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Using AR technology to enhance cultural heritage in Princes’ Islands. A case study in Halki (Heybeliada)
Anna Chatsiopoulou, PhD candidate, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, ahatsiopoulou@uom.edu.gr
Vasilis Dimitriadis, MA in Modern and Contemporary History, dimitriadisvas@yahoo.gr
Maria Panakaki, PhD candidate, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, panakaki@yahoo.gr
Eleni G. Gavra, Professor, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, egavra@uom.edu.gr
Panagiotis Michailidis, Professor, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, pmichailidis@uom.edu.gr
Summary
The promotion of cultural heritage is one of the key topics that inspires new researchers to design augmented reality (AR) applications for mobile devices, a trend that has been observed having more and more support in recent years. Previous researches and reviews in the field of augmented reality have shown that applications can offer rich experiences and enhance understanding of cultural heritage (Chatsiopoulou A., Michailidis P., 2023).
Princes’ Islands is an area that has an extremely interesting cultural and especially ekistics heritage, which has been documented mainly in print (Millas A., 1984), while conventional digital technologies, such as websites, are mainly used to provide information and promote the area as a tourist destination. However, there is a research gap regarding the use of AR to highlight cultural heritage and especially ekistics heritage, such as that of the Greek Orthodox community in the Princes’ Islands of Constantinople, in present-day Turkey. The purpose of this case study is to highlight specific buildings of particular historical and architectural interest in the area of Halki island, which will be captured in a route. In this context, an augmented reality application was created to promote them to the public: students, visitors and ordinary users. The ultimate goal is to integrate such applications into the educational process, bringing the above groups into direct contact with elements of cultural heritage, even by using remote access. The methodology includes the collection and analysis of cultural material mainly from a historical and architectural perspective, through bibliographical and archival research, but it is also based to a large extent on recent field research carried out in this area. Subsequently, a location-based AR application was designed and implemented, using the TaleBlazer platform, to provide multimedia content and enhance the interactive user experience.
Keywords
Cultural heritage, AR application, Halki/Heybeliada, Ekistics
Objective
The purpose of the research is to highlight the ekistics heritage on the Princes' Islands, with a case study for the island of Halki, in the region of Constantinople in present-day Turkey. The Princes' Islands region is known, among other things, for the existence of a thriving Greek Orthodox community in the recent historical past that continues to exist up to the present day, but without having its former glory. The ekistics heritage of the Princes' Islands is also well known: private residences, churches, public buildings and shops that have been built and inhabited by the members of the Greek Orthodox community in the historical past (Millas A., 2015). The study and promotion of this heritage is of utmost importance, as the presence of the Greek community is reflected through the ekistics reserve. The increased use of smartphones in everyday life makes AR applications a powerful tool for the display and promotion of the ekistics heritage, the reflection on its current state and use in the educational process. For this reason, the research focuses on the creation of a location-based application that will include a virtual route through the area, focusing on specific buildings which have particular historical and architectural interest.
Method
The methodology includes the collection of the material to be presented (historical data, architectural elements and descriptions of buildings, spatial organization of settlements and residential units, elements of economic and social life of the reference communities, etc.) by bibliographic research and the results of the on-site visit by two members of the team on the islands. During the on-site research, photographs, drawings and short interviews with members of the Greek Orthodox community were collected, which contributed significantly to the course of the study.[1] Afterwards, the application is designed by choosing the TaleBlazer platform, which is a creator-friendly development platform that can be used even by a designer who may not necessarily have programming knowledge. The application includes a virtual tour that focuses on important buildings in the Halki region. For each building, multimedia information about its history and architecture will be provided and they are presented through an interactive experience. In the current time, the application is in the design and technical testing stage in order to ensure its functionality before its use and evaluation by students during a course or presentation concerning the ekistics heritage in south-eastern Europe and the management of cultural heritage.
[1] During the period 5-12 October 2024, an on-site survey was carried out in the reference area by the members of the research team Maria Panakaki and Vasilis Dimitriadis, within the framework of the implementation of the research program "Cultural and Ekistic Heritage of the Greek Communities of Propontida (Asia Minor)" funded by the ELKE of the University of Macedonia. This announcement is one of the main deliverables of this research.
Conclusion
Augmented reality is a field that is developing rapidly and it has been proven in many cases that its use in educational applications has indeed made learning and experiencing new things a more enjoyable and interactive process. The creation of the AR application in this study aims to use it in educational classrooms (secondary or tertiary education) in order for users to get to know the study area and the cultural heritage of Halki. It is a fact that the cultural heritage of a place is difficult to be fully captured in one application or to be taught in a single lesson, but we hope that other researchers will use this specific study to create something similar.
