With rapid advances in modern documentation and interpretive technologies such as scanning, visualization, and Virtual and Augmented Reality, how must our study of the past and its material legacy adapt?

The Past is Present is an interdisciplinary event bringing together scholars, students, technology innovators, and cultural heritage workers in conversation about new methods and tools which are shaping their work.

Over the course of three days (April 4-6), the Berkeley Center for New Media will provide a venue for an international group to explore critical issues of new technologies. On April 4th, we will begin the program with an opening reception for a VR exhibition around art, archaeology, and architecture. The symposium on April 5th will feature scholarly presentations on topics such as Documenting Archaeology and Architecture; Accessing history through Drawings, Plans, Casts, and Copies; and Academic, Public, and Pedagogical Priorities for the 21st Century. Participants will also grapple with these issues through hands-on demos and workshops alongside professionals in the tech industry on the last day of the event.

Speakers include: Christophe Girot (University of Zurich), Nicolo Dell’Unto (Lund University), Elaine Sullivan (University of California, Santa Cruz), Eugenie Shinkle (University of Westminster), Adam Lowe (Factum Arte), Brendan Cormier (Victoria & Albert Museum), David Gissen (California College of the Arts), Lynn Cunningham (University of California Berkeley), Rachel Optiz (University of South Florida), Maurizio Forte (Duke University), Stuart Eve (University College London), Sonia Katyal (University of California Berkeley), Ben Porter (University of California, Berkeley)

Schedule to be announced shortly! For more information and registration details visit the Berkeley Center for New Media website.

Presented in partnership with swissnex San Francisco.