Category Archives: cultural heritage

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French contest winners announced

group-winner imageAt the end of October 23, BOREAL Innovation , coordinator of the FromArchive To Alive  project, gathered teachers and students at the Lycée Professionel Célony in Aix-en-Provence, France for the awards ceremony of digital art creation contest.

This high school in AIx-en-Provence won the group category prize of the FATA Digital Artwork Contest, with a creation in the field of Environmental awareness. As they pointed out, the archives show that we have already been warned about climate and environmental issues many decades ago.

The pupils highlighted this feature with newspaper archives showing a digital drawing of the earth burning.

The individual prize was also announced during the session by videoconference.winner artwork

The winning individual art work dealt with inclusion and focused on the need for friendship and bonding in an individualistic society.

To develop the creation, the students used online tools they made into digital files combined with old documents.

The winners explained, “the results were amazing and we were all very proud to have entered a contest like this!

See the other entries in the Contest Gallery

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From Archive To Alive Awards Ceremony in Cáceres (Spain)

In October 2023, EOLAS, the Spanish partner of the From Archive To Alive project, met with the teachers and students of IES Javier García Téllez (Cáceres, Extremadura) to celebrate the awards ceremony of the project digital art creation contest.contest prizes image

Two categories of prizes were awarded in a session where students had the opportunity to explain their creations and interact with each other.

The winners, both in the individual and group categories, shared the themes of their works with the rest of the students. The themes included  diversity and inclusion and the environmental repercussions of the pandemic.

To express themselves on these topics, the students used digital files and online tools, and the results were very interesting!

Find out who the winners were

You can take a look at these and other works in the Archive project contest “Gallery”.

Archive Contest Deadline Extended

The From Archive To Alive (FATA) contest now has an extended deadline of 18.00h on 30th September to submit your entries.

Votes for the entries will be collected between June 20th and 20.00h on 15th October 2023.
Competition prize winners will be announced on 24th October at an online event at 19.00 CET

Young users of digital archives are invited to create a digital art work, related to AT LEAST ONE OR MORE of the following themes:

■ civic engagement
■ inclusion
■ environmental awareness

The competition will recognise excellence in content creation and visual storytelling that demonstrates creativity and innovation in using digital archives.

Find out more by viewing the Rulebook.

 

Enter Contest

 

Contest
Rulebook

 

 

View Gallery

 

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Using Archives on Cultural Education

The use of archive sources is central to education. Yet it is surprisingly common for primary and secondary students to graduate without any experience of using archives. They do not learn the skills of archival research although, as defined in the Dictionary of Archival Terminology, “the basic archival function is making available and promoting the wider use of archives”.

The primary value of archives is their role as part of cultural heritage, the contribution they can make to a better understanding of the past, of the historical roots of human environment, of national identities and of international interdependence. With this in mind it must be in the best interests of archivists to intervene with education at the moment when human ideas and convictions are formed, which means at the stage of primary or secondary education.

Yet, there are too many different kind of cultural archives in each country with different types of archives and archival documents that there is not a “universal” method of using those archives in education.PBL graphic

One possible solution could be the use of “problem based education” which is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material.

So, what are the potential tasks in the field for national or local archives that we can use in Cultural Education?

In theory all types of archival documents may be used for teaching purposes. Using problem-based education can give some guidelines for institutions, archivists, and teachers:
a) Every national, regional or local archival institution could offer introductory visits to schools to demonstrate archival work and the different types of archival holdings. After the demonstration teams of students will be called to solve a problem using those same archives used during the demonstration challenge (e.g., to identify original documents versus copies or facsimiles).
b) Archivists in archival institutions can focus on key documents that they come across them in the course of their work. They may want to establish special lists or guides for educational purposes, grouped by subjects or types of documents, possibly with a differentiation for the various age groups of student users.
c) Teachers can use the documents provided by archivists in classroom, probably an individual document or perhaps a short sequence of related documents and give the students a challenge on local history or culture.

The development of modern and relatively cheap copying techniques and internet technology can make it possible to extend “teaching with archives” to the large majority of schools which have no archives repository in their immediate vicinity just by using copies provided by the archivists or online documents provided by the archival institutions.

But this kind of work needs synergy between Archival Institutions, Archivists and Schools that are currently not on the same track.

Questions? Contact the Archive To Alive team, we’ll be happy to help you out!

