Heritage for the Future (HEFT)

Immersive experiences, which give audiences the opportunity to experience stories and heritage physically and through their senses, are gaining more and more international recognition. They are also being developed and presented more frequently in festival and museum contexts.

However, the future of these innovative productions requires a fundamental strengthening of distribution channels in order for more people to experience them. In addition, there is a lack of structural strategies for preservation, documentation and reuse. HEFT addresses these issues and contributes to a future-proof IX ecosystem.

Three Main Activities

• Storytelling with IX: HEFT will research how immersive formats can contribute to meaningful, bespoke narratives.
• Preservation and management: developing methodologies and frameworks for the conservation, documentation and sustainable access to IX works as new forms of heritage.
• Reuse of heritage: utilising cultural heritage as a source for new immersive experiences.

Methodology: from creation to preservation

HEFT bridges the gap between creation and archiving through three key concepts:

• Research through Design: Within HEFT, prototyping is the primary method for gathering knowledge. The artistic process – the creation of new immersive artworks – also serves as a research method that enables the technical and conceptual preservation of these works.
• Living Laboratories: In the Living Labs, creators, researchers and heritage experts work together to reflect collectively on the interplay between technology, audience interaction and sustainable documentation.
• From individual to collective: The transition from individual headset experiences to ‘social storytelling’ is central. Multi-user design and spatial dramaturgy transform individual immersion into a shared, social experience that is scalable for museums and public spaces.

The knowledge, insights and tools gained will be shared with other heritage and cultural organisations to help ensure a sustainable future for immersive experiences and storytelling within the cultural sector.

Role Sound & Vision

Sound & Vision is the coordinator of the project, combining artistic innovation with specialist archiving expertise. In this way, the knowledge gained is directly embedded within the heritage sector. Public values form the basis of HEFT. Prototypes are designed for society as a whole, rather than for a technological elite. Inclusivity, accessibility and privacy are built in right from the initial concept. This ensures that immersive experiences are and remain accessible to everyone, regardless of physical limitations or the need for expensive hardware.

Consortium Partners

HEFT is run by a broad consortium of leading institutions:

Sound & Vision (Coordination), Eye Film Museum, Netherlands Film Festival, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, University of Amsterdam (UvA).

A key element of the project is the active involvement of various creators:
Studio Nergens (Celine Daemen), Studio ZZZAP (Nienke Huitenga Broeren), Richard Vijgen, Nullshima Studio (Anne Fehres & Luke Conroy), Satore Studio (Tupac Martir).