Public history

HeritageX: Where Material Culture Meets Technology and Artistic Practice

26 November 2024

Eko Saputra
Lecture by Eko Saputra who joins the C²DH from 25 to 30 November 2024 in the framework of the recently launched Global South Fellowship programme, supported by the Public History research group.

The lecture seeks to foster interdisciplinary discussions at the intersection of digital technology, contemporary artistic practices, and heritage imagery, exploring how these realms inspire new perspectives, creative expression, and critical inquiry, resonating with an audience curious about the evolving relationship between tradition and innovation. Drawing on two projects I have developed—CerCAST (Ceramics Route of Castelli) and LICA Routes (Locating Indonesian Cultural Archives)—the lecture demonstrates how crossing disciplinary boundaries can challenge and broaden current understandings of identity, heritage, and cultural narratives in an era shaped by digital hybridity. 

Through cultural route visualization and artistic reinterpretation, these projects reveal how technology can uncover layered stories and reinterpret the past, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own connections to heritage and place. Another key topic includes authorship and how digital tools reshape who can represent heritage, alongside the evolving role of historical imagery in artistic practice.

CerCAST uses digital thematic route modeling to explore the ceramics heritage of Castelli, connecting historical artisanship with contemporary audiences. LICA Routes traces the journeys of Indonesian artifacts to European museums, placing them within complex cultural and historical narratives. By weaving together these themes, this lecture aims to inspire a nuanced understanding of how digital technology and art are reshaping our cultural landscape, showcasing the potential for interdisciplinary approaches to reinvigorate heritage, deepen cultural engagement, and enrich our sense of identity in an increasingly interconnected world.

Eko Saputra is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher, originally from Batang Buo, West Sumatra, Indonesia, and currently based in Venice, Italy, where he leads his own studio practice, Studio Angge and is currently pursuing his PhD in History and Heritage Studies at the University of Teramo.

Drawing from his main curatorial and museum experience with the Venice Biennale of Art and Architecture, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and the European Route of Ceramics – Council of Europe, Eko works at the intersection of art and technology. His practice spans various media, including visual arts, installation, and new media, with an interest on cultural heritage, diasporic experiences, and place attachment.

Eko’s research explores how heritage practices and technology can reinterpret cultural narratives and inspire new forms of artistic engagement and contemporary imagination, and his research focuses on the implementation of ICT for preserving ceramics heritage.

Eko’s fellowship is part of the recently launched Global South Fellowship programme, supported by the Public History research group

 

Tuesday, 26 November 2024

15.30 - 17.00

"Aquarium", 4th floor, Maison des Sciences humaines

and online