Further information
http://www.ijonte.org/FileUpload/ks63207/File/10.senturk.pdf
http://shorturl.at/avGSU
https://blog.euscreen.eu/2021/10/education-powered-by-audiovisual-archives/
http://sisifo.ie.ulisboa.pt/index.php/sisifo/article/viewFile/40/41

No more plastic for cosmetics: a small revolution

In today’s ever-changing world, it is better to have friends than enemies. This has been the strategy of 14 big enterprises in the beauty market, who have decided to cooperate to transform their value chain and make it more sustainable.cosmtics image

Chanel, L’Oréal, Sisley, L’Occitane and many more form now “Pulp In Action”, a consortium aiming at developing new cellulose fibre materials to replace plastic, in order to tackle one of the biggest issues of cosmetics: plastic packaging.

The consortium is working with laboratories, to research and develop innovative and sustainable materials, and a consulting firm, (RE)SET, who organises consultations and ensure that the new materials will be functional for the companies. After only one year of cooperation, fifteen packaging are ready to be tested.

Even if the urgency to get rid of plastic is no longer debated, this is rather revolutionary for cosmetics companies, who use plastic because it can be shaped and adapted to many products and preserves their quality. As Géraldine Poivert, co-founder of (RE)SET, said “plastic is a great material, with properties that are difficult to find elsewhere”.

It is for this very reason that cosmetics companies have decided to “work at the sector level to decide on new standards”, acknowledges Poivert.

Was it necessary to form a consortium?

Innovation is a risky and expensive process. In this case, these 14 companies want to challenge the monopoly of plastic established on packaging and “Then, there is always the risk that the consumer will not be onboard”, notes Géraldine Poivert.

In order to mitigate these risks, it is better to work together to reduce costs, find suppliers more easily, have a greater place on the market and better chances to find customers.

In other words, “Competitors have a common interest, which is also the general interest: that of redefining standards.”, says Poivert.

Cross-industry cooperation is not an easy task for companies, but consortia are multiplying to accompany the revolution.

The From Archive to Alive project: a pan-European consortium to raise awareness on climate change

Just as “Pulp In Action”, the FaTa consortium has a common interest, which is raise awareness of young generations on climate change and the importance to preserve the environment. To do this, a special e-learning module has been developed by the partners, to explore what is climate change, and what can artists do to fight it.

Discover the whole e-learning course on https://archive2alive.eu/.

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En route pour la vie

exhibitThe exhibit “En route pour la vie” (“On the road to life”) plunges visitors into the past thanks to sound extracts drawn from INA archives, the French National Audiovisual Institute.

Created in 1982, the Road Safety Delegation acts on road users’ behaviour to make them more responsible and contributes to the reinforcement of the safety of road infrastructures, vehicles and users’ protection equipment.

To mark the 50th anniversary of its creation, the agency “The Oval Office” created the exhibit “En route pour la vie”, a travelling exhibition presenting ten iconic vehicles for ten key road safety measures, all paired with sounds, music, news flashes, information related to road safety, … all drawn from the INA archives.

For Benoît Barennes, creative director, it has been an obvious choice to use archive resources to highlight historical events, but also to create in the visitors a form of nostalgia and sympathy. He explains that archival imagery allows us to see what people have seen in past; this sort of communication creates empathy, because we get to share a small portion of the past with the people who have lived it.benoit image

The public has highly appreciated this format, and some very moving feedback was given, especially from people who have lost loved ones in accidents.

The project From Archive to Alive seeks to enhance the importance of archives for the present days: these resources can not only help us study historical events, but can be a mean to better understand it, make reasoned choices and convey emotions.

Discover the full article

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How to educate in art according to expressionist painter Mark Rothko

Have you ever wondered about the relevance of art in the education of young students? How could you contribute to an education that focuses on creativity, expressiveness and critical thinking to educate more empathetic and socially aware future citizens?art in school picture

Today’s post may not give you direct answers, but we hope it will be an inspiring tool to motivate you to make small but significant changes in your approach to teaching/training.

From Mark Rothko, a great admirer of the freshness with which children produce artistic expression, and his project “The Scribble Book”, we present five simple strategies to explore art education for secondary school students (equally valid for other educational levels).

1. Just like speaking or singing, art is an inherently human form of universal expression. The ideas, observations and emotions of young students can be transformed into moving and powerful works of art that communicate their views. Reflecting on a complex or topical issue and producing an artistic manifestation that reflects the student’s personal viewpoint can be a transformative vehicle for managing one’s emotions, developing creativity and lateral thinking.

2. Despite curricular limitations, art should not be expelled from the classroom, as limiting its creativity can also hinder the development of other skills such as communication or problem solving. As far as artistic expression is concerned, Rothko recommends providing flexibility, allowing for individualisation of proposals.art work

3. To reinforce students’ self-confidence, it is possible to promote activities such as collaborative discussions or classroom exhibitions in which students have the opportunity to present and express their opinions or exhibit their work in front of their peers. Inspiring confidence in one’s own abilities will be essential to develop adults who are personally and professionally capable and actively engaged in their environment.

