3D Technology to Support Cultural Restoration and Indigenous Participation in Historical Collection

Abstract

The repatriation of cultural heritage material consists in the return of cultural properties to the original owners or community of origin. In recent years Indigenous voices have advocated sharing knowledge about the importance and value of repatriation as a process of cultural revitalization and restorative justice. Current political, social and cultural discourse within European collecting institutions highlights a solid push for repatriating cultural heritage objects through a de-colonizing lens. Museums and galleries worldwide are reshaping their cultural policies to adapt to the recent UNESCO convention created to promote cultural diversity. The consequence is a shift in the museum arena from object-oriented museology to attention to the living culture and their interpretation of heritage. This process often involves restoring critical items of cultural heritage to living indigenous cultures, and these types of objects are most frequently the subject of repatriation requests. The efforts of indigenous communities and other influential advocates to physically return cultural heritage over the last centuries should not be denied. On the opposite, it is clear that cultural repatriation is much more meaningful when the return happens with the physical travel of the artefacts back home, in the care of their original custodians and cultural authorities. While physical repatriation of objects is the most desirable outcome in the struggle to rebalance colonial power and historical discrepancy, it is challenging for the source community to submit a repatriation claim and succeed. Unfortunately, some communities have tried fiercely over the years to request for their material to be returned without being successful. Often the problem is that public museums are tied by national and international legislations that complicate the situation or prohibit the repatriation of material in principle. Some Countries in Europe and the United Kingdom have laws that prohibit collecting institutions from returning cultural heritage material. With this in mind, digital repatriation and three-dimensional technology could provide new and innovative solutions for cases where repatriation is difficult or impossible. This thesis explores the opportunities digital collections and objects might provide in complex repatriation cases. The objective is to understand to what extent digital repatriation and three-dimensional technology can provide new and innovative solutions for cases where physical repatriation is difficult or impossible. A cultural collection with cultural affiliation to Aboriginal Peoples held at the Museo Civici in Reggio Emilia was chosen as the case study for the thesis. Selected items from the Aboriginal collection were acquired digitally, and the 3D models were shared with the relevant cultural authority for feedback. The procedures and results of the case study are outlined in the following chapters. The thesis finally considers how museums and other cultural institutions might better support Indigenous communities and their needs around digital heritage, touching on related concepts, such as shared authority and some of the challenges of current legislation to repatriation efforts.