Multi-sensory Experiences at Heritage Places: SCRIPTORAMA, The Black Sea Open Street Museum

Abstract

Under the umbrella of the MIS ETC 2617 ALECTOR, a project within the ENPI CBC BLACK SEA JOINT OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME 2007–2013, a novel cultural heritage infrastructure with three components has been developed to communicate local heritage to international audiences. A cross-border partnership, operating in seven countries (Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey), has developed standards for heritage tourism by involving key stakeholders, local communities and citizens into heritage planning in a bottom-up and training process. The project has been completed in a 30 month period with an overall budget of 1,065,894.00 EUR. The main result SCRIPTORAMA, a three-component Open Street Museum, accessible through 90 Quick Response Codes in the territory and as eBook at the Appstore and Google Play, is delivering the heritage experience by engaging in a constant dialogue heritage suppliers and heritage users. This paper examines (a) how cognitive-emotional and multi-sensory experiences can foster an (inter)-active knowledge acquisition pattern for non-captive audiences at heritage places; (b) how to integrate new technologies into the cultural heritage experience to support the informal learning modus; and (c) how to democratize the mission of heritage institutions by promoting self-reflective and critically thinking visitors who can perceive, reshape and organize heritage places into a participatory public space accessible by all.