Conferencia Link Chile 2024

Título	Conferencia Link Chile 2024
Tipo	Conferencia
Profesores	Jaime Reyes, Iván Ivelic, Michèle Wilkomirsky, Alvaro Mercardo
Descripción	6ª Edición La 6ª Edición de la Conferencia Internacional LINK 2024 tendrá lugar en Sudamérica, presentando los últimos avances en investigación orientada a la práctica desde Aotearoa Nueva Zelanda. Este año, 21 investigadores, entre ellos ocho destacados académicos maoríes, viajarán a Chile y Brasil, inspirándose en el toroa, el albatros que atraviesa el Océano Antártico alimentándose en aguas sudamericanas antes de regresar a Aotearoa para reproducirse.
Rol de la Escuela	Co-responsable
Contraparte(s)	Auckland University of Technology
Rol de la Contraparte	Co-responsable
Modalidad	Presencial
Fecha	2024/11/28
URL	https://es.linksymposium.com
Palabras Clave	Sur-Sur, diseño, creatividad, epistemología, indígena

LINK2024: Conferencia Internacional LINK 2024 de Investigación Orientada a la Práctica y el Sur Global

Esta conferencia celebra el espíritu del intercambio cultural, animando a los investigadores a colaborar y compartir conocimientos con los investigadores de Sudamérica. LINK 2024 promoverá el diálogo sobre el intercambio de conocimientos Sur-Sur, desafiando los límites establecidos en el diseño, la creatividad y las epistemologías indígenas.

El objetivo es fortalecer aún más las conexiones entre Aotearoa y Sudamérica a través de la colaboración académica y las prácticas de investigación innovadoras.

6ª Edición

La 6ª Edición de la Conferencia Internacional LINK 2024 tendrá lugar en Sudamérica, presentando los últimos avances en investigación orientada a la práctica desde Aotearoa Nueva Zelanda. Este año, 21 investigadores, entre ellos ocho destacados académicos maoríes, viajarán a Chile y Brasil, inspirándose en el toroa, el albatros que atraviesa el Océano Antártico alimentándose en aguas sudamericanas antes de regresar a Aotearoa para reproducirse. ​ Esta conferencia celebra el espíritu del intercambio cultural, animando a los investigadores a colaborar y compartir conocimientos con los investigadores de Sudamérica. LINK 2024 promoverá el diálogo sobre el intercambio de conocimientos Sur-Sur, desafiando los límites establecidos en el diseño, la creatividad y las epistemologías indígenas. El objetivo es fortalecer aún más las conexiones entre Aotearoa y Sudamérica a través de la colaboración académica y las prácticas de investigación innovadoras. ​ Para dar cabida a una audiencia global cada vez mayor, la conferencia de este año contará con traducción simultánea al portugués, lo que garantizará la accesibilidad a un amplio abanico de participantes. Además, la conferencia se impartirá en un formato híbrido, ofreciendo opciones de participación tanto en persona como en línea para llegar a los asistentes de todo el mundo. Las prácticas de investigación expuestas incluirán un amplio espectro de metodologías, como la cinematografía, la narración, la performance, la fotografía, los antiguos rituales funerarios, la poesía, la animación, el diseño gráfico y la escritura creativa.

LINK 2024 responde al llamamiento más amplio a descolonizar la investigación en la enseñanza superior, comprometiéndose de forma crítica y replanteándose las metodologías de investigación a través de la práctica como indagación. Hace hincapié en la interconexión de las personas y sus entornos, explorando las dimensiones físicas, sociales, emocionales, espirituales e intelectuales de estas relaciones.

Ponencias

Between Pages and Drawings: Unveiling the Cultural Heritage of the Notebooks-Logbooks of the PUCV School of Architecture and Design. Jaime Reyes G. - Archivo Histórico José Vial Armstrong - Escuela de Arquitectura y Diseño PUCV

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you very much for attending this conference.

Next, I will present a heritage research project we are developing and carrying out this year at the José Vial Armstrong Historical Archive, part of the School of Architecture and Design at PUCV.

Abstract This project is dedicated to digitizing, cataloging, and making accessible the notebooks-logbooks of professors from the School of Architecture and Design at PUCV, which are considered cultural heritage. The goal is to broaden access and dissemination of these notebooks, facilitating their study and research. The community involved in this project includes the faculty of the School, who continue the legacy of deceased masters and conduct interdisciplinary studies. We have identified a lack of or difficulty in accessing historical and heritage archives and propose an interactive digital platform to address this limitation.

The objectives of the project include the development of a visualization system, community participation, and contributions to knowledge and cultural enrichment. The methodology involves stages of digitization, image processing, online publication, and platform design. We aim to make the system accessible to a broad audience and contribute to the study of heritage.

