The artistic inclination goes into a digital world: from now on, a digital guide will offer places to commemorate mining. A multimedia application on this topic has now been introduced by the city.
Showcasing the hypothetical extension of the artistic inclination, which preserves the traditions and culture of mining, the “Memorial Blumenthal” project comes to an end. It started in November 2020 with funding from the Ministry of the Interior, Construction, Municipal Affairs and Equality of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the #heimatruhr programme.
“The tradition of mining is deeply rooted in our urban community,” said Mayor Christoph Tisch. “I expressly welcome the fact that the new app gives the Art of Mel a virtual companion with many places to remember. I am sure this will appeal to young citizens in particular and encourage them to engage with this part of the history of our homeland in Recklinghausen.”
The alleged web application is located under https://recklinghausen.kunstmeile.app It can be accessed from any device connected to the Internet. One advantage: citizens don’t even have to download it. Once you start the application, you can go on a virtual sightseeing tour to the places of mining memory of the artistic mile. The director of the museum, Dr. talk. “Through the digital display, we can now bring the younger generation closer to the story below and above the earth, and also offer everyone still familiar with the old way a fresh look at what’s already familiar.”
Augmented reality is also possible
Selected locations are marked with points that you can click. This provides information about the public Blumenthal mine and uses historical photographs and maps to show what the sites looked like at the time of mining. One of the most notable options is the “Augmented Reality” option in German: Augmented Reality: For example, a passerby in the locomotive shed could use a smartphone to use a faithfully reproduced locomotive. The locomotive can be placed almost directly on the technical tilt.
The project manager, Dr. Joanna Bate Lohf. “The easy-to-use GPS control system shows future cyclists and pedestrians where they are and at the same time provides interesting information about the history of Recklinghausen at this location.”
In the art project Blumenthal Memory, the underpass on the artistic mile between Herner Strasse and Kurt Schumacher-Ale has evolved into a monument to the walls of the public mines Blumenthal 1, 2 and 6 with motifs from the history of mining – based on original photographs provided by the Blumenthal General History Collection. This wall art is also now illustrated in the app.
Collaboration between miners and artists
The aim of the government funding was to create a town in Recklinghausen. It worked. The cooperation between the former miners and artists has been active and has exceeded expectations. The popularity of the work by many bystanders shows that participatory projects can be successful in public spaces.
It is clear that the match for the motives exists. Many citizens still vividly remember the mine. It was a matter of concern from the historical community that this particular memory of the Blumenthal mine would be preserved. The place now goes through a small piece of the great mining history that Recklinghausen so shaped. The app also provides fun opportunities to draw attention to this material culture.
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