活動報告

Co-organized by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, the interactive online workshop 'Mitigation of Climate Change Impact on North Delta & Alexandria Cultural Heritage into a Global Environmental Context' was held on January 13 and 14, 2024.

>> Click here for the program.

Workshop Report (Author: Dr. Mohamed Soliman)

On January 13 and 14, 2024, an interactive online workshop on "Mitigation of Climate Change Impact on North Delta & Alexandria Cultural Heritage into a Global Environmental Context" was held. The workshop was organized by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, and the Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage (DMUCH) of Ritsumeikan University, as well as the International Geodesign Collaboration (IGC), JSPS-Cairo Office, and (EECE)-Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST).

The workshop addressed climate change impacts, promoting renewable energy and resilient infrastructure for a just transition. It highlighted activities like energy consumption, land use changes, and transportation as major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, driving climate change. The objective was to make action and understanding to mitigate these effects.

The consequences of climate change are far-reaching, encompassing rising global temperatures, water and food scarcity, biodiversity loss, health risks, extreme weather events, sea level rise (SLR), poverty, and displacement. In order to mitigate these effects, solutions must focus on reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. Implementing policies and investment strategies to decrease emissions and enhance carbon sequestration rates should consider the diverse geographic, cultural, and political contexts. Preserving and improving ecosystems, alongside other carbon-absorbing systems, are essential for maintaining consistent global carbon-negative progress, wherein the extraction of carbon from the atmosphere exceeds emissions on a daily, annual, and decade-long scale.

For these reasons, the workshop had focal objectives that included building two sustainable scenarios compatible with 2030 and 2050 SDGs strategies, identifying actionable measures for enhancing global climate challenges for urban mobility, improving environmental ecosystems, and managing cultural heritage climate resilience. Community engagement and establishing a network of stakeholders who can contribute effectively to the formulation and implementation of a mitigation plan for the climate change of Alexandria and North Delta were also one the main objectives of the workshop, as this collaborative approach ensures that diverse perspectives and expertise are included in the planning process, in addition to capacity building, to enhance the skills of interdisciplinary researchers and emerging leaders in utilizing the Geodesign methodology for addressing the Global Climate challenge (GC), as all the participants will receive a comprehensive scientific and technological support, including access to Esri and Geodesign hub software, through a series of webinars and tutorials, that enables them to apply the conceptual framework and practical tools of Geodesign effectively.

The workshop was supported by partners from various entities interested in research and keen on finding solutions to decrease the risks, sustain the resources, and save the planet. These supporters were: DMUCH and ARC at Ritsumeikan University, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Inc., International Geodesign Collaboration (IGC), The Liechtenstein Institute for Strategic Development GmbH, EECE-Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), and The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Mohamed Soliman (Visiting Collaborative Researcher, Ritsumeikan University), Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University), and Prof. Carl Steinitz (Harvard University), with the assistance of a diverse project team led by Dr. Soliman and Prof. Yano. This team included Prof. Heidi Shalaby (Head of the Central Administration for Technical Affairs, National Organization for Urban Harmony, Egypt), Ms. Raghda El-Nezory (Department of Historic Cairo, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities), Dr. Nermine Moustafa (National Egyptian Museum of Civilization (NMEC)), Ms. Doaa Ali (Alexandria Department, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities), and Dr. Marwa Hafez (Alexandria Governorate), and an environmental team at E-JUST led by Prof. Mona Gamal Eldin, Dean of the School of Energy Resources, Environmental, and Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering (EECE), Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology (E-JUST).

In order to make the best of this workshop, the supporters collaborated with stakeholders from different sectors and organizations, such as the Alexandria Governorate, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA), the Syndicate of Engineers-Alexandria, and Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage. Hence, the actual stakeholders were represented by more than 30 participants assigned in four working groups to reach the best opportunities for mitigating climate change.

