International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies

The association CHNT-ICOMOS Austria was founded in early 2021 to organise the annual Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies. This year the conference is about Cultural Heritage as a Resource – Technologies for the Paradigm Shift in Archaeology, Conservation and Education.

The topics may include: Cultural Heritage — New Technologies — Climate Change — Digitalization — Documentation — Preservation — Archaeology — Climate Adaptation — Sustainability — Resilience — Education — Role of Civil Society Organizations — Information Infrastructures — Monitoring

The discussions that unfolded around the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention showed the urgency of a paradigm shift in access to cultural heritage conservation. Not even an international instrument has contributed to the recognition of the value of cultural heritage as a resource for sustainable development.

This raises the question of whether the previous approaches have failed and whether other more efficient ways are needed to protect our heritage for and with the coming generation. New guidelines for the conservation of our common heritage, as well as for education and research, and with the handling and dissemination of the resulting data are required. As scientists, it is our task to suggest new ways forward and to bring about a change in thinking that in times of crisis, archaeological research and cultural heritage should be seen as a resource.

New strategies for the reuse of monuments and digital access to cultural heritage assets both for professionals and the general public would combine technological innovations in the field of cultural heritage with concepts such as the circular economy or the EU’s New European Bauhaus.

This year at CHNT we will be looking at how to change the way we perceive and handle upcoming challenges and crises while focusing on archaeology and cultural heritage as a resource. The need for technological foundations, resources and education to allow for a digital interaction with cultural heritage assets, raises questions about the impact on workflows, distribution of knowledge, ethics, the digital divide and authenticity.

The International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies provides a platform for exchanging views on the Cultural Heritage protection agenda. Discussion among colleagues from a wide range of disciplines is a major focus of the event. During the conference the latest approaches to the research, management and monitoring of world heritage sites, cultural assets and archaeological monuments will be presented. The focus is primarily on interdisciplinary cooperation between experts with a strong interest in the application of new technologies in the field of cultural heritage.

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