This section introduces the different aspects of the project. If you are interested in more details, please also visit the project outline section.
What is DHX ?
DHX stands for Digital Artistic and Ecological Heritage Exchange, a research project, funded by the European Union. We aim at developing a virtual platform for museums to create, display and share cultural content with each other.
The DHX platform is a new way to present cultural and natural heritage from all over the world. The visitor is given the opportunity to experience a variety of contents inside an attractive three-dimensional immersive virtual reality environment.
Virtual reality technology allows the reconstruction and deployment of artifacts far in space and time: Along a virtual tour the visitor feels the presence of inaccessible objects and environments or gains access to additional layers of information that complements an existing exhibition.
Benefits
The benefit for museums and natural parks
DHX offers a new solution for disseminating cultural and natural heritage that is very attractive to the public
DHX content can be individually created for the local institution. It becomes part of an open network thus being available to other partners and disseminating to a potentially huge number of visitors. Expert knowledge can be included on-line by means of telepresence. Already available content can be customized according to each institution’s requirements
DHX deepens the understanding of cultural and ecological heritage by providing additional information that adapts to the visitors level of interest. Interactive elements and virtual storytelling appeal to the visitor and arouses deeper interest for the topic
DHX technology is a new chance to enhance intercultural exchange at a transcontinental level by means of broadband communication between remotely located systems
Attraction to the visitor
One single DHX installation represents an entry-point to discover an entire network of digital heritage across Europe and Asia. For example, the visitor can visit the Baptistery in Pisa (Italy), fly over the Samaria Gorge (Greece), learn about Ludwig von Beethoven’s life and work (Germany), have a tour inside a 19th century theatre (Italy) and have a “back to future” experience in the Yellow Dragon Temple (Korea).
Each visit is a unique intellectual and emotional experience. Virtual reality technology makes the environment tangible in its full facets. Intelligent guidance mechanisms lead the visitor through compelling background stories in which virtual characters present information about cultural and ecological heritage.
Thanks to a distributed communication infrastructure, visitors of different DHX installations located in different countries can join on a common virtual tour even from remote locations.
Contents
Several contents have been created that demonstrate the mechanisms and technology in research prototypes.
An Italian Drama Theatre
A historical reconstruction of an Italian XIX century theatre.
The character Meneghino guides the visitor to discover architectonical, historical and artistic characteristics of the XIX century theatre. During the tour the user can learn differences with modern theatres and the articulated relations between society and theatre. The path includes areas usually inaccessible to public, such as the backstage, where is possible to interact with historical scene machineries.
The Virtual Baptistery of Pisa
The Baptistery, one of the buildings that surround the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is the set for experiencing a tour in company with a synthetic guide.
There are many stories to tell about The Miracle Square, its buildings, its artists and the historical events it testifies. Entering the Baptistery the visitor can taste some of them. A synthetic character that mimics a real guide answers visitor’s questions about Baptistery construction and its use by the Christianity, and other curious aspects, such as its echo capability, and the symbolism implicit in its architectonical structure. The visitor can also have a short overview of all the building and its main features, by following a fixed tour explained by a background voice.
The Yellow Dragon Temple
Visiting the Dragon Temple during the Shilla dynasty.
The story of this scenario is a time travel back to explore down town Sorabol, Gyeong-Ju of 1,000 years ago. The guide leads the learners’ exploration, and experience collaborative navigation in Anap-Ji, the artificial pond of Sorabol, the bridge of Moon Sprit (Woljeong-Kyo), the Moon Castle (Wolsung), the immortal Buddhist statue (Sukkulaham), Buddha of Namsan (South mountain of Gyeongju), and the ancient meteorological observatory (Chumsungdae). The climax is the visit to the Royal Yellow Dragon Temple, completed in 553. The temple was ruined after the Genghis Kahn invasion in 1238. The time travellers collaborate to revive the pagoda of our scenario, which was originally over 80 meters high. A special networked version for remote guide has been also developed, called Heritage Alive!
The Samaria Gorge
A virtual tour to the famous National Park of Samaria Gorge, in SW Crete.
This tour allows the visitor to immerse in the infamous Samaria Gorge at the southbound of the Crete Island, with its ecological splendour. The tour starts with on Xyloskalo site, where a virtual guide explains the natural history of the gorge. A virtual fly with parapente follows, in which the user can see a global view of the entire gorge. Parapente lands into a stream near the exit of the gorge. Small animals, an Agrimi (Kri-Kri, the wild goat of Crete), a lizard and a snake as well as herbs are visible during the user’s walk. Finally, the user is guided in a short walk through the famous “Gates”, where he can admire the beauty and the wilderness of the landscape.
Exploration of Beethoven’s Life and Work
Exhibits, music and biographical facts of Ludwig van Beethoven are interactively arranged and can be explored in an immersive environment.
This presentation aims to reveal life and work of this famous composer in variable particularity depending on the visitor’s curiosity and behaviour. The visitor will literary move through Beethoven’s course of life. He will be able to take either a short and informative tour, which provides him/her with a general overview of Beethoven’s biography, or be able to get detailed information about specific issues at any time. The scenery is fitted out with portraits and anecdotes of his teachers, friends and sponsors, handwritings of his first compositions, examples of historical instruments, testimony of the advances in his musical career, his tragic illness and his death.