Cultural Heritage The notebooks-logbooks of the PUCV School of Architecture and Design, belonging to five deceased masters, are considered cultural heritage due to their originality, diversity, historical continuity, and ability to transmit knowledge. Since 1952, these notebooks have been both an individual and collective practice within the faculty community. They serve as records of creative, academic, disciplinary, and cultural processes, blending poetry with craftsmanship in architecture, design, and the arts.

The content of the notebooks ranges from grocery or phone lists to philosophical reflections and sculpture designs, capturing various aspects of the professors’ lives, work, and studies. Their physical materiality—bound paper—provides a tactile and intimate dimension, establishing a connection to thought and emotion through physical interaction during their review and exploration.

Beyond their historical value, these notebooks are tools for transmitting knowledge and experience, enriching the current education of students and professors in multidisciplinary teams. They are key to building the cultural identity not only of this School and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso but also of the country, the continent, and the world. The professors and the PUCV School of Architecture and Design are recognized as national and international benchmarks in their disciplines.

In summary, the notebooks-logbooks of the PUCV School of Architecture and Design are cultural heritage due to their originality, diversity, historical continuity, materiality, and capacity to transmit interdisciplinary knowledge. They represent a significant part of the history, artistic production, and legacy of the deceased masters, and their study and preservation contribute to the appreciation and understanding of architectural and design culture and heritage in Chile and beyond.

Diagnosis The notebooks-logbooks of the PUCV School of Architecture and Design are currently preserved in the José Vial Armstrong Historical Archive of the School.

Preservation: The notebooks-logbooks are stored in individual envelopes made of acid-free paper. These envelopes are housed in specially designed and constructed acid-free cardboard boxes, kept in a humidity-controlled storage room. They are in an adequate state of preservation.

Risks: These notebooks are standard types commonly available in bookstores or bound by their authors, using regular paper. This means most of the paper was manufactured using industrial processes involving acid bleaching and other chemicals—a practice still widely used today. While this process provides optical properties like good brightness, ideal for reading and printing, it does not prevent the oxidation of cellulose, causing the paper to “yellow” over time. This type of paper is highly susceptible to chemical deterioration, particularly when exposed to UV rays, leading to a loss of mechanical properties—making it fragile and brittle. As a result, direct handling is not recommended.

Project Steps

1. Organization and Cataloging:
The notebooks are classified under the “Founders’ Notebooks Collection” in the “Documents Catalog,” following various criteria in a database. This database includes information such as year, size, materiality, as well as content descriptors, keywords, and metadata.
2. High-Resolution Digitization:
The Archive is equipped with a professional large-format scanner designed for notebooks. Each page of the notebooks is digitized into 600 dpi image files, and PDF files are produced for web viewing.
3. Accessibility:
The digitized notebooks are made available to the public via the AHJVA’s Wiki Casiopea platform. Currently, notebooks from Fabio Cruz, Miguel Eyquem, Jaime Márquez, Manuel Casanueva, and José Balcells are accessible. The Archive holds approximately 800 notebooks-logbooks, spanning from 1952 to the present.
4. Database Matrix Development (Cuadernograma):
A database matrix, named Cuadernograma, is under development, with pilot tests applied to some notebooks.
5. Web Visualization Tool (Cuadernograma):
Cuadernograma, our web visualization tool, is in the design phase and expected to launch in March.

Current Management Plan The Archive follows a comprehensive Management Plan for these materials:

1. High-Resolution Digitization:
To avoid direct handling by non-experts, all notebooks must be digitized in high resolution and properly cataloged according to AHJVA standards. This ensures the creation of high-quality “originals” for exhibitions, studies, research, and printing. The digitization and cataloging are carried out by final-year students from the School of Architecture and Design (e[ad]) at PUCV, who are trained and hired for this task. (The AHJVA continuously trains and employs design and architecture students, who work as assistants for at least two semesters.) Progress is regularly published on Wiki Casiopea.
2. Physical Maintenance:
Each notebook is reviewed for cleaning, re-binding, and removal of metallic elements such as clips or spiral bindings.
3. Fragile Materials Protection:
Pages drawn, painted, or written with fragile materials (e.g., graphite, pastel, wax) are protected with acid-free interleaving paper.
4. Storage:
Notebooks are stored individually in acid-free paper envelopes, properly cataloged and labeled. These envelopes are then kept in specially designed containers.
5. Graduate Research:
Students from the Master’s program in Architecture and Design at e[ad] directly study this heritage collection of notebooks. They also learn about digitization, cataloging, and organization, applying their work to specific content and developing research projects or theses.
6. Digitization Continuity:
The goal is to complete the digitization and availability of all notebooks preserved at the AHJVA, focusing on the works of professors Fabio Cruz, Manuel Casanueva, Jaime Márquez, José Balcells, and Miguel Eyquem.
7. Data Population in the Cuadernograma Matrix:
This matrix categorizes all notebook pages and is an essential part of the visualization system.
8. Notebook-Logbook Visualization System:
The system will provide an interface for browsing and searching through the notebooks.
9. Wiki Casiopea Integration:
All pages are uploaded to Wiki Casiopea using specially designed forms.
10. Online Platform Design and Launch:
The design and publication of the online platform are underway.