References
- Chatsiopoulou, A., Michailidis, P.: Cultural Heritage Applications Based on Augmented Reality: A Literature Review, In: Extended Reality: International Conference, XR Salento 2023, Lecce, Italy, September 6-9, 2023, Proceedings, Part II Sep (2023), p. 194–209, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43404-4_13
- Gavra E., ‘’Ekistics' Heritage of the Greek Communities in Asia Minor: The Cases of Mudanya and Trigleia Settlements’’, Edition in the honor of Evangellos Dimitriadis (Historic, Social and Urban Analysis of Space), Ant.Stamoulis, Thessaloniki, 2014, 345 – 366 (in Greek)
- Millas Akillas, Hala Hatirliyorum, Ακόμα Θυμάμαι, I still Remember, Heybeliada, publ. Adali Yayinlari, Istanbul 2015
- Panakaki M., Dimitriadis V., «Η ελληνική πολιτιστική κληρονομιά στην Προποντίδα. Το παράδειγμα της Τρίγλειας» (Hellenic Cultural Heritage in Propontis: The Case of Trigleia Settlement) in: Eleni Gavra, Evangelia Georgitsoyanni (eds), Port cities and maritime routes in Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea (18th – 21st century), Proceedings International Conference, Athens 22-24/11/2018, Harokopio University and University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki 2020, 715 – 730 (in Greek)
- Millas Akillas, Halki of Princes’ Islands, Η Χάλκη των Πριγκηπονήσων, publ. Agra, Athens, December 1984, (in Greek)
PhD candidate in the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies in University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, on the topic "Digital applications for the promotion and education of cultural heritage - Case studies" (2022-present). Graduate from the Department of Balkan Studies in University of West Macedonia (2012) and Master Degree in "History, Anthropology and Culture in Eastern and Southerneastern Europe" (2017). Participated in learning programs of KEDIVIM of the University of Macedonia "Intercultural Education: Approaching Multiculturalism in the educational system", as administrative - secretarial support and trainer in these programs (2020-present).
Vassilis Dimitriadis is a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, majoring in Archaeology and a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, majoring in History. At the Aristotle University he completed his Master's thesis in the field of Modern and Contemporary History.
He has been a fellow of the Society for Macedonian Studies, and since 2011 he has been participating as a researcher in the project "Cultural and ekistics heritage of the Greek communities in Asia Minor".
His research interests are related to Hellenism in Asia Minor, Macedonia and local history. He has published a multitude of articles, of which the following are indicative: "Aspects of the Smyrna region: from Otto to the Crimean War (1830-1853)", published by the Research Centre for Hellenic Folklore of the Academy of Athens; "Aspects of the religious dimension of Greek-Ottoman relations in the Smyrna region during the Hatti Humayoun period", in the journal Etude Balkanique; "The economic and commercial image of Smyrna and its region through Greek and English diplomatic and consular documents (mid 19th - early 20th century). An initial approach", in Eleni Gavra, Evangelia Georgitsoyanni (eds), Port cities and maritime routes in Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea (18th – 21st century); and «Cultural and ekistics heritage of the Greek communities in Asia Minor» in House & Home from a theoretical Perspective. Archtheo ’12 Theory of architecture conference proceedings.
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Maria Panakaki is a graduate of the Department of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens in 2006. She received her Master's Degree in the interdisciplinary-interdepartmental program "Protection of Monuments" of the National Technical University of Athens in the direction A’ : "Conservation and Restoration of Historical Buildings and Ensembles" in 2013. She continued in the postgraduate program "Environmental Design of Cities and Buildings" of the School of Sciences and Technology of the Hellenic Open University in 2016. She is a PhD Candidate, of the Department of Balkan Slavic and Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia. Since 2017, she has been participating in the research program "Cultural and Ekestic heritage of the Greek communities in Asia Minor" as a researcher.
Panagiotis Michailidis is an Professor at the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, at the University of Macedonia. He did his undergraduate studies and his PhD in Applied Informatics at the University of Macedonia in 1998 and 2004 respectively. His research interests include computational methods and applications, digital humanities, computational social science and parallel and distributed computing. He has published more than 60 refereed papers in international journals and conferences in these fields. His papers have attracted more than 500 citations (excluding self-citations) and his h-index is 13. He is reviewer in several international journals and conferences.
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