The Foundation of the Hellenic World is participating in the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair taking place from September 7 to 15, 2024. The FHW, as the first organization to utilize new technologies and virtual reality for the promotion and dissemination of culture, welcomes the public to Exhibit Hall 15, Position 47 and invites you to explore a selection of innovative applications it has developed and the programs it participates in. The FHW's participation in the TIF aims to highlight the potential of virtual reality technologies and to inform the public about developments in technology and culture.
At the exhibit, in the space of the "Virtual Cinema", attendees will be able to view virtual reality productions of the FHW using the appropriate glasses.
Additionally, at the exhibit, there will be VR headsets, which will allow visitors to virtually explore and see a faithful reproduction of the "Workshop of Phidias in Olympia", as well as become "assistants" to the sculptor by closely following the process he used to create the famous gold and ivory statue of Zeus.
Wearing the virtual reality headsets, visitors will be able to experience an interactive adventure in different environments. They will be able to discover how Attica looked from the Acropolis rock 70 million years ago up to 1874 AD through the program Palaeoscope. The Palaeoscope project “Development of Innovative Applications for the Promotion of the Historical and Geological Past of Tourist Areas” was funded by the program “Research - Create - Innovate” and participants can explore through an interactive experience the animals, fish, and plants of geological periods as well as the architectural and urban history of classical and modern Athens.
With the VR headsets, visitors will have the opportunity to become the protagonists of different stories, solve mysteries, and save their favorite heroes. Specifically, they can participate in the dangerous mission at the Walls of Byzantine Thessaloniki, to deliver a critical message, as well as retrieve a document proving innocence in the conspiracy in ancient Aigai. Finally, they will have the chance to experience a VR adventure through the interactive application "War and Peace" which will transport them to the past of the Monastery of Osios Loukas in Boeotia. It is part of the project “Development of 3D Productions” for the Monastery of Osios Loukas in Boeotia of the project “Digitization of Sacred Relics of Parish Churches”, with the assigning authority being the Foundation for Pastoral Education of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and the contractor, the FHW.
Experienced museum educators of the FHW will welcome and inform visitors throughout the TIF. Finally, a 3D printer provides visitors with the opportunity to observe the process of 3D printing an object and its transition from the virtual to the physical world.
At our booth, on Sunday, September 8, 2024, at 12:00 noon, there will be a discussion on "Shaping the Digital Future: The Convergence of Policy, Culture, and Innovation", which will focus on the combination of digital policy, culture, and innovation to create a sustainable future for Greece. Speakers will include Mr. Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos - General Secretary of Information Systems and Digital Governance, Ministry of Digital Governance, Ms. Sofia Kounenaki Efthimiou - Executive Vice President of the FHW and President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Athens, Mr. Dimitris Efthimiou - CEO of the FHW, and Mr. Dimitris Dimitriadis – Futurist. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Ms. Sonia Chaimanta.
