Why preservation?

Preservation of cultural heritage is mostly done through preservation of physical objects, as intangible culture is obviously more difficult to preserve. According to UNESCO’s ‘Safeguarding Heritage’-statement (2003) the preservation of cultural heritage must include both tangible and intangible values. One of the problems concerning neighbourhood preservation is to document those intangible values, which strengthen the community’s sense of belonging to their physical surroundings. How can virtuality be used to map and document tangible and intangible values?

Virtual Spaces of Identity will examine how virtual representation of a New York neighbourhood can map and document specific areas of its tangible and intangible culture, in ways that create value to the neighbourhood community.