February 24, 2020 – This week CyArk is in Rapa Nui also known as Easter island working with local partners to preserve and promote the islands cultural heritage. Since 2017 CyArk has worked with Ma’u Henua and the Chilean Monuments commission to digitally document threatened archaeological sites on the island. This trip builds on previous expeditions in December 2017 and January 2019 and will result in the re-documentation of a site being affected by erosion and a strategic planning workshop on digital documentation for the island.
Digital documentation is a powerful tool for site managers as it not only provides an accurate point in time record but can also be used to monitor changes and as a tool to communicate with the community. CyArk is excited to partner with local groups and further support their efforts in building a robust monitoring program to protect the islands unique cultural heritage that is being increasingly impacted by a changing climate. By adding strict survey control at sites, island archaeologists will be able to monitor even small millimetric changes in the future.
This trip was made possible through the generous support of the US State Department in Santiago.
CyArk will organize a free event for the community on Friday the 28th of February at 15:00 at the Centro Lector Katipare in Rapa Nui.
To learn more about CyArk’s work in Rapa Nui with local partners to raise awareness about the challenges from climate change check out our Heritage on the Edge project with Google Arts and Culture and ICOMOS.
About CyArk
CyArk is a non profit organization founded in 2003 to digitally record, archive and share the world’s cultural heritage and ensure that these places continue to inspire wonder and curiosity for decades to come. Since inception we have recorded over 200 monuments on all 7 continents. We assist those who work to manage and preserve these sites by providing engineering drawings and detailed maps to assist in critical conservation work and active management. We archive the data using state of the art processes to ensure that this data continues to be available in a disaster recovery scenario, tomorrow or decades in the future. And we strive to share this data in powerful ways, including truly immersive experiences that convey the power of these places, transporting users that may never have a chance to experience them and inspiring others to make the journey.