How does it work?
In cooperation with external partners, the DHX consortium has developed several tools and technologies that support guidance and exploration through virtual heritage. Museum directorates and professional guides have aided in developing methods for data acquisition and generation, content management and presentation of virtual heritage:
Data aquisition and generation: creation of tools for capturing large amounts of ecological data, including landscapes and animals, and the generation of databases and graphical models (reconstruction of content)
Content management: development of tools for creating interactive tours through reconstructed content, including “guide tools” that state the information communicated to visitors, and the “logical storytelling designer” that defines the overall events in a (museum) tour
Presentation: several different technologies have beend developed to support the demonstration of virtual guidance scenarios, including an affordable presentation system, a network infrastructure and multiple interaction techniques and devices
If you would like to know more about the support technologies, please visit the “project outline” section.
Upcoming Events
Natural History Museum Crete (NHMC)
March 1-11, 2005
A DHX showcase will be demonstrated in the current NHMC building (Knossos Av.) in November 2004, during the museum working hours. The Natural History Museum of Crete was established in the early ‘80’s. The building in its current address (Knossos Av.), together with the botanical garden extents to an area of 2000 m2, but in a few months (end of Spring 2005), most of the halls in the new building at the old Iraklion harbor (7000 m2), will be ready to accommodate the exhibits.
The NHMC is part of the Faculty of Biological Science of the University of Crete and consists of five departments: Zoology, Botany, Geology-Mineralogy, Paleontology and Anthropology. Apart from the general aims of museums sensu lato, the NHMC is focusing further on the management and conservation of the Greek natural ecosystems and especially those that are threatened by human impact, as well as the public awareness on environmental conservation issues, through a) temporary and permanent exhibitions all over Crete, b) seminars addressed to public and c) publications and multimedia regarding the environment.
In Summer 2005, the permanent DHX showcase will be installed in the new NHMC building (~7.000 m2).
Piccolo Theatre (Milan, Italy)
Feruary 28- March 7, 2005
DHX showcases will be presented during the ordinary theatre season of Piccolo Teatro. Indeed, from 18 January to 20 February, the season will touch its peak, because of the première of Ronconi’s last production: Professor Bernhardi by the Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler. Previsions show that in that period the Teatro Strehler is going to be sold-out or nearly sold-out. It means that every night thousands of people coming to assist to Professor Bernhardi, will cross the foyer, in which the Scatola Magica and DHX showcase are to be.
Piccolo Teatro di Milano (Little theatre of Milan) was founded in 1947 by director Giorgio Strehler and theatre organisator Paolo Grassi. It was the first example of public and permanent theatre company in Italy and it was from its stage that began the reform of Italian modern theatre. After Fascism and Second World War, Italian theatre was depressed and dusty: Grassi and Strehler opened also to Italy the concept of modern directing and were able to gain in few decades the cultural delay that had separated Italian theatre from the most advanced European performing experiences. From the Sixties Strehler was recognised as one of the most important theatre director in the world and in 1991 Piccolo Teatro became Teatro d’Europa.
Today Piccolo Teatro still represents the most important (and therefore financially supported) drama theatre in Italy and is also a well-known cultural centre to European citizens. It is directed by Sergio Escobar (administrative director) and by the world-famous director Luca Ronconi, who succeeded Strehler in 1998.
Piccolo Teatro’s season counts on three theatres, located downtown (the main house: Teatro Strehler, the historical house: Teatro Grassi and the experimental stage: Teatro Studio). The biggest theatre, Teatro Strehler, contains around 1000 people and its large foyer hosts the Scatola Magica (Magic Box), a little “theatre in the theatre”. The Scatola Magica can contain around 80 people and, thanks to its flexibility, is used for children-theatre, lectures, press conferences and special events. DHX showcase will be presented in the Scatola Magica.
Download the flyer (Italian)!
Go to the Piccolo Theatre website (Italian)
Planned events
More events are planned for start of 2004. As soon as more detailed information is available, it will be placed at this website.
DHX installation at the Miracle Square in Pisa, Italy
DHX showcase at the Science Week 2005 in Pisa, Italy
DHX showcase at the Beethoven Museum Bonn, Germany
Passed events
KIST – Japan connections
Throughout 2004
In Asia, KIST exchanged virtual heritage contents with Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., i.e., Korea contents of Royal Pond (Ahnapji) and Japan contents of Tosho-Daiji. Each content is installed and demonstrated to each other country audiences. Before the opening of APII/H-G, this content could be exchanged by off-line. After opening 1Gbps of APII/H-G, we can demonstrate our contents to Japanese audiences through network in real-time. The Shilla culture VR contents (Heritage Alive!) are demonstrated to Japanese audiences of Oita City with DVTS (Digital Video Transport System) through APII/H-G. High-speed network infrastructure supported by Korea Telecom (Korea) and Kyushu University (Japan).
For more detailed information on the project, please continue in the project outline section, holding descriptions of the projects concepts, technical descriptions, strategic objectives, and more.