Editorial

This is our first issue in 2024 and the first Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture issue published as Open Access. This is big news for the journal with a long history as a subscription-based edition, which kept most of its articles behind the paywall. Starting with the issue 53-1 for 2024, all articles in PDT&C will be published as Open Access, under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY, as the journal is successfully transferred to Diamond Open Access by its publisher De Gruyter. There is more on this transfer and the corresponding Subscribe-to-Open (S20) model later in this text.

For the Vol. 53, No. 1 issue, PDT&C offers to the global readership four articles and one book review.

Our first article in this issue is “Genesis, features and prospects for the development of digital fashion” by Liana Biliakovych (National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts, Ukraine), Lilia Derman (Dragomanov Ukrainian State University, Kyiv), Svitlana Oborska (Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Ukraine), Oksana Naumenko (National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts, Ukraine) and Alina Vovk (Dragomanov Ukrainian State University, Kyiv). This article aims to analyse the development of digital fashion in the fashion and design industry, with both strands increasingly relying on digital technologies such as virtual avatars, virtual worlds, NFTs and interactive software platforms for the promotion of their products and brands. The role of the NFT platform, Metaverse and other virtual fashion distribution centres is growing, opening up new opportunities for the commercial use of digital fashion, such as virtual exhibitions, with the key aspects of digital fashion including digital design, online clothing sales, virtual fitting rooms, digital interaction between brands and consumers and the use of augmented reality. This research also identifies several ethical issues related to the protection of intellectual property in digital reality, which could be also observed within the digital preservation of information and content in a rapidly changing virtual realm that attracts huge public attention due to the importance of fashion in popular culture. The article contributes to the academic debate on digital technologies and sustainable development, as digital fashion is proving to be a potentially environmentally attractive trend in reducing the environmental impact, at least in the context of not using material resources for the production of clothing. The authors conclude that contemporary digital fashion is in a phase of intense development and innovation, and this process is predicted to continue at least until the end of this decade. It is expected that the breadth and depth of digital technologies in fashion will continue to expand, which may include increasing integration with other digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, and expanded influence on all stages of the fashion process, from design and production to consumption.

Biyas Ghosh (National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property Lucknow, India), Rajdeo Singh (National Museum Institute New Delhi, India) and Madhuri Sawant (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, India) are authors of the article “Digital Technology: a step to protect cave art of Indian subcontinent as National Heritage – a Review”. The topic of preserving prehistoric or ancient art for the future, such as cave art in India in this case, through the use of digital technology, is increasingly capturing the attention of both researchers and practitioners working in the cultural heritage sector. This article deliberates on the use and application of digital technology in the field of cave painting conservation that provides an authentic and effective method of preserving cave art for the future. Virtual reality, seen here as an integrated combination of digital technologies, proves itself as a pivotal tool in preserving and sharing the rich cultural heritage found within cave art sites, with the authors analysing several examples of cave art found in various Indian states, their chronology stretching from the Upper Palaeolithic era to historic times, and the possibility of using digital technology techniques for their conservation and preservation. The authors put specific attention on recording digital images of cave art, but with a sense of keeping the physical and aesthetic characteristics of the originals as much as possible in digital copies. Some examples of successful cave art digital preservation stories are part of this study, including Mogao Grotto in China, where virtual reality helps in combating the extensive cultural tourism and visitor related damage, which shows the significance of leveraging digital tools to ensure the enduring legacy of cave art.

