The European Union’s cultural sector has undergone numerous transformations through digitalization. These changes encompass various facets, such as backing for music creation, promotion, distribution, and income generation. This support is a response to the evolving landscape of digital, legal, and technical trends resulting from innovations in the sector. Notably, there is a concerted effort towards the digitization and digital conservation of cultural heritage materials, sites, and historical structures, employing advanced technologies like 3D and AI.
The digital transition for competitive European cultural and creative industries aims to harness the opportunities presented by digitalization while addressing the associated challenges. The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) in the EU are vital for economic growth and job creation, as well as for shaping culture and perceptions. However, the ongoing digital transition brings both opportunities and threats to these industries. To leverage this transition, the EU is focusing on measures to increase the use of innovative digital technologies by CCIs, support the digitization of cultural heritage, and ensure that EU citizens benefit from cultural heritage by digital means. The use of a wide array of digital technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, is being encouraged to enhance the competitiveness of the CCIs. The ultimate goal is to empower the cultural and creative industries and contribute to the EU’s growth and cultural enrichment.
The platform S+T+ARTS, for instance, seeks to establish a closer connection between technology and artistic endeavors to tackle Europe’s social, environmental, and economic challenges. This initiative fosters the development of more imaginative, inclusive, and sustainable technologies by fostering collaboration among artists, scientists, engineers, and researchers. At its core is the belief that the sharing of perspectives among art, science, and technology can open new avenues for these sectors within innovative techniques.
The European Commission has been funding initiatives to empower the cultural heritage sector in its digital transformation, supporting thousands of European museums, archives, and libraries to offer free access to digitised versions of artworks, books, and music (European Digital Heritage | Culture and Creativity, n.d.). Also, Horizon Europe has been funding diverse projects in this matter in order to address equative development within the Member States.
In 2018, the European Year of Cultural Heritage played an important role in acknowledging cultural heritage in numerous forms—whether “tangible, intangible, or digital, be it inherently digital or converted to a digital format” (European Digital Heritage | Culture and Creativity, n.d.). The primary goal was to promote accessible cultural heritage solutions through digital channels, support the introduction of specialized skills and facilitate knowledge transfer within the cultural heritage sector. A multitude of initiatives were rolled out, highlighting the fusion of cultural and digital heritage. An exemplary initiative was the Story Map, an interactive online tool developed by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), which serves as a dynamic and user-friendly resource providing swift access to information about cultural heritage initiatives in Europe (European Digital Heritage | Culture and Creativity, n.d.).
The New European Strategy 2020-2025 centres on a digitally empowered cultural heritage sector. Its vision outlined envisions a cultural sector dynamically driven by digital advancements, contributing to a Europe enriched by its cultural multiplicity. The principles of the strategy serve as the essential building blocks for the sector’s digital evolution. However, the priorities for implementation, both in the immediate and long-term contexts, are subject to ongoing reflection and modification.
The European Union, with its mission for the years 2020-2025, stands as an example of empowering the cultural heritage sector in its digital transformation journey. It’s committed to developing expertise, tools, and policies that embrace the digital paradigm and foster partnerships favorable to innovation (New Europeana Strategy 2020-2025 Imagines a Cultural Sector Powered by Digital, n.d.). Facilitating accessibility, European Union strives to make the cultural sector more readily available for education, research, creation, and recreation. In doing so, its work contributes to the cultivation of an open, knowledgeable, and creative society (Strategy 2020-2025 Summary, n.d.).
SERN strongly believe in the power of culture and art to support the development of a better, innovative and inclusive regional ecosystem of innovation and is aligned with the development of the digitalization of the Art sector, through the development of EU-funded projects from the European Commission, gathering artists and experts in the sector. One of its projects ARTeCHÓ its primary objective is to establish a collaborative learning environment, fostering a peer-to-peer community where artists explore the technical aspects of their craft and explore the intersection between art creation and cutting-edge technologies, including Crypto Art, blockchain, and NFT marketplaces (ARTeCHÓ – Art, Economy & Technology – ARTeCHÓ, n.d.). Through this initiative, this project seeks to seamlessly merge artistic skills with a comprehensive understanding of modern technology. Thereby, ARTeCHÓ aims to equip these aspiring artists with the essential tools necessary for both artistic and professional growth.
Mariana M. André
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bibliography
ARTeCHÓ – Art, Economy & Technology – ARTeCHÓ. (n.d.). ARTeCHÓ. Retrieved December 15, 2023, from https://artechoproject.eu/augmented-europe-our-future-is-connected/
European digital heritage | Culture and Creativity. (n.d.). Culture.ec.europa.eu. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/cultural-heritage/cultural-heritage-in-eu-policies/european-digital-heritage
European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 | Culture and Creativity. (n.d.). Culture.ec.europa.eu. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/cultural-heritage/eu-policy-for-cultural-heritage/european-year-of-cultural-heritage-2018
New Europeana Strategy 2020-2025 imagines a cultural sector powered by digital. (n.d.). Europeana PRO. Retrieved December 15, 2023, from https://pro.europeana.eu/post/new-europeana-strategy-2020-2025-imagines-a-cultural-sector-powered-by-digital
Strategy 2020-2025 summary. (n.d.). Europeana Pro. https://pro.europeana.eu/page/strategy-2020-2025-summary
The post The Digitalisation of the Art Sector appeared first on Startup Europe Regions Network.