The sixth date in our “Conversations in the Curia” series is entirely dedicated to the topic of digital storytelling and the art of engagement.

In the interests of making the most of our time after this past year of pandemic, we’re looking at two different books this week.

I Musei e le forme dello storytelling digitale (Museums and Forms of Digital Storytelling), published at the heart of the pandemic in June 2020, is the latest work of Elisa Bonacini, archaeologist specialized in cultural communication with new technologies and regional coordinator for Sicily for the annual event Invasioni Digitali. In her book, the author illustrates the host of different experiences adopted by museums and throughout the cultural world, examining the following 14 types of storytelling: oral, written, video, visual, animated, interactive, immersive, social media storytelling, participatory, generative, geo-storytelling, multimedia mobile storytelling, cross-media and transmedia.

L’Arte del coinvolgimento (The art of engagement), published in 2017, is practically required reading for anyone wishing to enter into the world of gamification. Fabio Viola, scientific director of area gaming at Florence’s Scuola Internazione di Comics, considered one of the most influential gamification designers in the world, and Vincenzo Idone Cassone, professor of social semiotics of design at Turin’s IAAD (Istituto d’arte applicata e design), have foreseen the next frontier of the concept of engagement, identifying video games as a primary source of entertainment. The authors explore the intersection between game design, behavioral science and innovation to provide the tools necessary to implement the mechanics and dynamics of engagement in a wide variety of contexts: finance, health, education, work, shopping, urban planning and much more.

Speaking about the latest digital frontiers and how best to “engage” the public in a museum setting, the PArCo is pleased to welcome:

Ludovico Solima, professor of economics and business management and head of the cultural industries management department at “L. Vanvitelli” University of Campania and professor of museum management at Suor Orsola Benincasa University in Naples. In one of his most recent publications, Management per le imprese culturali (Management for Cultural Industries), professor Solima focuses on the impact of technology on management of the cultural sector, considering the role played by social media, virtual and augmented reality, gaming, 3D printing and much more.

Stefano Borghini, Parco archeologico del Colosseo architect, project manager for multimedia development and virtual reconstruction of the Domus Aurea, Domus Tranistoria, House of Augustus and Livia, Santa Maria Antiqua.