Zoë Abigail Teel (University of North Texas, USA) authored an article entitled “Artificial Intelligence’s Role in Digitally Preserving Historic Archives”. As the author stated, the approach behind this paper is to explore the synergy of artificial intelligence (AI) and archival research, examining how these two domains interact. Thus, this paper explores the emerging trend of incorporating AI technology into preservation practices and provides predictions regarding the transformative role of artificial intelligence in preservation for the future. The paper provides an analysis of how AI would make preserving documents digitally easier, with a comprehensive literature review on the topic and a discussion that follows. The author puts in relation increasingly permeating public consciousness about AI and the position of cultural and academic institutions towards it, particularly in universities and libraries where this trend is becoming quite visible in the last few years. For this reason it is important to better understand AI’s impact on the digital preservation of documents and material kept in libraries, museums and archives, where digital preservation is already well-established and a permanent activity. Many preservation methods are costly and involve a lot of manual work, which is also mostly true with digital preservation methods, at least regarding the overall processes of digitally preserving and maintaining preserved material available and usable in the long-term. As AI is seen today as the catalyst for transformation, it is necessary to redefine the process of (digital) preservation in the context of using the AI and the change which it brings, as suggested by the author. The article concludes with recommendations regarding using artificial intelligence in the everyday practice of cultural heritage institutions and their specific needs, with an inevitable assessment of the ethical implications. As the author notes, AI carries both advantageous and detrimental consequences, particularly concerning issues such as bias and privacy.

“Revitalizing Indigenous Knowledge Systems via Digital Media Technologies for Sustainability of Indigenous Languages” by Yusuf Ayodeji Ajani (University of Ilorin, Nigeria), Bolaji David Oladokun (Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, Nigeria), Shuaib Agboola Olarongbe (University of Ilorin, Nigeria), Margaret Nkechi Amaechi (Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria), Nafisa Rabiu and Musediq Tunji Bashorun (both University of Ilorin, Nigeria) is our last article in this issue. Researchers throughout the world have for years been paying a lot of attention to using digital technologies for the preservation of indigenous knowledge and culture, particularly languages, and this contribution fits within such a group of research papers. It is no wonder that globalisation is observed as a challenge for indigenous language preservation and promotion in the world being increasingly dominated by several “big” languages and cultures built upon them. The authors see digital media technology as a pivotal tool for preservation of indigenous languages with their rich cultural, historical and ecological value, as well as their capacity of preserving unique knowledge systems and identities. The article also examines various digital tools and applications that facilitate preservation, emphasising their accessibility and engagement; these include tools for the documentation and archiving of indigenous languages and utilising audio and video recording devices alongside digital storage and preservation systems which enables the capture and preservation of oral traditions, songs, stories and other linguistic resources in high-quality formats. The creation of digital archives ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of indigenous language materials for future generations, mitigating the risk of their loss due to physical deterioration or cultural disruption. This article presents examples of digital tools and applications for indigenous knowledge preservation in several African countries, as well as collaborative efforts towards the sustainability of indigenous knowledge preservation. It concludes by addressing prospects and challenges in indigenous language preservation, with a list of recommendations in respect of community-led initiatives, partnership between libraries, academia, technology companies and indigenous organisations, and investments in digital literacy training and infrastructure development that can empower communities to actively participate in digital preservation initiatives and ensure the long-term viability of indigenous knowledge.

This issue included a review of the proceedings from the International Conference Digital Performing Arts – Participatory Practices in a Digital Age, which was organised in a hybrid form, from April 6 to 8, 2022, written by Svjetlana Pravdić (University of Arts in Belgrade). The collection of papers presented during the conference was included in the publication of the same title, edited by Aleksandar Dundjerović and Ivan Pravdić, and published as proceedings of themed essays by the University of Arts in Belgrade in 2023. The goal of the conference, to gather professionals and artists worldwide to present their experiences and ideas of digital arts and performance, is clearly transferred within this publication, allowing various experiences, practices and theories to be examined by researchers throughout the world. Many of the 15 chapters in the book deal with the transition of live work and performance to digital and online platforms, as well as with the diversity of digital expressions and plurality that digital arts can reach, thus showing “that we live in a high time of mutualism” between people and technology.

Starting in 2024, Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture will be transferred to Diamond Open Access on a year-by-year basis. All articles will thus immediately appear under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY, with no publication costs for the authors. The Open Access transformation is based on Subscribe-to-Open,^[1] an alternative model that enables the full Open Access transformation of journals through the continuation of existing subscriptions, with the prerequisite for successful transformation that subscriptions are continued to the same extent as before. Subscribe to Open is an alternative approach towards transitioning subscription-based journals into open access, which plays a key role in De Gruyter’s open access transformation strategy. The editors of PDT&C and the publisher De Gruyter would therefore like to thank all subscribers for their support, which has made the transformation to Open Access possible.