The program is called “Integrated Digital Documentation and Highlighting of Collections of the 20th century – urban household of Chania and textiles – designs of Florentini Kaloutsis” and is implemented with funding from the Ministry of Culture (budget 7,000 euros) and in collaboration with the Hellenic Mediterranean University ELMEPA. The following is a description of the digitization project from the article by Dimitris Maridakis published in Chaniotika News on December 18, 2021
THE HISTORY OF THE COLLECTION
The treasurer and ephor of museum collections and intangible cultural heritage of the Chania Branch of the Lyceum Club of Greek Women, Melpo Skoula, speaking at the “routes” (as the president of the Lyceum Tatiana Kourakis was quarantined for precautionary reasons), described the three main historical moments through which the Lyceum collected a significant number of valuable objects that formed the core of its collection.
“In November 1996, with the late Zoi Mitsotakis as president at the time, the Administration decided to make an exhibition entitled “The world of women in the 20th century – Everything that adorns Chaniotissa and her home over time” and in this context, members contributed clothing, lace, ornaments, embroidery, etc. Many of them were taken back after the exhibition and others stayed at the Lyceum, while along the way, this first “yeast” was enriched. After some years, in 2000, there was another exhibition dedicated to Florentini Kaloutsis, where Giorgos Kaloutsis had offered Florentini’s designs and some textile samples. And from this action, many were returned immediately after the exhibition, while other pieces remained in the Lyceum’s collection”, Ms. Skoula noted and added: “All these stories “awakened” when the recent exhibition for Florentini Kaloutsi took place at the Municipal Art Gallery, where we as Lyceum also realized – as we contributed to the exhibition with our own exhibits – how fragile all these objects are”.
It is worth noting that the number of objects in the collection, as mentioned by Ms. Skoula, now approaches 500 objects, while chronologically the collection covers the period from the second half of the 19th century to the 1970s.
In any case, the reuse of exhibits for the needs of the exhibition in the Municipal Gallery “Art and Handicrafts: the beneficial Crete of Florentini Skouloudi – Kaloutsi”, was the stimulus for the members of the Lyceum to look for ways to record, save and enhance its collection.
THE IDEA OF DIGITALIZATION
“Thus, on the one hand, the “fragility” of the objects and on the other, the need for a more complete record of the collection, gave birth to the idea of digitization”, Ms. Skoula emphasized.
In this context, the Lyceum submitted a proposal to the invitation addressed by the Ministry of Culture for digitization which was accepted – not in its entirety, but with a reduced budget.
“Adjusting our action to the budget of 7,000 euros, we decided to digitize a part of the collection and we hope at some point to be able to do the same for all the objects”, Ms. Skoula pointed out, while underlining the contribution of ELMEPA and museologist – art historian Myrto Kontomitaki.
At the same time, as part of the digitization of the material, a Lyceum website will be built, through which the digitized material will be accessible to the wider public. “The website will contain basic information about the Lyceum and of course the digitized material, while along the way this will be enriched and constantly updated by trained members of the Lyceum”, Ms. Skoula pointed out, while underlining the dimensions of the intangible cultural heritage carried by the museum material of the Lyceum. “Manufacturing and crafts are the most ‘material’ expression of intangible heritage, but at the same time we are interested in the conditions, processes, skills, techniques, uses and knowledge needed to make an object, which often has short life span,” she said.
PAY TRIBUTE TO WOMEN
The goal of the Lyceum’s people is to complete the action by the coming spring. From the digitized material the viewer can derive a lot of information about the season as in the dresses one can distinguish influences from local tradition and culture but also from the rest of the world, given that Crete and especially Chania at the beginning of the last century was a point of coexistence but also of conflicts of different cultures.
At the same time, however, this material is also a unique tribute to women and their craftsmanship, as it is reflected in the craftsmanship and clothing as these – in the pre-industrial era – were sewn by hand.
The museologist – Art historian Myrto Kontomitaki emphasized that digitization made it possible to better evaluate the material of the collection which -often- at the level of associations and institutions remains unexplored and underutilized as it does not enter the “microscope” of scientific recording.
“Through this process of digital recording one can perceive the pros and cons of a collection, to discover elements that may have been unknown to the owners of the objects but also to realize the need to preserve, classify, document and record the material”, Ms Kontomitaki explained.
She added that “the desire to digitize a collection is in itself a brave decision in the direction of saving this material, but also that “at the same time, the way is opened to communicate this material to the wider public as well as to specialized bodies, such as universities , research centers, museums, etc., which enables you to search and find solutions to any problems, deficiencies, etc. that your collection faces.”
“In this sense,” continued Ms. Kontomitaki, “digitization is absolutely necessary for a collection and not something that just adds to the collection.”
FASHION AND TRADITION
The Chanean museologist and art critic, referring to the objects that will be digitized as part of the program, pointed out that the viewer who sees them will get to know a large part of Florentini Kaloutsi’s collection of designs and textiles as well as dresses that reveal the trends of women’s fashion in the period from the late 19th century and later.
“Among them, of course, there are also impressive examples of women’s handicrafts (weaving, embroidery, etc.) in which we see different techniques being married, in a very creative and original way. So in the material one can see aspects of the urban fashion of Chania at that time, a time of course when Chania received stimuli from all over the world, up to elements of the Cretan folk tradition”, Ms. Kontomitaki pointed out and added that through this material also emerges the strong need for expression that women had at that time, when they still faced many and strong social obstacles in any attempt to educate themselves and develop, in order to give their own stamp on the beautiful, the useful, etc.
In pararell, of course, the clothes themselves reveal to the researcher the social norms that at the time women were subject to.
DIGITIZATION IN TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONS
The associate professor at ELMEPA’s Electronic Engineering Department and director of the Design, Manufacturing and Automation Laboratory (dma.hmu.gr) Manolis Maravelakis, who together with his colleagues has undertaken the digitization of the material, explained the work done by the workshop of ELMEPA. “The work we do is the digitization of exhibits in two and three dimensions.
We made an initial selection of exhibits and proceeded to 3D modeling so that through the website that will be created, the user can see the exhibit from all sides and explore it. Also, 2D digitization of around 100 exhibits was done using photography techniques and special equipment.”
“In general, however, we as a Laboratory are happy to cooperate with local bodies – we have a lot of experience in matters of cultural heritage documentation and in fact, in this period, we are also running an NSRA project with the archaeological museum of Delphi. In particular, the Lyceum may have exhibits and important material from the old era, but the Lyceum’s people have modern ideas and perceptions and easily assimilate the new technologies we use.”
The project team also includes collaborators of the workshop Nikolaos Bolanakis, Galanakis Dimitrios & Stioukis Polynikis.
