Contribution short abstract:

This paper brings an intersectional approach to digital twin creation for restitution, challenging singular "correct" methods. It emphasises grassroots, Indigenous-led projects, advocates for access to museum collections, and explores the interplay of rituals, photogrammetry, and 3D holograms.

Contribution long abstract:

In discussions about the preservation and restitution of colonial objects, several initiatives aim to address the absence of looted objects by reimagining how heritage can be re-experienced. Since 2007, and especially from 2020 onward, projects like the Smithsonian’s preservation of Indigenous North American objects, The Atlas of Lost Finds, the Digital Benin Project, and Afrisurge worked to reconstruct, catalog, and provide access to cultural heritage through collaborative approaches. These initiatives claim to prioritise empowering and involving indigenous communities, but do they truly achieve this? Or are they still upholding museum authority, centering Western actors while maintaining indigenous communities as passive participants?

This paper examines how digital innovation can both support and critique institutional initiatives to address gaps in cultural heritage restitution, highlighting the role of indigenous communities in creating 3D replicas and holograms, as well as the importance of granting access to museum collections. This raises critical questions: Can the concept of a physical museum be replaced by digital placebos? Could the museum be "hacked" to address the void left by looted objects prior to their potential restitution? How can the digitisation "reclaim" and reinterprets heritages? What happens when communities lead the process of 3D-holographic digitisation, taking ownership of cultural narratives?

The paper focuses on how digitisation, initiated by grassroots indigenous communities, reshape the museum landscape. It examines the potential for integrating self-made photogrammetry, portable holographic displays, 3D interactive projections into indigenous spaces. By doing so, it questions whether such innovations offer meaningful experiences and provide alternatives to restitution models.