SILKNOW

Publication/report
Toolkit/framework/roadmap
Sign-post to other resource (database)
Case studies
Video
Interactive virtual loom

Resources

Website

OCM Datasheet

Intended Audience

“This project is intended for everyone who cares for silk heritage or simply wants to know more about it.” Museums and collections, education sector, ICT sector and tourism marketers.

SILKNOW

2020

“SILKNOW is a research project that improves the understanding, conservation and dissemination of European silk heritage from the 15th to the 19th century. It applies next-generation computing research to the needs of diverse users (museums, education, tourism, creative industries, media…), and preserves the tangible and intangible heritage associated with silk.

Based on records from existing catalogues, it aims to produce digital modelling of weaving techniques (a “Virtual Loom”), through automatic visual recognition, advanced spatio-temporal visualization, multilingual and semantically enriched access to digital data. Its research activities and output have a direct impact in computer science and big data management, focusing on searching digital content throughout heterogeneous, multilingual and multimodal databases.

Throughout our past and present, few materials have had as important a presence as silk: economic, technical, functional, cultural and symbolic. From flags to canopies, tapestries to furniture, fans to sword sheathes, wedding gowns to traditional costumes, we can find silk in countless contexts, over the last millennia. Many people experience vivid, personal and social connections to this heritage, linked to so many life stories and collective narratives. Luxury, craftsmanship, beauty and comfort have been -and still are- associated with it. Additionally, silk trade also allowed for exchange of ideas and innovations. Punched cards were first used in Jacquard silk looms, long before modern computers were even imagined.

Nowadays, however, silk textiles are a seriously endangered heritage. There is also an associated intangible heritage -artisanal weaving techniques- at risk of disappearing. Countering those threats and making use of state-of-the-art technology, SILKNOW wants to showcase the splendor of silk, in Europe and worldwide, in the past and for the future.

What are our main goals?

Semantically relating digitized European silk heritage, enabling data interoperability across different collections, for advanced searching abilities.
Building a “Virtual Loom” to clone weaving techniques. This will allow users to discover the complexity, artistic and artisanal values of ancient silk textiles, while preserving them for future generations.

Improving the understanding of the European silk heritage, thanks to visual tools that show the spatio-temporal relationships of data, including an open-access, multilingual thesaurus.” (About)

Avaiable in

English
French
Italian
Spanish

5Ps

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SDGs LINKAGES

The SDGs are not mentioned explicitly, but SILKNOW can help support several SDG targets, including strengthening efforts to protect cultural and natural heritage (SDG 11.4), fostering skills for work (SDG 4.4), supporting innovation (SDG 8.2) and sustainable tourism (SDG 8.9).

The resource can support scientific research on cultural heritage (SDG 9.5).

The resource can support Education for Sustainable Development (SDG 4.7).

Partnerships with traditional industries can support enterprise and job creation (8.3 and 8.5).

Ensuring those involved in traditional crafts can benefit from sustainable development supports SDG 10.2 (universal social, economic and political inclusion).

SILKNOW supports open access to information on silk heritage and technology, supporting SDG 16.10 (access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms).

Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators

SDG 4.4: Increase the Number of People with Relevant Skills for Financial Success
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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SDG 4.7: Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Numbers of people in each type of programme drawing on collections from different demographic groups.
Increases in numbers of people in each type of programme from different demographic groups.
Proportion of people involved in such programmes in relation to overall audience size.
Evidence that learners have acquired knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development.
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SDG 8.2: Diversify, Innovate and Upgrade for Economic Productivity
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of innovation-driven projects that aim to enhance or add to the range of activities drawing on collections.
Staff training initiatives aimed at innovation, skills for enterprise.
Number of public-facing activities that make use of new or emerging technologies, involving collections.
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SDG 8.3: Promote Policies to Support Job Creation and Growing Enterprises
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Development-oriented policies in place for the range of activities, or development-oriented considerations are included in other policies.
Number of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises supported.
Number and proportion of formalised arrangements with micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Total value of financial services or financial support provided to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises.
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SDG 8.5: Full Employment and Decent Work with Equal Pay
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Increase in number of people in full and productive employment relating to collections, through job creation and recruitment.
Increase in proportion of existing staff working with collections in productive employment.
Increase in number of men, women, young people and persons with disabilities in development and training programmes drawing on collections that support them in employment.
Removal of pay disparities by gender and/or other status for those working with collections.
Policies and plans in place to ensure that all suppliers and others in the supply chain are in decent and productive work.
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SDG 8.9: Promote Beneficial and Sustainable Tourism
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Numbers of jobs created or supported that relate to sustainable tourism drawing on local products (e.g. craft producers).
Develop and implement plans to reduce and remove negative impacts of tourism.
Numbers of activities and/or products drawing on local culture.
Value to artisans and source communities of activities and products drawing on local culture.
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SDG 9.5: Enhance Research and Upgrade Industrial Technologies
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number and proportion of collections facilities that effectively support research and researchers.
Number and proportion of staff who are appropriately skilled to undertake and support collections-based research.
Expenditure on initiatives to enhance and upgrade collections facilities.
Numbers of staff engaged in supporting and developing research use based on collections.
Number of initiatives to encourage innovation drawing on collections.
Increase in number of research and development workers per 1 million people.
Increase in public and private research and development spending being used to develop and make use of collections.
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SDG 10.2: Promote Universal Social Economic and Political Inclusion
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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SDG 11.4: Protect the Worlds Cultural and Natural Heritage
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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SDG 16.10: Ensure Public Access to Information and Protect Fundamental Freedoms
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.
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5Ps

ACTIONS

SDGs