4. Do you want to introduce art into your classes as a learning tool? Then make sure to include references to all stages of Art History, so that students have access to a wide variety of artistic manifestations and styles. This will encourage their breadth of vision and boost their creativity.

5. “Work to cultivate creative thinkers, not professional artists”. Although the reference here to the future artist is obvious, this quote can be equally applicable to other fields (e.g. an engineer or a future teacher). In any case, the approach remains the same – cultivating critical thinking will help develop more self-aware, empathetic and collaborative learners and will result in better citizens in the long run.

Painting source image: https://www.wikiart.org/es/mark-rothko

Further information
https://youtu.be/1v1mBepDlOw
https://nodoarte.com/2018/03/28/como-ensenar-arte-a-los-ninos-segun-mark-rothko/
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-teach-art-kids-mark-rothko
https://www.wikiart.org/es/mark-rothko

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The environment Is in You

“If we are to preserve culture, we must continue to create it” – Johan Huizinga
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And it is thanks to technology that we have the possibility to preserve culture, to keep it intact, to escape the wear and tear of time, but above all, we have the possibility to make it accessible to everyone; without limits.

But what is culture, if not everything around us? Indistinctly?
Picture by Romina Arredondo

And how can we preserve it if not by making new generations aware of what is happening, around us? Then the destruction, the fragility, the continuous struggle for survival of our planet is also culture. Climate change and all its dramatic consequences is culture.

This is what the participants of ‘The Environment Is in You’, a contest for students created and promoted by the Global Oneness Project platform, a digital archive of stories, sought to represent.

Indeed, the Global Oneness Project is a free multimedia platform for educators and students. It Is a multidisciplinary library of multimedia stories comprising award-winning films, photos and essays. The aim of the project is to use stories as a pedagogical tool and bring the world’s cultures alive in the classroom.

As explained on their website, the contest invited the students to take a photograph or create an original illustration that documents the fragility, hope, and future of our planet due to climate change.

Many students linked their pictures to the following statement by the writer and environmental activist Wendell Berry: “The environment is in you, it’s passing through you, you’re breathing it in and out, you and every other creature.”

Explore the finalists and winners and a full explanation of the initiative:

Domenica La Greca – Eagle Intuition – Portugal

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Digital museum promotes cultural heritage activities

A new digital museum has opened in Marseille. In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, various local bodies and the association “La Fabulerie”, the first “Micro-Folies” of the French Bouches-du-Rhône region has opened in Marseille.

A “Micro-Folie” is a digital museum, which can host a FabLab, a Virtual Reality (VR) room, a theatre, a library and an area where people can meet, chat, share a meal and co-create. digital museum photo

A Fab Lab, or digital fabrication laboratory, is a place for people to play, to create, to learn, to mentor, to invent. It is a place for learning and innovation. Fab Labs provide access to the environment, the skills, the materials and the advanced technology to allow anyone anywhere to make (almost) anything.

The main aim of Micro-Folie is to create a multi-purpose venue, co-created with its audience. In fact, every Micro-Folie is unique, as they answer the specific needs of local citizens.

Since May 2021, the Micro-Folie in Marseille has been welcoming young people and adults, who can play with several digital works of art and explore paintings and their history in every detail. Like the From Archive to Alive project, the Micro-Folies want to make digital archives accessible and popular among the youngsters.

The association “La Fabulerie” hosts the Micro-Folie in its museum, Le Fabuleux. To find out more about the frequently organised workshops, visit the website https://lafabulerie.com/.

Picture source: Ville de Lille, https://kulturiste.fr/une-etude-de-politique-culturelle/  

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Cook It Forward – Bringing Culinary Heritage into the 21st Century

Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community. It is passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values. Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible or Tangible Cultural Heritage. One form of intangible cultural heritage is the food we eat and the ways it is cooked. cooking image

Like the From Archive To Alive project, the Erasmus+ Cook It Forward project (CIF) also aims to create an innovative community that brings together vocational training students in the field of cooking and hospitality, teachers and companies in the sector to reclaim and make the most of the traditional culinary heritage of the different European regions, with a contemporary approach.

The idea is to challenge students to come up with innovative ways to elevate the traditional cuisine of their regions, forgotten ingredients or recipes, and traditional cooking techniques in line with current gastronomic trends. Via some real world company assignments, they will work directly with food producers, restaurants and other relevant actors in the field.

In the same way that From Archive to Alive aims to develop innovative education supported by digital resources to create, for example, challenges and competitions for students, CIF aims to develop integrated assignments in the training of vocational students to develop their theoretical content and practical skills. Check out the CIF project website to learn more about this innovative approach:

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