From March 17 to May 5 | Roman complex of Centcelles, URV Campus and streets of the city of Tarragona

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE

The Bessons Digitals conference was born whitin the Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage studies program at the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), with the support and impetus of the Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona (MNAT) and the Giravolt program of the Department of Culture for the digitization of cultural heritage. It also has the collaboration of the CRAI-URV Research Center, the Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica (ICAC), the Aula-Càtedra Telefònica URV-UB, and the support of the Institut de Ciències de l'Educació (ICE).

The aim of the conference is to create an inter-institutional and interdisciplinary context that, first and foremost, allows students to delve into the role that technology should play in the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage. Furthermore, the project does not intend to be limited to a single social group, but rather to include activities open to the entire community. Bessons Digitals, in fact, is based on the concept that cultural heritage is both a product and process that provides society with acquire new meanings in the present and must be passed on the future. 

Since its inception in 2023, each edition has taken a slightly different from, but all of them feature two well-defined groups of activities: workshops and round tables. The workshops are linked to teaching within the academic context of the degree in Art History and Archaeology and are designed exclusively for students. The round tables aimed at the general public, and focus on the challenges posed by the "digitalization of the wolrld", including multifaceted perspectives and practices, and especially those elements that have been historically accepted.

Tuesday, 17th March - Campus Catalunya of the URV and city of Tarragona

Photogrammetry workshop

Time: 10.00 h

Duration: 2 hours

Place: Portal del Roser (upper part of Tarragona)

Led by Pere Manel Martin, Mercè Grau, Artur Lòpez and Ignacio Fiz, from the H-LAB team at URV.

The workshop will cover the following topics: 

• Photogrammetric documentation of architectural elements. 
• Definition of the ideal and necessary parameters to start the documentation.
• Capture of photographic data by students.

3D Printing Worshop

Start: 16.00 h

Duration: 2 hours

Place: Entrace to the Campus Catalunya. CRAI at the Rovira i Virgili University

Av. Països Catalans, 26 - Tarragona

Led by Pere Manel Martin, Mercè Grau, Artur Lòpez and Ignacio Fiz, from the H-LAB team at URV.

The workshop will cover the following topics: 

• Data processing with Structure from motion.
• Exporting results for processing with 3D printing software.
• Editing and optimizing models for 3D printing and setting up a printer.
• Question ronde.

Round Table: Digitizing to Preserve, Study and Share Heritage

Time: 18.00 to 19.30 h

Place: online

Session Link: BESSONS DIGITALS I ROUND TABLE

This activity is open to the general public.

Presentation by Elena Juncosa Vecchierini, director of the MNAT.

Speakers:

• Pablo Aparicio Resco (PAR. Arqueología y Patrimonio Virtual).
• José Luis Lerma García (Universitat Politècnica de València).
• Lluís González Martin (DG del Patrimoni Cultural del Departament de Cultura).

In the round table will be adressed the following questions:

• Is digitization necessary? Are the effort-results-projected impacts viable?
• In these times when news reports focus on AI in all areas, does it have applications in the digitization of cultural heritage? What benefits colud it offer?
• Is digitization sustainable and compatible with environmental conservation? What can we do to be enviornmentally friendly in this field?

​Lluís González Martin

Head of three-dimensional planimetry at the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage of the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia. Drafter at the Archaeological Heritage Service of the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage, driving the transformation from manual drawing to computer-aided design. For over 15 years, he has worked on implementing 3D methodology in the documentation of Architectural Heritage, documenting monuments such as the Roman complex of Centcelles in 3D.

Pablo Aparicio Resco

Graduate in Art History and Archaeology, and a specialist in heritage virtualization, he has been working for over ten years on virtual reconstruction and digital illustration projects through PAR (Archaeology and Virtual Heritage), combining art, heritage, and technology. Since 2018, he has also collaborated with and promoted KORÈ (Online Training in Heritage and Technology), an educational project through ehich students worldwide learn 3D design techniques applied to heritage and other projects related to virtual reconstruction digitization, and 3D printing. 

José Luis Lerma García

Professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in the Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy, and Photogrammetry. Specialist in 3D documentation and director of the Research Group in Photogrammetry and Laser Scanning (GIFLE), as well as coordinator of the PhD program in Geomatics Engineering and editor of the online journal Archeology Review (VAR).

Wednesday, 18th March - Roman complex of Centcelles and Campus Catalunya at URV

Laser scanning workshop

Time:  Group A 9:30 h - Group B 12:00 h

Duration: 2 hours

Place: Roman complex of Centcelles

Camí l'Almoster, 1. 43120 - Constantí

By Lluís González Martín (Projecte Giravolt).

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Description of the type of scanners and presentation of the machinery that we will use.
• Description of the methodology and definition of the study phase of the action.
• Practical part of data collection, laser scanning in various positions.
• Data import process and verification of the reliability of the set.
• Processing and editing of the captured data.
• Examples of results and possibilities of using the data obtained.
• Question round.

Virtual tour of the dome of the Roman complex of Centcelles 

Time:  Group B 9:30 h - Group A 12:00 h

Duration: 2 hours

Place: Roman complex of Centcelles

Camí l'Almoster, 1. 43120 - Constantí

By the team of mediators from the Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona (MNAT)

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Historical and contextual introduction to the building.
• Understanding how the application of new technologies impact the dissemination of heritage.
• Virtual tour of the dome using Virtual Reality glasses and touchsreen.

Monday 20sh and Tuesday 21th April - URV Catalunya Campus

Storytelling workshop "Lxs Fabixs del MNAT"

Fabius Paulinus vs Fabia Colenda

Time: Group A Monday 20th from 12.00 to 14.00 h - Group B Tuesday 21th from 13.00 to 14:00 h 

Place: URV Catalunya Campus

Av. Països Catalans, 26 - Tarragona

By Vanina Hofman, based on pedagogical material developed by Antoni Roig, and with the collaboration of Diana Gorostidi.

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Introduction: storytelling of cultural heritage as a situated narrative action.
• How to design a situated narrative project, considering the different stakeholders, the contexts of consumption, and the target audiences.
• Case study (from idea to prototype): we generated a narrative action for the pedestals of Fabio Paulino and Fabia Colenda, part ot the MNAT collection.
• Workshop with continuity in the Workshop on optimizing 3D models for X-rays.

Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th May- URV Catalunya Campus

3D Model Optimization Workshop for X-rays

Time: Group A Monday 4th from 12.00 to 14.00 h - Group B Tuesday 5th from 13.00 to 14:00 h 

Place: URV Catalunya Campus

Av. Països Catalans, 26 - Tarragona

By Pere Manel Martin, Mercè Grau and Vanina Hofman.

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to Virtual Reality in context and its potential applications in the heritage sector.
• Practical session: VR headset prototype for pieces by Fabio Paulino and Fabia Colenda.
• Final reflection: can 3D digitization tools, combined with an appropriate storytelling strategy, change the way we share cultural heritage?

More information

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Follow the events in:

MNAT:  Instagram | X

Giravolt: Sketchfab | Linkedin

URV: Facebook | Instagram

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Previous editions:

2025

2024

2023