Keynote Speakers
Thomas Flynn
Digital Heritage Consultant. The United Kingdom
Short Biography
Thomas is a well-known and respected cultural heritage practitioner specialising in 3D digitisation, online publishing, open access, storytelling, and interoperability. He was the Cultural Heritage Lead at Sketchfab/Epic Games and cofounder of Museum in a Box Ltd.
He has previously worked for the British Museum and acted as a consultant on 3D Cultural Heritage matters for UNESCO, The European Commission, Oxford University, Creative Commons, UK Research & Innovation, Columbia University, and University College London to list but a few.
Currently, he is an independent consultant to the Cultural Heritage community and serves as co-chair of the IIIF 3D Community Group and the advisory board of the Rijksmuseum’s 2&3D conference. He also produces The Spatial Heritage Review, a monthly round-up of all things happening at the intersection of Cultural Heritage + Digital 3D.
Professor Peter Stone OBE
UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace.
Newcastle University. The United Kingdom
Short Biography
Peter is currently the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle – the only such Chair in the world. In August 2020, Peter was elected as President of the Blue Shield having served as Vice President between 2017 and 2020. The Blue Shield is the international NGO created in 1996 to advise UNESCO on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict. He was Chair of the UK national committee of the Blue Shield between 2013 and 2020. Peter was previously Head of the School of Arts and Cultures and Professor of Heritage Studies in the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle. Before joining Newcastle he had worked for English Heritage, as a field archaeologist, and history teacher.
In 2003 Peter was advisor to the UK’s Ministry of Defence regarding the identification and protection of the archaeological cultural heritage in Iraq. He has remained active in working with the military to refine attitudes and develop processes for the better protection of cultural property in times of conflict. He has written extensively on this topic including co-editing, with Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly, The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq (2008) and editing Cultural Heritage, Ethics and the Military (2011). His article ‘The 4 Tier approach’ led directly to the establishment of a Joint Service Cultural Property Protection Unit in UK forces to become operational in 2019/20.
Peter was appointed to the University in 1997, as Director of the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies (ICCHS) in the School of Arts and Cultures in 2001, and as Head of School in 2006 (until December 2015). Between 1998 and 2008 he was Honorary Chief Executive Officer of the World Archaeological Congress.
Peter was awarded an OBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to heritage education.
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