Membership of the Institute consists of seventeen leading scholars and practitioners drawn from different areas across the field of Digital Art History.
Jelena Behaim, University of Zagreb
In 2014 Jelena obtained Master’s degree in Art History (specialized in Late Antique and Medieval art and architecture). Since 2014 she has been a PhD candidate in Joint Degree (cotutelle de thèse) at the Department of Art and Musicology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain and at the programme of Medieval Studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia (doctoral thesis: Architectural Landscape at the Periphery of the Carolingian Empire, Marca Hispánica and Croatian Historical Territory). In 2018 she finished a one-year Specialization in Virtualization of Heritage at the Universidad de Alicante, Spain. She is a member of various research projects in Spain, Croatia and France. She participates in the project Innovation in Intelligent Management of Heritage Buildings (i2MHB), funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology.
During her studies she has participated and attended numerous conferences in Croatia, Spain, Portugal, France, UK and Italy and has published several articles. She has been awarded scholarships for stays at different institutions in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Since 2017 she has been running a small-size company for digitalization and virtualization of cultural heritage. Jelena is fluent in Croatian, Spanish and English and has a good knowledge of Italian and Catalan.
Alex Butterworth, University of Sussex
An author, historian and digital narrativist, Alex Butterworth is currently a Research Fellow at the Sussex Humanities Lab, based between the schools of Informatics and History, History of Art and Philosophy. His work, over two decades, has combined research and creative practice in the field of narrative history, encompassing a wide range of media and forms but characteristically involving or evoking digital experimentation. He has worked as a dramaturg for virtual worlds, as designer and writer of story engines for games, and as the creator of geolocated experiences using audio augmentation and immersive technologies. He has published two works of analogue ‘macroscopic’ history, informed by this research: Pompeii, The Living City (co-written with Ray Laurence) and The World That Never Was: A True Story of Dreamers, Schemers, Anarchist and Secret Agents. More recent practice-based research has included ‘knowledge exchange’ collaborations with universities and cultural institutions. Alex’s work at Sussex is particular concerned with the modelling and visualisation of data generated by machine learning analysis of historical sources, both textual and visual, and the new digital forms in which narrative history may be presented.
Ana Cabrera-Lafuente, Museo del Traje
Dr Ana Cabrera-Lafuente is museum curator from 2001. From July 2018 she works at the Museo del Traje (Madrid, Spain) as curator of the 18th-century fashion collection. Her Marie S. Curie project, Interwoven, developed at the Victoria and Albert Museum (https://www.vam.ac.uk/research/projects/interwoven) between 2016 and 2018, studied the textiles from Spain at the V&A, considering its provenance, raw materials, and textile techniques, among other criteria. From this year, she has been appointed as V&A Honorary Senior Research Fellow
She has PhD in Medieval History of Art, with a dissertation on Late Antiquity textiles from Egypt, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Humanities, major in Prehistory and Archaeology. Her archaeological background has also contributed to her familiarity with object-centred research. Her professional and research experience is in two main areas: collections management and museum databases, and textiles (particularly those from the Medieval period). Her interests are the history of collections and collecting, objects provenance and the characterisation of artworks.
She has participated in several research projects related to textiles and museum development and in different conferences and workshops from 2003 onwards. She has several publications, from books to articles and book´s chapters, many of them available at Academia.edu and Research Gate.
William Carter, Ryerson University
Michael is an emerging scholar in the field of Virtual Archaeology, with an extensive twenty-four-year professional career in the 3D and 2D computer animation and visual effects (VFX) industries, in both the software and production environments. He is a 2015 Team Award Recipient for the Ryerson University President’s Blue and Gold Award of Excellence, in the design, development and implementation of the Master of Digital Media program.
His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Culture, both from the perspective of the enculturation of data and in the formation of pre-cultural markers within AI itself. The use of Virtual Archaeology to enhance Art and Archaeological research, as well as the deployment of robotic systems within hazardous archaeological sites. Additional research is in the DNA of 3D points within virtual objects and the representation of providence and provenance data as an actor-network.
