CAMPUS

LA TECHNOLOGIE AU SERVICE DE LA CULTURE

The Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, in Afghanistan, is on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. A project supported by UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund provided new information for conservation of the minaret using drones and 3-D technology. The 65m-tall Minaret of Jam is a graceful, soaring structure, dating back to the 12th century. Covered in elaborate brickwork with a blue tile inscription at the top, it is noteworthy for the quality of its architecture and decoration, which represent the culmination of an architectural and artistic tradition in this region. Its impact is heightened by its dramatic setting, a deep river valley between towering mountains in the heart of the Ghur province.

The LCE Option went to the UNESCO Campus on Friday, September 20th, 2019

The LCE Option went to the UNESCO Campus on Friday, September 20th, 2019, along with one hundred and fifty pupils from middleschool and highscool from Paris and Ile-de-France Region.

The topic was Technology and Culture, in the context of the European Heritage Days.

There were three speakers: Leonie Evers, Galdric Robert, and Valentin Schmite

Leonie Evers works at UNESCO to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts. She defined Cultural heritage :

· Tangible cultural heritage:

o movable cultural heritage (paintings, sculptures, coins, manuscripts)

o immovable cultural heritage (monuments, archaeological sites, and so on)

o underwater cultural heritage (shipwrecks, underwater ruins and cities)

· Intangible cultural heritage: oral traditions, performing arts, rituals

As an example, we watched a video about the bombing of Aleppo. Octavio commented on the vacuum it created in the city. Other pupils commented on Notre Dame de Paris fire and how they felt.

Leonie explained that her office intervenes after armed conflicts and/or natural disasters. They use several technologies such as UNOSAT to see before and after bombings satellite pictures. She gave several examples:

- The bombing of the citadel of Aleppo in 2015,

- The destruction of the Assyrian city of Nimrud, Iraq 2015.

They also work with ICONEM, which uses drones to digitalize endangered monuments because site erosion. As an example, we saw

- The Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan.

Galdric Robert as the cofounder of ICONEM further discussed the laser-based technology using drones and 3D reconstruction. FUN FACT: His PowerPoint presentation was in English.

This technology, as he explained helps professionals preserving the memory of sites but also helps reaching the general public. Two Exhibitions were organized:''Age old cities, A virtual journey from Palmyra To Mosul'', at Institut du Monde Arabe, 2018-2019 and ''Eternal sites, From Bamiyan to Palmyra A journey to the heart of universal heritage'', at Grand Palais, 2016-2017.

Valentin Schmite, cofounder of AskMona a chatbot using AI (artificial intelligence) with cultural institutions. He mentioned AskBetty another chatbot used specifically for Grand Palais.