Associated Community The community associated with this project is the Faculty of the School of Architecture and Design at PUCV. This is a community of life, work, and study, established in 1952. Since then, most of its founders have passed away, and their legacy has been carried on by new members, who uphold the original spirit while addressing the challenges of each new era. Today, the faculty comprises over 50 members.

This community is not limited to individuals in architecture and design; it also includes experts in sociology, mathematics, physical education, and engineering. It conducts continuous studies, projects, and research through broad interdisciplinary teams in diverse artistic, social, and academic fields in Chile and beyond. Notably, the Faculty of the School is open, welcoming young professors—many of whom are students in the School’s Master’s program—to participate annually in teaching, research, and studies.

Justification The problem that justifies this project is the lack of access and availability of historical and heritage archives for broader segments of society. Although these archives are well-preserved physically, their access is limited to small, specialized groups of users. This restriction prevents the general public from benefiting from the potential contributions these archives could offer to study, knowledge, and artistic-social development.

The project focuses on developing simple yet innovative procedures to connect diverse disciplinary materials, projects, and academic outcomes with society at large. It aims to go beyond the traditional passive exhibition of archives in museums, enabling active interaction with the target audience. The project proposes organizing and categorizing the content of the notebooks-logbooks through a narrative framework that allows users to construct individual content order based on their search interests.

Contributions of the Project:

1. Expanding access and availability of the notebooks-logbooks of locally, nationally, and internationally renowned university professors, including Manuel Casanueva C., José Balcells E., Fabio Cruz P., Jaime Márquez R., and Miguel Eyquem A. This will create opportunities for studying and understanding their works and lives, not only for specialists but also for a broader audience.
2. Promoting active public engagement by allowing individuals to construct their own narrative based on their search interests, fostering greater ownership of the archives and stimulating individual research and exploration.
3. Enhancing the preservation, safeguarding, and revitalization of cultural heritage by highlighting the value of historical and heritage archives, extending their relevance and social impact.

The project’s pertinence and timeliness lie in its commitment to democratizing access to historical and heritage archives and its alignment with the University’s role as an educational and cultural institution. Through innovative and accessible dissemination, the project seeks to benefit a wider audience, fostering education, research, and cultural enrichment for society as a whole.

Objectives

General Objective:

To inventory, catalog, and make accessible the materials identified within the Founders’ Notebooks Collection, part of the José Vial A. Historical Archive of the School of Architecture and Design at PUCV.

Inventory: The notebooks are inventoried by author and year. They are stored in acid-free paper envelopes within specially designed cases, and the inventory includes high-resolution digitization.

Cataloging: A pre-designed category matrix is applied. Categories include typologies, themes, and specific content (objects).

Accessibility: An interactive online visualization system for the notebooks-logbooks, called the Cuadernograma.

Specific Objectives:

• Design and implement an interactive digital platform providing in-depth access to the notebooks-logbooks, enabling exploration and visualization of relationships, connections, and specific objects within them. This will compress temporal distances and reorganize content.
• Allow visitors and the general public to access and interact dynamically, attractively, and personally with the contents of the notebooks-logbooks.
• Ensure the digital platform’s quality and accessibility, making it user-friendly and available on any internet-connected device.

Methodologies

The general objective is achieved through the following methodologies:

• Step 1: Notebook Digitization. Each page of every notebook is digitized using a professional scanner specialized for notebooks, ensuring high-resolution images (600 dpi, TIFF format).
• Step 2: Image Processing. Scanned images are optimized for online viewing. Individual pages are tagged with category fields defined in the matrix, combined into lightweight PDFs preserving visual quality.
• Step 3: Initial Publication. PDF versions of the notebooks are published on the Wiki Casiopea platform, organized by author and chronology.
• Step 4: Category Matrix Design. The matrix includes categories for typologies (binding, sizes, etc.), themes (classes, writings, drawings, sketches), and content (specific projects, travels, etc.).
• Step 5: Visualization Platform Design and Programming. The digital system’s design incorporates data generated in earlier stages. Each page links to one or more themes and types, enabling the exploration of specific topics, relationships, and individual notebooks or the complete collection.
• Step 6: Online Publication. The system will be accessible from the Wiki Casiopea platform, the School of Architecture and Design’s official website, and any device (computers, smartphones, tablets).