The workshop had 30 participants representing several entities in Egypt and two participants from Japan, including universities, institutes, offices of the government sector, health centres, and private firms. The participating entities from Egypt were EECE, Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology (E-JUST), Helwan University, Alexandria University, Ministry of Tourism & Antiquitis (MoTA), Ministry of Social Solidarity, Alexandria Governorate, Western District, Administration of Planning and Urban Development, German Archaeological Institute Cairo (DAI-Kairo), San Stefano Health Center, Al-Muntaza Medical Area, Tail & Partners Law Firm, and Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage, from Egypt, while the participants from Japan were from Nagasaki University.

On October 12, 2023, a group of Japan Foundation Fellows visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and digital archiving facilities, a networking session with Ritsumeikan University graduate students and a career discussion with Dr. Travis Seifman (ARC Research Manager/Associate Professor, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University), a former JF Fellow, were held.

>> Click here for the full report on the Japan Foundation website (in Japanese).

On December 18, 2023, Prof. Soo-chul Kim (Provost, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage) and Prof. Yi Kisung (Dept. of Archaeology, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research and education took place with Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

On December 1, 2023, Kazuko Kameda-Madar, Visiting Professor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (HUJI), was at the Art Research Center (ARC) and discussed about collaboration in digital humanities research with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Dr. Travis Seifman (Kinugasa Research Organization/Research Manager of the ARC).

The open workshop "Surface and Depth of the Domestic Sphere in East Asian Art" was held at Ritsumeikan University on November 16, 2023, as part of the Art Research Center research project "Visual Culture Studies in the Domestic Sphere Utilizing the ARC Database" led by ARC faculty member Prof. Yumi Takenaka under the Program for Supporting Research Center Formation.

The project aims to study arts and visual culture in East Asia related to the concept of "Ie," which encompasses housing, households, family, and family genealogy within the "Domestic Sphere," juxtaposed to the "Public Sphere".

The theme of this open workshop was "Omote and Oku," which focuses on "surface and depth" aspects of spatial representations and also addresses issues related to the physical, social, and psychological dual structure of the "Ie," with its outward-facing aspects open to the outside, and inner aspects closed off from it.

In addition to an invited lecture by Professor Emeritus Jeong-hee Lee-Kalisch (Free University of Berlin) and individual research presentations, an open discussion was held.

Organizer: Project of "Visual Culture Studies in the Domestic Sphere Utilizing ARC Database", Program for Supporting Research Center Formation, Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University

Co-organizer: Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University

Date & Time: November 16 (Thur), 2023, 13:00-18:00
Venue: Seminar Room 1, Gakujikan Hall 2F, Kinugasa Campus, Ritsumeikan University
Language: Japanese (with English abstract) and English (with Japanese script)

→ Program

"Visual Culture Studies in the Domestic Sphere Utilizing ARC Database"

On November 20, 2023, Prof. Makoto Goto and Prof. Masakatsu Nagai of the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

The Art Research Center (ARC) is pleased to announce that its academic journal ART RESEARCH vol.24-2 has been released online.

Click here for vol.24-2

As an academic journal specializing in arts and culture, the purpose of ART RESEARCH is to widely publicize the results of the research projects and activities conducted by the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, and its partner institutions and collaborative researchers.

Since its establishment in 1998, the Art Research Center (ARC) has been selected for several national grants as a center of excellence for research in culture, art, and information science. In FY2019, the center assumed the role as the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art & Culture (ARC-iJAC) upon its accreditation by the MEXT as an International Joint Usage/Research Center. The ARC is highly regarded as a leading hub for the digital archiving of Japanese art and culture.

Our online journal will be published three times per year, and at the end of the fiscal year, a print booklet compiling all contributions will be distributed.

On November 7, 2023, Prof. Chih-Ming Chen (Director, Research Center for Chinese Cultural Metaverse in Taiwan, National Chengchi University) and Prof. Shi-Chi Mike Lan (Deputy Director, Research Center for Chinese Cultural Metaverse in Taiwan, National Chengchi University) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research and education took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

On November 6, 2023, Prof. Graeme Earl (Head of the College of Humanities, SOAS University of London) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research and education took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

On November 2, 2023, Russell Kelty (Curator, Art Gallery of South Australia) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on a collaboration in research activities in digital archiving took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC).