Digital Journey across Musical Places in Europe and Extended Realities
Acronym: PlaceMUS XR
Description
The PlaceMUS XR project aims to design and develop innovative digital tools, integrated within the ECCCH platform (European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage) developed by ECHOES (European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science), to foster a deeper understanding of the places and objects of music in Europe and their historical, cultural, and artistic contexts. Through applications of virtual and augmented reality, the project offers an engaging and interactive experience to a diverse audience. These places will be embedded within a network of historical, cultural, artistic, and temporal relationships linked to the world of music, narrated through a multisensory digital journey — a heritage of material and immaterial information, sounds, images, spaces, figures, and events. The project will be implemented through relevant case studies, chosen for the diversity of their themes and audiences. At the same time, digital tools will be developed to enable the creation and integration of new contents and paths in the future, and to support curators to design and implement sound experiences in museums.
Project information
- Funded by: European Union
- Call: HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-04
- Grant Agreement n. 101233325
- Start date: 1 October 2025
- End date: 29 settembre 2029
- ISPC Scientific coordinator: Eva Pietroni
- Project Leader: CNR ISPC
- Partners: Fondazione Changes, IT; CNRS – Modèles et simulations pour l’Architecture et le Patrimoine (MAPS), FR; University of Tours – Centre d’études supérieures de la Renaissance (CESR), FR; Mezzo Forte SAS, FR; The Open University – The Music Computing Lab, UK; Hangvető Zenei Terjesztő Társulás Kft., HU; Nnle Folklife Georgia, GE; 3D Research SRL, IT; SD Cinematografica IT; Politechnika Krakowska PL; Museo dei Violino di Cremona, IT (Associated Partner); Comune di Bologna-Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica, IT, (Associated Partner); Ministero della Cultura, Complesso Monumentale e Biblioteca dei Girolamini, IT, (Associated Partner)
- Funding: € 3,967,333.26
- Project website →
PlaceMUS XR has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-04, Grant Agreement n. 101233325.
News & Eventi
2nd IEEE International Conference on Cyber Humanities
MuSITech Workshop
Contextualising Musical Heritage and Historical Soundscapes Through Digital Technologies
September 7–9, 2026 | Venice, Italy | Hybrid event
This workshop aims to explore how innovative digital technologies can enhance our understanding and valorisation of places and objects related to the musical heritage by situating them within their historical, cultural, artistic, and social contexts.
Musical heritage sites and objects are presented within a network of temporal, cultural, artistic, and geographical relationships, creating multisensory narrative pathways that combine material and immaterial dimensions: sounds, images, spaces, figures, and events. The workshop aims to showcase significant case studies selected for the variety of their themes and target audiences, highlighting the potential of immersive VR and AR technologies for interpreting and enhancing musical heritage.
In parallel, the workshop will discuss digital tools designed to support the creation, integration, and future expansion of new content and experiential pathways, as well as to assist curators, researchers, and cultural professionals in developing sound-based experiences within museums and other heritage environments.
The call for papers is open!
PlaceMUS XR Kick-off Meeting: two days of exchange and vision at the Museo del Violino
November 18-19, 2025 | Museo del Violino, Cremona, Italy
The inaugural meeting took place in the renowned Museo del Violino (Cremona, Italy), an international reference point for string instrument craftsmanship and an associated partner of the project, as well as one of the key case studies selected for the first round of itineraries.
The two-day meeting brought together researchers, cultural institutions, and creative industry professionals in an interdisciplinary dialogue on the future of musical heritage in the wide domain of digital cultural heritage.
Following the welcome by Virginia Villa, General Director of the Museo del Violino, Eva Pietroni, Research Director at CNR ISPC and Coordinator of PlaceMUS XR, opened the working sessions.
The two-day program featured institutional contributions, technical presentations, and collaborative discussions, including:
- A keynote session by representatives of the European Commission
- A presentation of the Cultural Heritage Cloud (ECCCH) by the ECHOES Coordinator
- The first meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Board
- Presentations by the partners and their institutions
The second day focused on the project goals, methodologies and expected impacts, on Work Packages, operational planning, communication strategies, and the first implementation steps. The meeting concluded with a guided visit of the Museo del Violino and an exploration of the unique acoustics of the Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium.
The Museo del Violino as a key case study
As highlighted in the museum’s official communication, the Museo del Violino stands out for its synesthetic and cross-media approach to accessibility, innovation, and visitor experience, an approach fully aligned with the aims of PlaceMUS XR. Its exhibitions, multimedia installations, and collaborations with research institutions make it an ideal context for testing immersive tools and narrative frameworks developed within the project.
For further information
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