A MITH Digital Dialogue
Tuesday, September 25, 12:30-1:45
MITH Conference Room, McKeldin Library B0135
“Architecting Cultural Spaces: Case Studies of Virtual Representation in the Humanities”
by JOHN TOLVA
This presentation addresses the evolution of the technologies of virtual representation in the cultural milieu. Using project case studies from a decade of experience in this field, the presentation brings to the fore the ways in which these technologies both enforce and challenge traditional ideas of what a museum is or should be. The paper examines the evolution of simple virtual representation to modeled reconstruction and deconstruction and thence to virtual replacement of artifacts in situ at their point of creation or discovery. The presentation concludes with a look forward to the concept of massively multi-user virtual community spaces that permit a participatory experience of virtual cultural heritage.
JOHN TOLVA is Senior Program Manager for Cultural Strategy and Programs for IBM. His work spans the fields of web design, user-centric solution design, cultural heritage, and new media. Since his work on the award-winning Hermitage Museum project in 1999 Mr. Tolva has primarily been involved in cultural applications of technology, particularly digitization, content management, and multimedia design. Recently he led the team that launched the Eternal Egypt Project, a partnership between IBM and the Egyptian Government. Mr. Tolva holds a Masters in Information Design and Technology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in English Literature from Washington University. John is on the editorial board of the ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage. He maintains a blog at www.ascentstage.com.
Coming up @MITH 10/2, David Saltz (University of Georgia): “Simulating Liveness: From Virtual Vaudeville to Second Life”
View MITH’s complete Fall Speakers Schedule here.
All talks free and open to the public!
Contact: Neil Fraistat, Director, MITH (www.mith.umd.edu, mith@umd.edu, 5-8927).[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]