INTERACTIVE THEN & NOW
Interactive Then & Now is a cumulative interdisciplinary project which aims to raise global awareness about selected local heritage properties considering their cultural significance for local communities that nevertheless are abandoned, destroyed or difficult to access. Its geographic focus is on but not limited to those countries along the Silk Roads countries.
The project brings together architecture, digital technology, heritage studies and civil engineering. After a selection process, architectural and digital models are built based on extracted data from visual and written resources. Models present the first built using available documents and various historical sources in real scale and its complete form, and its existing form. It is followed by producing illustrations based on those digital models to be uploaded on the website. Presentations are interactive and viewers can switch between past and current states of cultural heritage: how it looked in the past and how it looks now.
Update as of April 2024: New cases will have more supportive information presented. We are currently working on presenting more of the background research on each selected case to present more written and visual information such as a brief history, importance, the reason behind its selection, photos and stories about the property if available and external links for additional information as suggested by our network. For the existing case, those supportive information will be added soon.
Contribution
You can submit a proposal and nominate your local heritage to a case to increase its international visibility and to be acknowledged for your invaluable participation!
Selection Criteria
Considering potential cases often relates to some of the values below.
- Representation of architectural or urban typology that exemplifies a specific architecture or landscape that illustrates significant stages in local history.
- Association with significant events, beliefs, artistic or any form of intangible heritage of local or international significance.
- Traditional human settlement or land-use which represents a culture, especially when vulnerable due to irreversible change.
- Architectural value with distinguished characteristics.
A fundamental consideration in the selection process is the availability of resources and documents to be used for research and sufficient data needed for digital modelling in multiple platforms. Examples of essential data are previous studies and visual documents such as architectural or archaeological maps and photos.
Although it is an ultimately subjective matter, the project gives priority to those properties, communities and cultures that often are less visible, underexplored or difficult to access that will benefit from increased global visibility and awareness.
The level of physical damage is another consideration in the selection process. Since the final product of the project includes visual illustration, priority is given to those properties which bear scars of neglect, damage or destruction and it is clear in its physical appearance.
Disclaimer: Models and illustrations presented on the website for all cases are for information only and may not be an exact representation of the property. Silk Cities is not liable for subsequent updates, errors, or omissions of data or any update on the conservation of the property afterwards.