB values captured by the sensor. The outcomes obtained are satisfactory and very promising for proper color documentation in cultural heritage documentation.</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-182
Author(s):  
Marco Riccucci ◽  
Jens Rydell

We highlight the use of the bat (Chiroptera) in the Florentine Renaissance art. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Bernardo Buontalenti, Albrecht Dürer and several others used images of bats in their sketches, sculptures and decorations and many bat images are still to be seen on the palaces and monuments in the Historic Centre of Florence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The bats can usually be identified as such by the large ears or the characteristic wing membranes, although they constitute highly stylized artwork, often grotesque and certainly not intended to be morphologically correct. Furthermore, during the Renaissance it was not yet realized that bats are mammals, and some of the images could actually be interpreted as either birds or bats. The bat image was somehow tied to the Medici Noble Family, the undisputed rulers of Florence throughout the Renaissance, where it may have symbolized cultural darkness or ignorance. We speculate that the bat images could also have meant happiness and prosperity, with connections to China, and protected the buildings on which they appeared. In any case, the Renaissance bat had evolved far, artistically as well as conceptually, from the bat images that personified demons or the Devil in the European medieval literature and contemporary religious artwork.


Author(s):  
Fernando Pérez Nava ◽  
Isabel Sánchez Berriel ◽  
Alejandro González González ◽  
Cecile Meier ◽  
Jesús Pérez Morera ◽  
...  

At the end of the XVI century, the historic centre of San Cristóbal de La Laguna was definitively configured as we know it today, as can be seen in the first preserved map of the city, drawn in 1588 by the engineer Leonardo Torriani. It is the first non-fortified Spanish colonial city and its plan has provided a model for the colonial cities of America, making it a UNESCO World Heritage site. The dissemination of this legacy is a task of great importance. A tool of increasing importance for the dissemination and preservation of history and cultural heritage are reconstructions and virtual recreations in 3D. This paper presents a case of the use of these tools for the dissemination of the city's heritage. The 3D modelling of one of the most characteristic types of housing in San Cristóbal de La Laguna in the 16th century is carried out along with the 3D modelling of human virtual characters all based on the historical documentation of that time. With these elements a WebGL application has been implemented in which a user can visit the virtually reconstructed house and receive information on the construction systems and architecture in the city on the XVI century.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document