Why innovate in safeguarding heritage?
Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is fragile. It depends on people practicing it, and when communities shrink or young people migrate, traditions can disappear silently. Safeguarding, therefore, needs new methods: not just archives and lists, but also technological tools and participatory mapping that connect heritage to today’s society.
Innovation does not replace tradition – it supports it. By combining digital methods, community participation, and creative outputs, we can give new visibility and value to living heritage.
Technology and the idea of the “Digital Twin”
One major innovation is the concept of the Digital Twin – a detailed digital reproduction of a craft, performance, or ritual.
- Example: the Yangxin Cloth Paste technique in China was recorded step by step, so future generations can learn the process digitally.
- Example: dances can be captured with motion sensors, preserving every gesture for analysis and teaching.
Technology such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can recreate lost contexts, while digital games and apps bring traditions into everyday learning for young audiences.
💡 But remember: a digital copy cannot fully capture the spirit of live performance. The challenge is to use technology as a support, not a substitute.
Mapping heritage: the CarPaTO project
A powerful example of innovation in safeguarding is the CarPaTO project, carried out between 2018–2019 in the Land of Făgăraș (Țara Făgărașului), Romania.
The goal: to identify, document, and promote local ICH while involving the community.
Methods used:
- Fieldwork and interviews with elders, artisans, and performers.
- Building a digital database of traditions.
- Organizing participatory workshops with residents to map important elements.
Outputs produced:
- A set of cultural routes, linking villages and landscapes to living traditions.
- A public exhibition of crafts, objects, and knowledge.
- A cookbook, collecting recipes and culinary heritage.
- A cellphilm – a short, participatory film created with community members using simple technology, to tell their own stories.
The project shows how mapping can go beyond documentation to create usable tools for tourism, education, and identity.
Why mapping matters
Mapping ICH:
- Raises community awareness of local traditions.
- Strengthens identity by linking people to place.
- Creates opportunities for education and sustainable tourism.
- Makes traditions visible in creative and accessible ways.
In this sense, CarPaTO demonstrates that safeguarding is not about freezing practices in the past, but about activating them for the present and future.
Exercises and applications
Exercise 1 – Heritage mapping chart
Choose one tradition from your community and fill in a chart:
- Name of the element
- Who practices it
- Context (everyday, ritual, festival)
- Mode of transmission
- Importance for identity
Exercise 2 – Cellphilm idea
Design a short (2–3 minute) video project that documents a local tradition. Decide:
- Who will appear in the film?
- What story will you tell?
- How will the community be involved?
Exercise 3 – Cultural route design
Imagine a small route with 3–4 stops in your region, connecting traditions, landscapes, and crafts. Explain how the route would tell a story about local identity.
Reflection questions
- How can technology enhance safeguarding without replacing living practice?
- Does digitalization make traditions more accessible, or more vulnerable to being seen as “entertainment”?
- How does mapping heritage change the way communities perceive themselves?
- Which of the CarPaTO outputs (database, cookbook, routes, exhibition, cellphilm) do you find most effective, and why?