‘A collection of narrative practices on cultural heritage with innovative technologies and creative strategies’

Open Research Europe presents Estefanía López Salas, the author of ‘A collection of narrative practices on cultural heritage with innovative technologies and creative strategies‘, in this month’s research spotlight. Read on to find out more about the research.

Could you provide a summary of your Case Study?

rurAllure is a project funded by Horizon 2020, focusing on attracting en-route pilgrims to hidden or lesser-known rural museums and heritage sites located around four European pilgrimage routes: Santiago de Compostela, Rome, Trondheim, and Csíksomlyó.

One of the project goals is to use the latest technology to produce cohesive narratives, which could be offered to pilgrims over successive days. With the creation of narratives that inform the history, culture, or nature of particular locations, rurAllure aims to enrich the pilgrims’ experiences while they walk along a route or stop at a particular place.

To create multimedia content, we developed a review of narrative models on cultural heritage storytelling that comprised of 22 case studies. In our Case Study, we analyzed these case studies with a common structure, and found six distinctive groups of narrative practices: sound-walks, wearable guides, context-aware games, simulations, digital exhibitions, and cultural wayfinding.

What inspired you to investigate this?

Digital storytelling is a new form of continuing a centuries-old tradition in which inscriptions are used to describe places of interest onsite. Those inscriptions allowed local people to tie narratives to locations with cultural or historical significance, whilst giving visitors an added experiential value and understanding of their position within those places.

At the beginning of the project, we felt it was important to investigate the latest best practices that utilize digital technologies and innovative strategies for producing meaningful narratives. We also wanted to explore how they may foster advancements for the pilgrimage experience in contemporary society.

We aimed to create narratives informing the history, culture, or nature of certain rural heritage sites near pilgrimage routes. Historical practices of site-specific storytelling have been embraced over centuries with the added value and potential of the present digital age.

What were the outcomes of your research?

Our article introduces a model and method for systematizing the review of cultural heritage applications.

A collection of 22 case studies showed how state-of-the-art narrative practices with digital technologies can open a whole new range of possibilities for discovery and reading about cultural heritage or other entities of particular interest. Current technologies overcome some of the limitations of past practices, firstly, by means of tools, but also in the manner the narrative is told and experienced.

With a digital narrative, content is not only site-specific, but it can be tied to physical space and respond dynamically to the place where the user stands. Consequently, far beyond learning about history, events, architecture, or any other cultural issues surrounding a particular place, we get a deeper sense of the story and the ways that the story impacts the meaning – past and present – of that place. The place, or the cultural asset, is experienced through various channels and voices which contribute to distinctive and transformative narratives that expand the possibilities of non-digital storytelling.

Why is open research important to you?

Open research helps to ensure long-term access to research. It allows everyone to benefit from accessing knowledge and advancements, rather than selected groups only, which can be the case with non-open access content.

Price barriers can prevent researchers, or the general public, from accessing knowledge through research. Open Research Europe is free for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe-funded authors to publish their research, which is available for anyone to read, allowing for that knowledge to be built upon. Consequently, open access articles are expected to have a much bigger impact in the short term.

What motivated you to publish with Open Research Europe?

When Open Research Europe was introduced to the rurAllure consortium, the rurAllure project leader decided the Platform could be an appropriate place to disseminate this part of the project results in the form of a scientific publication.

The publication process was smooth and rapid, which is quite unusual when researchers publish an article. The Editorial team at Open Research Europe were quick to respond to email communication during the submission, edition, review, and publication – even during post-publication, which I really appreciated.

We also liked that reviewer feedback is open. Reviewer reports are published along with your article which is an added value for both the author and the reviewer.

What are your next steps?

The rurAllure project has recently launched the beta version of a new technological platform that aims to provide pilgrims with a way to build a personal plan that may mix points of interest along a pilgrimage route but also in the rural surrounding areas.

The platform will also be accompanied by a mobile application to present museums and heritage sites cohesively. The application will also provide users with information about transportation and accommodation to help movement between pilgrimage routes, as well as sound narratives to be consumed along the way, focused on four project pilots: Ways to Santiago, Ways to Rome, Ways to St. Olav, and Ways of Mary.

Each pilot is working on feeding the platform towards a needed maturity to be finally opened to pilgrims, cultural agents, vendors, and anyone interested by 2023.

Want to find out more? Read the article here.