Key Milestones:

1. Development and publication of an interactive visualization system for the notebooks-logbooks of Manuel Casanueva C., Fabio Cruz P., Miguel Eyquem A., Jaime Márquez R., and José Balcells E.
2. Accessibility of the system to a wide audience, including students, professors, architects, designers, artists, archivists, and the general public.
3. Inclusion of approximately 50,000 pages (every page has 2 faces, so the real number is about 80.000 sheets) from 800 notebooks spanning 1952 to 2020, providing new insights into the works and lives of these masters. “Unfortunately, the notebooks will keep piling up because many members of this community are getting older, and after we die, our families will call the Archive saying: ‘Would it be possible for you to take care of all these boxes?’”
4. Involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in the project, fostering collaboration and enriching the visualization system.
5. Potential replication of the system for other archival collections, leveraging the capacities of the José Vial A. Historical Archive at low costs in academic and public archives.
6. Contribution to the study, analysis, and storytelling of the notebooks-logbooks, offering a powerful tool for research and knowledge dissemination.

Work Protocol with the Associated Community Before the final publication of the visualization and search platform, a validation meeting will be convened with the associated community. During this meeting, the final results will be presented, and final approval of the platform will be requested.

The community will have the opportunity to review and evaluate the platform, perform usability tests, and provide suggestions or necessary modifications before its official launch.

Final approval by the community will be essential to ensure the quality, relevance, and alignment of the platform with the project objectives and the needs of the associated community.

This work protocol establishes a close and active collaboration between the project team and the community associated with the proposed cultural heritage. The aim is to ensure participation, representativeness, and collective decision-making at every stage of the project, from the definition of categories to the final approval of results.

The goal is to ensure that the project faithfully reflects the interests, knowledge, and perspectives of the community and that the benefits and contributions generated by the project are shared and valued by all community members.

Applied Use of the Project for Safeguarding, Revitalization, and Preservation An applied use of the project for the safeguarding, revitalization, and preservation of the proposed cultural heritage would be the creation of a comprehensive and detailed knowledge base on the notebooks-logbooks of the PUCV School of Architecture and Design.

The knowledge obtained through the research and study of these notebooks could address various issues related to the preservation and appreciation of cultural heritage, such as:

Conservation and Restoration:
Insights gained from studying the notebooks-logbooks would help identify the materials and techniques used in their creation. This knowledge would be valuable for developing appropriate conservation and restoration strategies to ensure the long-term preservation of these documents. Archive Management:
Research on the notebooks-logbooks could inform best practices for managing historical and heritage archives. Efficient methods of cataloging, organizing, and storing the notebooks could be identified, as well as protocols for public access and availability.

Research and Education:
The knowledge derived from the notebooks-logbooks would serve as an invaluable resource for researchers, academics, and students in the fields of architecture, design, and the arts. These documents could be a reference for academic studies, research projects, and theses, enriching the understanding of the history and evolution of these disciplines.

Digital Visualization and Search Platform:
The platform would provide broad, dynamic access to these documents, allowing detailed and personalized exploration, overcoming the physical limitations of traditional museum or archive exhibitions. Users could navigate through different categories, themes, and specific content, establishing connections and relationships between pages and notebooks.

Awareness and Advocacy:
The research and study of the notebooks-logbooks could help raise awareness of the importance of preserving and valuing cultural heritage. By showcasing the richness and diversity of these documents, the project could foster greater awareness and commitment from the community, institutions, and authorities to protect and safeguard cultural heritage.

The practical application of the knowledge obtained from studying the notebooks-logbooks could be implemented concretely in the conservation, management, research, appreciation, and dissemination of cultural heritage. These applications would address specific challenges related to the safeguarding, revitalization, and preservation of this heritage, promoting its appreciation while enriching the understanding of culture and the legacy of the deceased masters.

Closing Remarks: To conclude, I would like to share with you a very brief video showcasing the experiences we have developed with current students in the practice and use of notebook-logbooks across various courses within our School’s curriculum.

My deepest and sincerest gratitude to architect Francisca Oñate, whose post graduate studies, boundless enthusiasm, intelligence, and commitment have been the main pillar of this project’s development. And also Natalia Duimovic here present, whose master’s thesis deals with the contents of these notebooks-logbooks.”

Thank you for your attention and participation. It has been an honor to share our work and vision with you. I hope this presentation inspires further discussions and collaborations in the preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage.

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