Paper Short Abstract:

This study experiments with creative ethnographic methods to understand intangible cultural heritage (ICH) related with physical sites, such as Callanish in Scotland. Our relational approach goes beyond traditional ethnographic writing also by integrating multidisciplinary XR representations.

Paper Abstract:

Exploring the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of megalithic sites, such as the Callanish standing stones on Scotland's Western Isles, involve Emotional, Experiential, and Environmental (3E) dimensions that can aid in attending to diverse societal challenges.

Our study, part of the international multidisciplinary research project INT-ACT ("Intangible cultural heritage, bridging the past, present, and future"), leverages creative ethnographic and narrative methods to recontextualize heritage interpretation. Our methodology employs sensory walking interviews and storytelling workshops to capture the richness and diversity of personal experiences and multisensory environmental relationships associated with the Callanish standing stones. Besides relational, situated methods, the project steps beyond traditional ethnographic writing by integrating multidisciplinary XR representations.

The creation of immersive eXtended Reality (XR) environments allows us to present approaches and observations from situated experiences and stories shared on-site in an interactive way, thus potentially "unwriting" conventional master narratives and enabling a multi-sensory engagement with cultural heritage, in an attempt to promote more equitable and inclusive modes of representation. This poster presentation outlines our methodological strategies and preliminary findings, advocating for a participatory and dynamic approach to heritage research that emphasizes the lived experiences and affective environmental contexts of megalithic sites.