Page 123 - Proceedings Collega2023

heritage encompasses social, cultural, environmental and physical environments (Fairclough & Herring,
2016).

Heritage documentation is an approach to preserve and protect a landscape’s cultural qualities.
Through documentation, the attributes and values of the landscape can be recorded to aid conservation
efforts and land-use planning decisions and to propose specific sites to be of national or international
importance (Whitlock et al., 2017). Output from the documentation can also be displayed and published
to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the public towards cultural and natural diversity. From this,
people can learn about the various customs, traditions, belief systems and geographical factors that have
shaped the landscape and our surrounding environment (Feng et al., 2021). Observations and learnings
from these documents can expose students to the relationships between culture, the environment, and
society and have more appreciation towards the need to preserve landscape heritage. The intercultural
understanding gained from learning about heritage and conducting heritage studies can become a
platform for students to sharpen their critical thinking, analytical skills, and understanding of landscapes'
complex and dynamic processes (Butler, 2016).

Developing instruments and tools is the first step for data collection in heritage documentation.
The selection of instruments and tools would depend on the nature of the heritage sites, the objective of
the documentation and the expected output. Researchers and students can use analogue techniques,
digital techniques or a combination of both. Traditional or analogous techniques may include conducting
interviews, surveys, measuring and tracing the artefacts or sites, modelling using clay and plaster, manual
mapping and drawings based on observations. From interviews, researchers can gather oral data from
locals, stakeholders and caretakers of the heritage sites to document intangible data or narratives that
may not be physically visible on site. Oral histories and cultural practices give insights into the site’s
significance to the place, the people, the nation and even the world (Pragnell et al., 2010). On the other
hand, digital techniques may include remote sensing methods, geographic information systems (GIS), and
three-dimensional modelling (Doan & Yakar, 2018). Digital techniques have the advantage of accumulating
and processing extensive data that can be analysed in various ways. More complex analyses and
simulations can also be done using digital data, offering broader potential in heritage documentation.
An exhibition is a common method to display facts and findings about the heritage of a place.
Museums and galleries exhibit displays in various forms to offer an immersive experience for the visitors
to raise their awareness and appreciation towards the values of cultural and natural heritage (Poria et al.,
2010). Material and immaterial representations of history are curated as a storyline to give visitors an
interactive and visual experience of the heritage. Exhibitions are the physical space where the public can
learn about the site's historical, cultural, and environmental importance and promote a sense of pride
among the locals (Santoro et al., 2020). In tourism, exhibitions, whether temporary, seasonal or
permanent, can foster the local economy by attracting tourists to the area (Gkoltsiou et al., 2021). Through
these narratives, exhibitions become one of the ways to support the protection of heritage by advocating
knowledge, awareness and appreciation of the public towards the values of heritage.

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