DIPTCH 2026: an international online course at Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College
What a representation captures, and what it quietly leaves out.
Ten sessions on the technologies used to record objects, buildings and marks that will not survive on their own. Photogrammetry, multispectral imaging, 3D scanning and computational surrogates, taught by the people who use them in museums, excavation sites and national collections.
MeetsTuesdays, 18:00 to 20:00Israel time, on Zoom
Runs20 Oct 2026 to 5 Jan 2027Ten sessions
LanguageEnglish
ConvenorDr. Doron AltaratzPhotographic Communication
Part of a degree program
A course of the Photographic Communication program
This credit-bearing course is part of the Photographic Communication program at the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College (JMC). It is a mandatory second-year class.
The subject
Recording what will not survive on its own
This online course introduces students to advanced digital imaging technologies for documenting, preserving, and sharing tangible cultural heritage. Topics include aerial and satellite imaging, close-range photogrammetry, 3D scanning, and microscopic inspection, with a focus on using them to conserve, restore, and make cultural assets globally accessible.
Each week, an international expert presents a technical, theoretical, or applied perspective, and case studies from the field and the laboratory show how these tools work in practice. No prior technical background is required. The course is taught in English.
Scale
From wide-area coverage by air and space to microscopic inspection.
Spectrum
From the visible spectrum to what lies beyond it.
Depth
From surface texture to what lies beneath.
Tuesdays, 18:00 to 20:00 Israel time, on Zoom
Ten sessions, ten speakers
Session 1 · 20 Oct
Moshe Caine
Digital Heritage Preservation: An Overview
Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College. Founder of this course.
Session 2 · 3 Nov
Sharon Tager
An Introductory and Historic Overview of the Role of Imaging in the Conservation of Museum Collections
Head of Conservation, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Session 3 · 10 Nov
Shai Halevi
The Application of Advanced Imaging Technologies in Archaeology
Digital Imaging Leader, Israel Antiquities Authority
Session 4 · 17 Nov
Sorin Hermon
The Heritage Digital Twin as a unifying framework for the research, conservation and valorization of Cultural Heritage
Full Professor in Digital Cultural Heritage, The Cyprus Institute
Session 5 · 24 Nov
Pedro Soares Neves
Urban Creativity, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon; President and Editor, Wisethorough.com
Session 6 · 1 Dec
Marinos Ioannides
From a Digital Twin in Cultural Heritage to a Memory Twin of the Past
UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage, Cyprus University of Technology
Session 7 · 15 Dec
Mia Trentin
One traveller, three media: preserving Vasyl Barsky’s multimodal record of Cyprus (1735)
Citizens in Power, Cyprus
Session 8 · 22 Dec
Graham Diprose
Digital Preservation and Access: Photography Past, Present and Future
Photographer and author, United Kingdom
Session 9 · 29 Dec
Stefan Simon
Share & Use: Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age
Conservation scientist
No session on 27 October (Israel Election Day), 8 December (Hanukkah break), or 12 and 19 January (Department Hackathon).
Convenor
Dr. Doron Altaratz
Doron Altaratz is a researcher and educator who specializes in visually documenting cultural heritage through advanced computational methods.
Director, Department of Photographic Communication, Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College. Associate Researcher, Cities and Territories Research Group, DINÂMIA’CET, ISCTE-IUL. Senior Researcher, Jerusalem Institute for Research and Digital Documentation of Cultural Heritage.
This course is also a collaboration with The Jerusalem Institute for Research and Digital Documentation of Cultural Heritage.