John Tolva

This presentation addresses the evolution of the technologies of virtual representation in the cultural milieu. Using project case studies from a decade of experience in this field, the presentation brings to the fore the ways in which these technologies both enforce and challenge traditional ideas of what a museum is or should be. The paper examines the evolution of simple virtual representation to modeled reconstruction and deconstruction and thence to virtual replacement of artifacts in situ at their point of creation or discovery. The presentation concludes with a look forward to the concept of massively multi-user virtual community spaces that permit a participatory experience of virtual cultural heritage.

Tolva is the Senior Program Manager at IBM at their Chicago Innovation Center, where he leads up various initiatives including one which advises cities how to incorporate data analytics into planning and operations. In 2006 he was honored as one of ’40 Under 40’ in the business community by Crain’s Chicago Business. Tolva received an MS in Information Design and Technology from Georgia Tech in 1998.

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