Michael holds a PhD in Anthropology (Archaeology) from Western University, a Master’s in Education from the University of Toronto, two post-graduate diplomas in Computer Graphics and Computer Animation from Sheridan College and an Honours BA in Anthropology and Visual Arts from the University of Western Ontario.
Jon Frey, Michigan State University
I am an Associate Professor, jointly appointed in the Department of Art, Art History and Design and the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University. I am a classical archaeologist with a research interest in post-classical practices of architectural reuse. I have participated in field projects in Egypt, Crete, and Greece, where I currently serve as Field Coordinator at the Ohio State University Excavations at Isthmia. At present, my work is focused on digitizing the contents of the OSU Isthmia excavation archives, which will be presented through an open-source digital resource management system that has been created with the assistance of NEH Digital Humanities Startup and Implementation Grants. For the past five years, I have been actively engaged in the exploration of immersive visualization and augmented reality technologies as ways to bring the experience of research and study in the Mediterranean into the university art history classroom.
Stephanie Grimes, Ball State University
Stephanie Grimes is an art historian who creates digital resources for academic and cultural institutions. Her academic background is in ancient Roman funerary art and presenting history through digital media. She currently serves as Ball State University’s first Digital Scholarship Strategist where she is spearheading efforts to build a digital research and publishing program within the library. In addition, she advises students, faculty, and staff about best practices for managing large digital projects and incorporating user-experience design into web publications.
Stephanie focuses her work on the intersection of digital scholarship and public engagement to make scholarly content more useful to researchers and engaging to broader audiences. She is often exploring how different technology methods can increase the usability of art historical content. Current areas of interest include 3D modeling, Linked Open Data, and coining the term “Digital Public Art History”.
When she isn’t working Stephanie enjoys spending time outside, traveling alone, and talking to her cat, the Empress Theodora.
More information about Stephanie’s professional experience can be found on her website: http://stephlengrimes.net.
Ryan Horne, University of Pittsburgh
I am currently a digital humanities postdoctoral research fellow in the history department at the University of Pittsburgh. I earned my PhD in Ancient History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) in 2015, where I was also a postdoctoral scholar under the Carolina Digital Initiative and the Institute for Arts and Humanities from 2015-2017. Drawing upon my historical training and previous experience as a software engineer, I create innovative digital humanities projects, software, and methodologies that uniquely combine geospatial, textual, and social network analysis. A portfolio of my work is available at https://rmhorne.org/digital-portfolio/.
My current research combines numismatic techniques with digital humanities methodology to examine material culture, iconography, and social networks. By conducting one of the first all-digital die studies, built upon linked open data standards, I examine how coin production and distribution illuminates the complex networks of exchange in the borderlands of Anatolia. I show how preexisting networks influenced the relationship of local communities to imperial powers, and how the changing iconography of coins reflected social, political, economic, and religious concerns. This research is supported by a NEH-Mellon Fellowship for Digital Publication, which will result in the creation of a digital monograph in 2020.
Christophe Leclercq, Sciences Po Medialab
A graduate in philosophy, art history and esthetics, Dr. Christophe Leclercq is a researcher in art history and digital humanities. As a teacher he works at the École du Louvre, and is a research associate at Sciences Po médialab in Paris. His research is based on contemporary art digital archives (Anarchive) and on a digital social art history (the Experiments in Art and Technology Datascape). He has collaborated with many engineers, artists and designers on the development of experimental projects in art and heritage, and the promotion and diffusion of this research via exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and conferences. Specifically, he was project manager of the ERC AIME Project (An Inquiry into Modes of Existence), led by Bruno Latour, from 2011 to 2015. He co-curated and co-edited, with Bruno Latour, the Reset Modernity! exhibition and catalogue (2016, ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe / MIT Press).
