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DIGITAL HERITAGE AND THE ROLE OF SOUNDSCAPES

Digital Heritage is the usage of digital tools for the preservation and analysis of cultural or natural, tangible or intangible heritage.

UNESCO explains heritage as “our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations." It is crucial for us to preserve our heritage as the artefacts are extremely susceptible to damage. Hence, it seems best to preserve it is by making digital copies. Heritage can be preserved digitally in the form of texts, databases, audio, graphics, software, still and moving images, web pages, and many others.

Ahmedabad was declared a World Heritage City in the year 2017 by UNESCO. It is home to a plethora of ancient mosques, temples, monuments, etc. This project attempts to capture the essence of two temples of Ahmedabad- Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kalupur and Shree Camp Hanumanji Mandir. The soundscapes of the temples have been recorded and analysed.

Soundscapes are an interesting way of recording the history and overall ambience of any place. Whenever we think of any experience we have had, we often tend to overlook the aspect of sound. Sounds are integral and they play an irreplaceable role in the entire essence of the area. Especially when it comes to temples, sounds are not mere physical entities. They have specific significance and are associated with certain meanings and effects. The sounds that we are surrounded by affects us and we are affected by them (Buckminister Fuller) Therefore, even though we are not aware of it, sounds play a definitive role in the way we perceive our surroundings and in the emotions we experience.

Thus, soundscapes help in retaining the memory of the wonders of the world in digital form. Auditory heritage is at high risk of being forgotten because it is an intangible entity and as it keeps changing in short time periods. An example of this change would be the time of the Covid induced lockdowns that forced most places to pause activities. Therefore, it is important to recognize the sounds of a place as a part of heritage and work in order to preserve that as well.

REFERENCES

-Worship Sound Spaces: Architecture, Acoustics and Anthropology. (2019). United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

- Barber, J. F., & Journal, I. (2020). Walking Transects to Explore Soundscapes as Digital Humanities Research and Creative Practice. IDEAH. https://doi.org/10.21428/f1f23564.ef360075

-Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_heritage#:~:text=Digital%20Cultural%20Heritage%20is%20the,physically%20represented%20in%20minute%20detail

- The Soundscape of Istanbul

https://soundscapeofistanbul.ku.edu.tr/

-UNESCO

https://en.unesco.org/themes/information-preservation/digital-heritage/concept-digital-heritage

Comments

Nilkanth Mahadev Temple, Ahmedabad

Krishna Pillai · Aarti Digital Cultural Heritage deals with preserving our heritage in a digital form. Heritage is vital to mankind as it shapes our habits and our way of thinking. Heritage should be saved so that we can fulfil our duty of passing on what we have received to the next generation. This conservation can be done by way of images, audio, text, software, apps etc. This way, heritage can be kept safe from destructive factors such as manmade and natural calamities. This project aims at capturing the essence of a few temples of Ahmedabad and presenting them on a digital platform. In the 19th century, during British rule, Ahmedabad was booming with energy and zest due to its prosperous Cotton Textile Mill Industry. These mills raised the economy of Gujarat. The fertile black soil available for cotton farms, cheap labour and electricity, the weather and proximity to ports made Ahmedabad the perfect place to establish the textile mills. Ahmedabad was glorious in this sector, s

Somnath Mahadev Temple, Ahmedabad

Digital Cultural heritage is an area of study that aims at conserving all relevant cultural artefacts in a digital form. Each piece of culture has its own essence and with developing times, it becomes especially important to record and document it. One such important heritage site in Ahmedabad is the Somnath Mahadev Temple in Gyaspur. This ancient temple has stood the test of time and still provides solace and strength to diverse devotees. Shree Somnath Mahadev Nandi Tortoise: a characteristic part of a Shiva Temple Krishna Pillai · Somnath Mahadev Temple Given here is a soundscape of the evening aarti of the Somnath Mahadev Temple of Ahmedabad. Situated in the outskirts of the city, this gem of a temple is 1000 years old. As the name suggests, the temple is a shrine of Lord Shiva. The Somnath Mahadev Temple has a Swayambhu Shiva Linga. This means that it emerged naturally, without any human intervention. Initially, the Linga was worshipped and taken care of by some Rishis. The

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kalupur

Shree Swaminarayan Temple ("Architecture at Ahmedabad, the Capital of Goozerat, photographed by Colonel Biggs, ... With an historical and descriptive sketch, by T. C. H, ... and architectural notes by J. Fergusson, etc") Shree Swaminarayan Temple Krishna Pillai · SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR MANGAL AARTI The Oxford Dictionary defines Heritage as ‘the history, traditions, buildings and objects that a country or society has had for many years and that are considered an important part of its character’. Heritage is an important part of us that shapes our habits and our thought processes. Hence, preserving and conserving heritage is vital. In recent times, the importance of conserving heritage in a digital form has been realized. If we conserve heritage by way of software, apps, audio, texts, images, etc. we can keep cultural artefacts intact and safe from destructive factors such as wars, floods, earthquakes, fires, etc. Soundscapes are one way by which we can record and preserve

Ahmedabad Through the Senses

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