UNDERWATER CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF MONTENEGRO
Leading partner: Laboratory of Maritime Archaeology, Center for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor, University of Montenegro
MISSION
The mission of the project Underwater Cultural Landscapes of Montenegro is to illuminate and make publicly accessible the various cultural aspects of the underwater cultural heritage of Montenegro. Using the multidisciplinary approach and the newest available technology to investigate and document the shipwrecks, navigation routes, harbours, anchorages, and other remnants of human activity along the Montenegrin coast, the project will disseminate its cultural and historical messages through various media channels, promoting underwater cultural assets and targeting tourism development.
OBJECTIVES
Traditional and digital 2D and 3D documentation of underwater cultural heritage, development of a GIS database, online geoportal and virtual museums; fostering the development of sciences related to underwater research; increasing institutional capacities; increasing academic visibility of researchers and institutions; enabling public availability of knowledge and cultural-historical messages that the underwater cultural heritage carries via various innovative digital forms and media, interactive exhibitions, educational programs; strong impact on tourism development in coastal areas; promotion of sustainable diving tourism and underwater touristic attractions of the underwater cultural heritage of Montenegro.
SUMMARY
Project „Underwater cultural landscapes of Montenegro“ has a goal to contribute to the illumination of the underwater cultural heritage of Montenegro making its cultural and historical messages available to the wide public through a multidisciplinary approach and a wide spectrum of activities. The primary objective of the project is to document and interpret sites of underwater cultural heritage using 2D and 3D digitalization methods and create a database which would be publicly available through online geoportal, various platforms and virtual museum websites.
A documentation campaign would support institutional synergies to foster the implementation of a system of protection and monitoring and promote these cultural resources and assets. The project activities will positively impact the development of scientific disciplines for underwater research and increase the visibility of Montenegrin institutions and researchers. By participating in the implementation of this project, through direct work and educational activities, institutions in the chain of underwater cultural heritage will uptake knowledge and skills of digital documentation and interpretation of underwater spatial data. This would result in modernization, an increase of capacities, as well as in the implementation of modern mechanisms of protection and management of underwater cultural heritage.
Through media dissemination and public outreach campaigns such are:
- educational programs (courses, summer schools),
- innovative interactive exhibitions of photos and 3D models,
- visits to underwater cultural heritage sites with the aid of virtual reality,
- short documentaries, radio, TV, and digital media forms,
the project will have a strong educational effect on a wide audience. It will disseminate historical and cultural messages to future generations, raising awareness about underwater cultural heritage and the importance of its preservation.
Through systematic and scientific processing of underwater cultural heritage data, copywriting and communication of the results, creation of a visual media database for different types of promotion, production of a multi-lingual diving guide, online contents, and education about underwater attractions, the project will notably affect the development of different forms of underwater tourism which would profile Montenegro as an attractive destination.
The methodology of the project is based on contactless documentation by traditional methods, visual observation, photography and video, followed by innovative methods of photogrammetry and remote sensing, without compromising the integrity of the sites. The sites included in this project were chosen according to their cultural-historical peculiarities and characteristics, and according to the criteria from the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001, which are also frameworks for all project activities.