Belongings: a tangible interface for intangible cultural heritage

Belongings is an interactive tabletop using a tangible user interface to explore intangible cultural heritage. The table was designed for the [see PDF], the city before the city exhibition. This exhibition is a partnership of three major institutions in Vancouver, BC, exploring the significant ancient village site on which part of Vancouver was built, as well as Musqueam culture and community today. The tabletop uses replicas of Musqueam belongings excavated from [see PDF], as well as contemporary objects that are a part of everyday Musqueam life to access information about the long history of salmon fishing and the continuity of related knowledge at [see PDF]. The design of [see PDF] -- Belongings highlights the tensions between fragmentation and continuity that are central to discussions of access and preservation of intangible cultural heritage in the digital age. In this paper we discuss the tangible tabletop interface as a response to the desire to reconnect fragmented collections and physical belongings from [see PDF] with Musqueam intangible cultural knowledge.