The Dolomites take on hashtags: rather than just closing down, in times of coronavirus, museums work as a network

The #DolomitesMuseums campaign is now in its third week, and will continue until 12 April: also in the Dolomites #laCulturaNonsiFerma (#CultureDoesn’tStop), contributing to the #ioRestoaCasa (#IStayHome) appeal, but still allowing us all to discover our heritage through the digital channels.

The difficult weeks that we are living have driven museums all over Italy to test new methods to share their collections on the Internet. With the #DolomitesMuseum campaign, the museums of the Dolomites are among the most active on the Web. The storytelling initiative promoted by the “Museums of the Dolomites” project of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation has, in just three weeks, gathered 130 stories and 300 digital resources from all the territories of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. In addition to museums, cultural organisations and natural parks – for a total of 30 institutions – many network users are also taking part in the storytelling, sharing their experiences on countryside related issues.

Storytelling starts on the social channels of the Dolomites museums, and is later on re-proposed by the DOLOM.IT virtual museum, inside themed galleries and interactive maps that bring all the contributions together. From vintage images and photos, to short videos that show museum items, from contemporary testimonials of the inhabitants of the Dolomites, to suggestions of itineraries that tell us how the heritage is distributed across the territory. The variety of contents and proposals that the #Dolomites Museum campaign is bringing to life is extremely rich, and a demonstration of the great vitality of the museum community of the Dolomites.

Below are the first three interactive maps and a participation guide.

#dolomitesmuseum: the first three interactive maps

#mountainrites

#mountainrites is a journey through traditions passed from generation to generation, sacred and profane rituals, mythical and legendary figures that show us a picture that is continuously changing and evolving. During this journey across time and space, one can discover the fundamental characteristics of all the rites: their capability of changing over time, to move from one place to another, taking on elements from other cultures.

#inclinedliving

#inclinedliving helps us to discover how during the times sloping grounds have been not just obstacles, but also reasons for new inventions, innovative solutions and opportunities. From tools used to adapt to life at high altitudes, to economic activities connected with sports, museums remind us of the important qualities of mountain people: resistance to fatigue and the capability of finding solutions to obstacles: extremely important characteristics, particularly during difficult times such as the current ones.

#handsinstone

#handsinstone reveals the incredible dynamism of such an apparently inert element as stone. In the hands of mankind, stone has taken on different meanings and functions: the casket for many scientific and archaeological discoveries, and a continuous economic resource; primary element of mountain architecture and a creative matter for the arts, which helps us to reflect about contemporaneity.

How to take part

Taking part in the campaign is very easy! Simply publish your experience relating to the weekly topic on your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account, making sure to include in your post the two hashtags: the weekly topic hashtag and the #DolomitesMuseum hashtag. All the published content will be gathered by the project team and proposed as part of interactive maps and photo galleries, where it will be possible to explore all the stories distributed across the territory. A summary of these tales will also be published at the end of every week: many of them are in fact similar to each other, giving us the chance to appreciate how different territories can be affected by similar dynamics. In all this, the heritage and the landscape of the Dolomites become strong unifying elements that overcome the administrative boundaries.

At the end of the campaign, there will be seven interactive maps and themed galleries, which will enable to discover the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites from the comfort of the home. The first three are already online, but participation to this storytelling initiative is still possible. In the next few weeks, #DolomitesMuseum will continue with four more hashtags: #beyondthepass, dealing with mobility; #sportsculture, telling the story of mountain sports; #differentimes, regarding the different perception of time in the Dolomites; #dolomiteschange, which will discuss the desires for change for this World Heritage territory.