Rebecca Levitan, University of California, Berkeley
Rebecca Levitan is a Ph.D Candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, where she studies the art and architecture of the ancient Mediterranean world. Her research centers around Greek sculpture of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, as well as the reception of classical antiquity in Europe and the United States. She has excavated, drafted, and assisted with survey in Greece (American Excavations at the Athenian Agora, Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace) and Italy (Gabii Project, Pompeii Archaeological Research Project: Porta Stabia).
Rebecca is interested in how new technologies in documentation and analysis are changing the fields of Art History and Archaeology, and has worked on digital projects relating to polychromy, collection history, humanist networks, and plaster casts. Previously, Levitan received her B.A. in Art History from Emory University and her M.Litt in Ancient History from the University of St Andrews. She was a co-organizer of the Digital Humanities Working Group at UC Berkeley in 2017-2018.
David McMeekin, Curtin University
David has a diverse background having spent extensive time in the international community living in the Middle East, working with NGOs within the education sector.
David has an array of lecturing experience in various areas, from Cross Cultural Communication, Software Engineering Tools and Metrics, Software Development, Programming in C, Java and Python, Business Information Systems, through to Spatial Data Processing and Computation extending into data science.
David’s PhD was in Software Engineering, looking at the human aspect of software development: how software developers think.
His current research interests are varied: the delivery of spatial information using Semantic Web technologies. This has developed into working with Linked Open Data and morphed into digital humanities with the UNESCO professor at Curtin University. He also leads a project focussed on developing technical solutions to facilitate people on the autism spectrum using public transport.
His interest in the Ancient Itineraries comes from working with Semantic Web technologies and Linked Open Data and seeing this become a greater reality in the study of the ancient world and having lived in the middle east.
When he isn’t doing any of these things he enjoys drinking great coffee while reading and otherwise surfing with his kids.
Sarah Middle, Open University
I am a CHASE/AHRC-funded PhD researcher in Classical Studies at the Open University, looking at the integration of Linked Data with existing research methodologies for studying the Ancient World. My project incorporates a survey of and interviews with Ancient World researchers, to explore their experiences of using and producing digital resources. Findings from this research will be used to inform recommendations for the development of future Linked Data resources. More generally, my research interests include Digital Humanities, the Ancient World, cultural heritage, usability, and metadata.
Before returning to study, I worked in various academic library roles, most recently as Repository Manager at Cambridge University Library. Here, I was responsible for managing and curating collections of digital objects (such as articles, theses, datasets, images and videos), as well as advising researchers on how best to describe these materials to facilitate their discovery by other users. Alongside my PhD, I am Secretary of the UK Museums Computer Group and Web Officer for Brief Encounters, CHASE’s open-access student journal.
Vera Moitinho de Almeida, Austrian Academy of Science
I am a postdoctoral researcher at IKAnt-ÖAW and an honorary collaborator at LAQU-UAB, specialized in spatial imaging and analysis. Among the projects I am currently working in is the ODEEG online database for research on ancient Greek and Cypriot vases.
I have an unusual interdisciplinary background: a Ph.D (honours) from UAB, focusing on technological and functional analysis of archaeological objects, using 3D models and Reverse Engineering processes; an M.Sc. in Prehistoric Archaeology (UAB), an interdisciplinary M.SC. (honours) in Multimedia Technologies (FEUP), and a BA in Fine Arts (IPC).
I have been actively involved in several international multidisciplinary research projects, and I am a member of a number of editorial and evaluation systems in the field of digital imaging, cultural heritage (CH) and archaeology. My research interests include morphological analysis of CH materials, digital applications in CH research, and knowledge networks.
When not sitting at my desk or working in the field, I keep myself busy with reading, hiking… and having a good time with my family and friends.
