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The representation of cultural heritage is an activity characterized by the superimposition of practices that often show a stratified diachronic development: the persistence of consolidated analog methodologies and the unstoppable advance of digital strategies progressively enrich the debate with new considerations. In this context, it is necessary to be able to guide research and practice. The debate cannot be limited to a simple opposition between tradition and innovation, but must be able to explore the synergies, tensions, and potential that emerge from their dialogue.
The modalities of contemporary drawing offer particularly relevant interpretative tools for addressing the complexities related to the reading, analysis, and transmission of heritage. Among these, the literature includes interpretations of various types of representation that reject a unique and prescriptive vision of reality, valuing indeterminacy as a cognitive opportunity. These approaches allow heritage to be presented as an open system, rich in multiple perspectives, capable of establishing a dynamic relationship between the ‘drawer’ and the ‘user’. This dimension leaves room for ambiguity, an aspect traditionally seen as a limitation, but which becomes a resource for probing latent possibilities and alternative scenarios.
In parallel, we identify representation methods capable of acting with promptness and ingenuity within the constantly changing contexts of a diversified heritage, open to different levels of reading. These are design methods based on an adaptive intelligence, capable of tackling complex situations without resorting to rigid schemes. This operational modality is distinguished by its effectiveness in finding original and strategic solutions both in conditions of resource scarcity, where the economy of means becomes essential, and in high-tech scenarios, where it is fundamental to avoid waste and overload.
This call for papers invites researchers to reflect on how these approaches inform and transform the practices of documentation, analysis, and communication of cultural heritage according to different technological levels. The goal is to promote a critical reflection on analog-digital integration, understood not as a linear process but as an opportunity to build a more rigorous and, at the same time, more open cognitive framework, in a constant dialogue between the ‘intelligible dimension’ and the ‘sensible dimension’.
Session overview
/ Analogic Levels
This session is dedicated to the analysis of analogic representation practices, with a focus on their practical ingenuity and interpretive plurality. The aim is to highlight the intelligence of the hand and the cognitive value of analog tools as foundational elements of a process that, while preceding the digital era, continues to inform its developments, opening up multiple levels of reading and understanding.
Areas of interest for paper submissions include:
Illustration as a tool for inquiry based on intuition and openness to different interpretations, such as hand drawing, analog photographs, and physical models.
Polysemy and interpretive richness in archival research and the critical analysis of historical, iconographic, and cartographic sources.
Traditional survey methodologies as an act of practical knowledge and a critical synthesis of reality.
/ Digital Levels
This session explores digital methodologies through a dual approach. On the one hand, it analyzes low-tech strategies, which leverage ingenuity to maximize scientific results with accessible and low-cost technologies. On the other, it investigates high-tech approaches, aimed at managing advanced technologies flexibly to ensure that significant investments produce scientifically valid outcomes, moving beyond purely deterministic approaches.
Areas of interest for paper submissions include:
The development of methodologies based on open-source software and low-cost tools for heritage documentation and analysis.
Methodologies for defining digital models for the management of informational complexity and the construction of multiple scenarios.
Artificial Intelligence for data classification, semantization, and the critical evaluation of results and their potential different readings.
/ Hybrid Levels
This session is focused on experiences where forms of automation and digitization originate from – or are hybridized with – analogic representations. These synergistic strategies require the development of new and specific critical skills for their correct management and interpretation.
Areas of interest for paper submissions include:
Digital fabrication for the creation of physical models and the philological reconstruction of historical artifacts.
The development of interactive digital platforms for the use and immersive, exploratory experience of cultural heritage.
Creative solutions for digital storytelling, such as infographics, and virtual tours.
The transposition of analog techniques into digital environments, highlighting continuities and transformations in representational practices.
Paper Submission
The final contributions will be drafted according to the following specifications:
Text (min. 15,000 characters, max. 30,000 characters excluding abstract, bibliography and notes) + 11 images (including 1 cover image) to be written according to the editorial standards for texts.
The contribution must specify which of the following sessions it belongs to:
Analogic Levels
Digital Levels
Hybrid Levels
For the drafting of the final contributions, reference will be made to the standards and templates made available in the Call / 2025 section of the www.explorauid.com portal.
Publication
All final contributions, selected through a double-blind peer review process, will be published in volume with ISBN (publisher PUBLICA) and international scientific committee. The volume will be made available in the form of an ebook, in open access, on the publishing platform PUBLICA Sharing Knowledge.
International study day, exhibition and sharing of results
The authors of the selected contributions will participate in the international study day, which will be held online on May 15, 2026. A selection of the graphic contributions will be presented in a virtual exhibition space set up for the event.
Key dates
Call for papers / September 9, 2025
Full papers submission / December 15, 2025
Contribution acceptance notification / January 15, 2026
Definitive delivery of the documents / March 15, 2026
International Study Day / May 15, 2026 (online - to be confirmed)
Publication of the proceedings / September 2026
Costs
Participation in the international study day and the publication of contributions in the proceedings do not include costs for the authors. The initiative is entirely financed by the eXplora Association.
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