1st Workshop on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage through XR

In the same way as 3D, innovative uses for XR are beginning to emerge in the field of historical sciences, on the initiative of archaeologists, anthropological biologists, paleopathologists and conservator-restorers. These technologies, which are constantly progressing, are opening up a new era in the knowledge, conservation and dissemination of archaeological and more generally cultural heritage data. Fundamentally interdisciplinary, they are revolutionizing practices and raising new concerns and issues. XR based  methods  provide powerful interactive and non-destructive access to fragile historical material and immediate information. Furthermore, new approaches that combine AI methods to XR might benefit the cultural heritage domain, providing high visual quality solutions that allow for digital restoration, prediction of future (de-)generative natural processes, scientific exploration and communication to a broader audience.In addition, XR provides a powerful opportunity for the preservation and dissemination of intangible heritage. With the increasing development of virtual reconstructions in the domain of Cultural Heritage, and thanks to advances in the production and 3D animation of virtual humans, immersive and interactive simulations have emerged to preserve human activity associated with traditional culture and folklore.

However, the production of heritage related environments in XR raises a number of questions of both a methodological and technical nature. Indeed, the nature and construction of such interactive 3D digital environments combine real elements, or at least those obtained by digitizing the real thing, with interpreted elements. The latter may be linked to a previous complete environment to represent missing elements, or to data created by the user during virtual work sessions to enrich the environment with the help of tools offered to him. It is important to define a methodology for controlling and representing these different levels of data in the XR environment, and to assess the cognitive relationship between the expert user and these representations.

The goal of this interdisciplinary workshop is to bring together in one place researchers specialized in XR and CH users such as archaeologists, restorers and curators, who until now have often expressed themselves collectively but separately through a number of scientific works. While each participant will contribute his or her own expertise, experience and point of view, the workshop should also serve to strengthen cooperation and partnerships between disciplines.

The program will consist of a balanced mix of keynote talks, paper presentations, and panel discussions around the current state of use and opportunities of use of XR for archaeology and cultural heritage.