Emanuele Pellegrini, IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca
PhD in Art History at the University of Pisa (2005), at present Associate Professor in Art History at IMT Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca (Italy) and director of the PhD track in Analysis and Management of Cultural Heritage (https://www.imtlucca.it). Researcher at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (2013-2015), post doc at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (2004-2008), and at the University of Udine (2008-2011). Chercheur Invité at INHA (Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art), Paris (2015), visiting professor at University of Siena, Scuola di Specializzazione in Storia dell’Arte (2010-2015) and visiting professor at Renmin University Beijing (2014). Director of the international peer reviewed magazine “Predella. Journal of Visual Arts” (http://www.predella.it), published both on line (since 2001) and on paper (since 2010). Curator the exhibition Voglia d’Italiaheld in Rome (Palazzo Venezia and the Vittoriano: 2017-2018: http://www.mostravogliaditalia.it). Peer reviewer for international art journals and for the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MIUR). Main research interests in art criticism and history of collecting between Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century, in the relationship between art history and information technologies.
Rosário Salema de Carvalho, Universidade de Lisboa
Rosário Salema de Carvalho is researcher at ARTIS (History of Art Institute, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon), and executive coordinator of the group Az – Azulejo Research Network. She has a PhD in History / Art History (2012) and a Master’s Degree in Art, Heritage and Restoration Theory from the same School (2007), both with theses about Baroque Azulejos. Currently developing a post-doctoral research (awarded by Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT), dedicated to the issue of frames in Baroque tile decorations, hosted by ARTIS (Az) and the National Azulejo Museum, Rosário Salema de Carvalho is the author of several books and articles published in national and international scientific journals.
Within the group Az, Rosário Salema de Carvalho coordinates its main project, the Az Infinitum – Azulejo Indexation and Referencing System(http://redeazulejo.letras.ulisboa.pt/pesquisa-az). This system is the product of a Digital Art History project focused on the study of azulejos(tiles), based on a relational database that uses international controlled vocabularies. She is also the co-promoter of a new forum for debating and learning about Art History and digital tools – the #ARTISbeingdigital (https://artisbeingdigital.wixsite.com/artisbd) – and participates in the digital project ORION – Art collections and collectors in Portugal.
Claudia Sciuto, Umeå University
PhD candidate at the MAL-Environmental Archaeology Laboratory at Umeå University (Sweden). My research is oriented towards the study of stone artefacts and steps of production/crafting. A big part of my research is oriented toward development of digital applications, in particular the translation of material properties of objects in deep mapping and immersive virtual environment. For my thesis I work on the application of nondestructive analytical techniques for the characterization of stone artefacts, with a particular focus on spectral remote sensing. Exploring potentialities of GIS, 3D modelling and remote sensing together with paleoenvironmental reconstructions I aim at tracing links between human past societies and the exploitation of geological resources.
Jonathan Westin, University of Gothenburg
Jonathan Westin is a research fellow and co-director of the Heritage Visualisation Laboratory at the Department of Conservation at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. In his research he studies how we form our perception of the past through representations, and how these representations become part of our cultural heritage. By focusing on the communicative aspects of heritage management, he approaches the creation of visual representations as a negotiation process between new research and established images. In his current projects he researches how archives can be activated through augmented and virtual reality, as well as the performative aspects of archaeological simulations. This includes documentation and modeling of Etruscan chamber tombs, Medieval timber churches, and 19th century homesteads. Jonathan was educated in Sweden (PhD in Conservation and MA in Ancient Archaeology, University of Gothenburg) and is a frequent scholar at the Swedish Institute in Rome.
Chiara Zuanni, University of Graz
Chiara is an assistant professor in Digital Humanities at the Centre for Information Modelling – Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities at the University of Graz. Her research focuses on the construction and mediation of knowledge in museums, the impact of digital media on the heritage sector and its audiences, digital data practices in museums. Her current project investigates the acquisition, curation, uses, and display of digital data in museums, unpacking the implications of the notion of digital data as heritage.
She has a degree in Classics and a MA in Archaeology from the University of Bologna, and a PhD in Museology from the University of Manchester (2016). During her PhD, she worked as a research assistant in digital heritage and as a teaching assistant in classics, ancient history, and archaeology. Afterwards, she has been an AHRC Cultural Engagement Fellow at the Institute of Cultural Capital (University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University), working on the ‘Liverpool 2018’ project and on an evaluation for the British Council. She has then been a research fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum, working on the transnational research project ‘Universal Histories and Universal Museums’, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Bergamo.