DIGINV – Digital Invasions for the promotion of cultural heritage is a two-year Erasmus+ project carried out by organizations from Belgium (All Digital), Cyprus (Cyprus Computer Society), Croatia (Centre of Technical Culture Rijeka), Italy (Municipality of Bevagna – the project holder and the organization Digital Invasions ), Hungary (Regional Telecottages Public Association of South Hungarian Plain) and Malta (Malta Communications Authority).

The goal of the project is the exchange of good practices for involving citizens in the expansion and care of cultural heritage. The project is based on the method of digital invasions developed by project partners from Italy (Digital Invasions organization). The aim of the digital invasion is to “conquer” the space of cultural heritage (museum, gallery, exhibition, monument, etc.) for a certain period, and by engaging the “conqueror” on social networks (using hashtags), and thus raise awareness of the cultural heritage of the local community. The method relies on the use of smartphones and social networks, and one of the reasons for developing this method was the fact that some museums do not allow photography of their exhibits, which creates a closed image of the institution in the public and results in less visitation of such an institution. With a digital invasion, the invaders conquer the territory of the museum for one day and break such rules.

The specific goals of the project are to improve the digital, communication and managerial skills of cultural workers in order to become better promoters for the inclusion of citizens in the process of valorization of local cultural heritage; improving the digital skills of citizens involved in an informal methodology that uses technology to promote historical/artistic/cultural interests; and strengthening cooperation between city administrations, bodies for cultural heritage management, museums and civil society organizations.

The main result of the project is a video guide that will explain in detail the methodology of digital invasions, and will be available to all organizations that are interested in implementing the methodology in their local community. Along with the video, a report will be created that will provide insight into the practical application of the methodology in order to make it as easily applicable to different contexts and locations.

As part of the project, each organization will hold one digital invasion in its community. CTC Rijeka will organize a seven-day invasion in April 2020 in cooperation with the Natural History Museum of Rijeka, the Kombinat Creative Collective, the Praputnjak Association – Cultural Landscape and the Association for the Development of Art, Culture and Education, RUKE.

The project DIGINV – Digital Invasions for promotion of cultural heritage is financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ program.