'Samarkand—St Petersburg': HSE University–St Petersburg and Samarkand State University to Design Digital Future of Cultural Heritage
Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov hosted the international research and educational seminar 'Branding Cultural Heritage: Digital Tools and Design Practices.' The event gathered researchers and students from Russia and Uzbekistan—participants of a large-scale project of the mirror laboratory 'Integrated Platform Solutions for the Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Heritage (Cases of Samarkand and St Petersburg)'.
Since 2024, the teams of the mirror laboratory from Russia and Uzbekistan have been developing platform solutions for the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of St Petersburg and Samarkand. At the joint seminar at Samarkand State University, researchers and students from both countries exchanged their experience, summed up the interim results of the project, and made plans for further study of the images of the two cities.
Alena Suvorova
Head of the project 'Integrated Platform Solutions for the Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Heritage (Cases of Samarkand and St Petersburg)'
Our project is an example of not only international but also interdisciplinary cooperation. The seminar served as a platform for discussing research methods for studying the modern digital image of cultural heritage objects and practice-oriented solutions proposed by the students of the School of Art and Design. We looked into the student works and exchanged experience with our colleagues from Uzbekistan. Such a diversity of topics makes it possible to enrich habitual approaches to analysis and find new opportunities for joint work.
Mukhtor Nasirov
Head of the Department of International Cooperation at the Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov
The seminar was organised by the Institute of Human Resources and Neighborhood Development Management and HSE University–St Petersburg. It was held in the framework of the memorandum signed by Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov and HSE University–St Petersburg in 2024. The event brought together economists, historians, philologists, and designers. Based on the experience gained, students and professors of Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov will move ahead with digitising objects of cultural and tangible heritage of Samarkand and its suburbs. The project participants agreed to organise a joint exhibition titled 'Samarkand Through the Eyes of its Guests' dedicated to the celebration of City Day on October 17–18.
Samarkand and St Petersburg are included in UNESCO World Heritage site lists. Yana Ovsyannikova, fourth-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Public Policy and Analytics,' researched how this status was used for branding and promoting the cities as tourist destinations, what modern online channels were engaged, and how the 'digital images' of Samarkand and St Petersburg were different.
Yana Ovsyannikova
4th-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Public Policy and Analytics'
For me, it's important to study how different countries promote cultural heritage. It creates a lively dialogue between the past and present. It's vital to understand how government agencies use UNESCO to attract tourists and protect unique objects. Such a status contributes to increased attention towards monuments and inspires people to treat their culture with more care. This is a true example of how proper management and well-thought strategy can change perceptions and maintain values for future generations!
Together with associate professor Alena Suvorova, Elizaveta Markina and Daria Khomiakova, students of the Master's programme 'UX Analytics and Information System Design,' shared a methodology for studying the digital portraits of tourist objects using the example of the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum and Heritage Site. The research included the analysis of websites, content, and user behaviour on social networks. The colleagues from Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov discussed how they can integrate the gained experience into the study of the Registan public square—the architectural gem of Samarkand.
Daria Khomiakova
Student of the Master's programme 'UX Analytics and Information System Design'
The value of this work is that using the example of the digital representation of Tsarskoe Selo, we can analyse any cultural monuments, identify and dismiss all the defects, and make the content more attractive and convenient for users.
Lilia Iafarova, graduate of the School of Art and Design, presented a digital application for planning a holiday in Uzbekistan. The service builds on daily habits, traditions, customs and patterns of family life. The recommendations are based on machine learning models focusing on the experience of locals of various ages. Another student project—the conceptual design for rebranding the Teriberka Arctic festival by Anastasia Progatskaia—was an example of a successful territorial branding and creating a unique tourist product for the Russian North.
Valery Gordin, head of the Laboratory for Management in Culture and Tourism, and Valeriia Bazhkova, an analyst at the laboratory, presented a report covering digital promotion of the gastronomic heritage of St Petersburg. The authors described the local cuisine, analysed its representation on official websites and in specialised aggregators, and provided recommendations on more active promotion of this tourism direction with the help of digital tools.
Dilafruz Usmonova, associate professor at Samarkand State University, shared the study of mahallahs—unique territorial communities in Uzbekistan which develop creative tourist products. She showcased a variety of work formats and prospective digital tools which could help promote creative tourism products more actively in the market.
The educational part of the seminar featured lectures by leading professors of the HSE University–St Petersburg School of Art and Design. Mitya Kharshak shared his experience of creating brand strategies for festivals, museums, and exhibitions. Ksenia Malich spoke about the power of traditions as a resource for modern communication design and illustrated the topic with examples from different periods.
The topic of promoting cultural heritage was explored further in an exhibition of student works of the St Petersburg School of Art and Design about territorial branding. The exhibition showcased projects based on real-life orders from city and regional agencies, museums, and commercial organisations.
Mitya Kharshak
Dean of the HSE University–St Petersburg School of Art and Design
The School of Art and Design stands out for its project-based approach to education, so all the presented works are based on real tasks from our partners and customers. Many of them have already been implemented. We hope to expand our academic and project cooperation with Samarkand University, including in territory development, the creation of new local brands, and collaboration with regional business.
The project 'Integrated Platform Solutions for the Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Heritage' is set to be implemented in 2024–2026 as part of the International Academic Cooperation competition. Its goal is to create innovative digital platforms for preserving, studying, and promoting objects of cultural heritage, contribute to shaping new tourist products, and strengthen the brands of historical cities. The joint research conducted by HSE University–St Petersburg and Samarkand State University named after Sharof Rashidov will culminate in the development and testing of digital service prototypes, which will ensure harmonious interaction between traditions and innovations.