IRAC'98 INTERNATIONAL ROCK ART CONGRESS "Crossing Frontiers"

Cyber-Space is often intended as the future, yet it is the present. Ascanned image, a word-processor document, an email message are simplyreduced into a sequence of binary elements, and packed in a space which isvirtual in its electronic substance but real in its material outprint. Thisis intended both in our private use and in our communicative activity.

In which way can computers, computer-devices and broadcasting technology beuseful and powerful for Rock Art research? Must we emphasise editing andprinting facility of books, booklet and newsletters, or databaseapplications, or image manipulation or multimedia features? Must we focus onhardware or software?


Surely not! The scope is large and paths will lead in many directions. Thereare as many possibilities as the mind can conceive. The hard-softwareevolution is rapid and impossible to predict. As Cyber-Space is the present,this present rapidly becomes the past. "Computers and Rock Art" will be like an openscreen, with different "windows" (if you will excuse the pun) leading invarious directions or "folders".


Any related subject or "file", no matter the format - plain text (*.txt),document (*.doc), tiff (*.tif), jpeg (*.jpg) or xyz (*.???) - is welcomefor discussion.