Using Inertial Motion Capture to capture elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Phil MORRIS
(University of Derby, Derby, UK)

Keywords: Inertial Motion Capture Low cost Preservation Intangible Cultural Heritage Craft

Abstract:
Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is a popular area study ever since UNESCO ratified the 2003 Convention, however there have been a number of problems in collecting elements of ICH for inventory particularly those performed in remote areas. ICH is a ‘living’ phenomena and can be culturally sensitive to preserve, inventory and disseminate. It can be hard, sometimes impossible, to gather physical data on elements of ICH for study or collection. Intrinsically its elements are transient and can even be called ephemeral in nature, or they can take place in difficult or unique circumstances. Many areas of Intangible Cultural Heritage are often overlooked, ignored or are considered not special, elements are found within modern industrial contexts in such areas as Stoke-on-Trent in the Industrial heart-lands of the Midlands in the UK which is internationally famous for its innovations and quality of its ceramics. Games & Film Technology have developed methods of collection which are democratic, affordable and flexible which in many ways mitigate the need for dedicated or expensive studio sessions to capture physical manifestations of ICH. The move to more democratic methods of collection within Universities, Museums and within the general public allows more breadth in the collection of media as cost is less of a prohibitive factor at the sacrifice, in some cases, of quality.   In this paper we propose using a new technology that is being widely adopted by both the Games and Film industry, Inertial Motion-Capture, which can capture elements of ICH low cost, in-situ and real-time render / record into a game based world for exhibition and dissemination immediately. The benefits of this new technology are many, especially the ease and utility of such capture methods within the context of original exhibition. This is mitigated by a small reduction in relative quality of the capture compared to studio environments.