THROUGH THE EYES OF MEDIA: ILLUMINATING HISTORY

The noted Mayan epigrapher, Linda Schele, has referred to history as a continuously changing relationship between the people of the present and their perception of the past. Nowhere is this changing relationship more evident that in the interdisciplinary endeavors resulting from the introduction of new media design and technology into the world of academia.

Through the Eyes of Media: Illuminating History is an example of such collaboration that involves the Media Laboratory, the Research Institute at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, and the University of Turku, Department of Archeology. The project seeks to investigate new forms of representation of information in the humanities.

The combined efforts will involve a media transfer of archeological, historical and ethnographic data from excavation sites and other repositories in Finland into digital multimedia data sets such as digital video clips, three-dimensional models of architectural structures, two dimensional images such as illustrations, and recordings of oral information pertaining to the sites.

Whereas the archeological point of view will provide theoretical and material knowledge about artifacts from the past, anthropological and ethnographic discourses will supply building blocks that allow for creation of educational narratives. New media research and design will facilitate the integration, representation and distribution of these disparate elements into cohesive structures that are accesible through digital networks, and can be used for educational purposes.

Initially the main area for the content development will be the history of everyday life in Finland. Artifacts from the Mulli Archeology Site will be utilized. The work at the site concentrates on history from the point of view of two thousand years of continued habitation. The site contains archeological remnants of diverse typology such as loom weights, 16th century ceramics, 17th century coins, a cremation cementery, an inhumation cementery, and a medieval church. In addition, other archival materials from diverse repositories throughout Finland, such as cartographic materials and demographic records, will be used.

The project has been awarded funding by the Academy of Finland's Research on Knowledge Program. The work is scheduled to be carried out throughout the next three years.

For more information, please contact
researcher Lily Díaz
tel. +358 9 756 30 338.