Digital Reconstructions of Wounded Memories in Kosovo

A Methodological Proposal

Authors

  • Angelica Federici Bruno Kessler Foundation
  • Silvia Omenetto Bruno Kessler Foundation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.29311

Keywords:

religious sites, destruction, war, Kosovo, Digital Humanities, methodological proposal

Abstract

Between 1998 and 2004 numerous religious and cultural sites—Serbian Orthodox and Islamic— in Kosovo were systematically vandalised, damaged or destroyed. The annihilation of these historical-religious architectures highlighted the strategic significance of cultural heritage as a political tool. Two decades later we know the extent of the losses thanks to the documentation collected by UNESCO, the UN and the OSCE. We also have a new methodology that incorporates digital technologies such as 3D modelling, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, data technology, geographic information systems and virtual reality/AR, which we could draw on for safeguarding this religious heritage. In this article we wish to present a project proposal which, using some of the Digital Humanities (DH) methodologies applied in the field of religious studies (and in peace and conflict studies), can guarantee the accessibility and long-term diffusion of these sites and cultural content at risk.

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Author Biographies

  • Angelica Federici, Bruno Kessler Foundation

    Angelica Federici is a research fellow at Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento (Italy). From 2019 to 2022 she worked on the project “Digital Humanities: Monastic Life in 13th and 14th Century Rome—The Complex of S. Agnese fuori le mura in Virtual Reality.” Her research interests involve 3D scannings and reconstructions of religious places, especially with the aim of virtual restoration of liturgical furnishings, paintings, and spaces for the nuns.

  • Silvia Omenetto, Bruno Kessler Foundation

    Silvia Omenetto is a scientific collaborator at the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Trento, for the TESEO project (2023–2024) and a contract lecturer in “Foundation in Human Geography” at Sapienza University of Rome. Her research interests include the relationship between space and religions in the contemporary world, the materiality of religions in urban space, architectures for worship and death, architectures of religious sharing, and the use of GIS technology in the study of religions.

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Published

2024-06-24

How to Cite

Federici, A., & Omenetto, S. (2024). Digital Reconstructions of Wounded Memories in Kosovo: A Methodological Proposal. Fieldwork in Religion, 19(1), 68–89. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.29311