A truly fascinating weekend full of physics and chemistry experiments, digital technology demonstrations and outstanding presentations of the city's cultural heritage, bringing cutting-edge innovations and technologies to the attention of 200 visitors in open access!

On the weekend of 9-10 December 2023, on the occasion of the closing event of the national cultural programme "Timisoara - European Capital of Culture in 2023", the Polytechnic University of Timisoara organised, through Spotlight Heritage Timisoara, XR Show Heritage in the spotlight Timis.

The UPT Technical Museum - ExperimentariumTM became for two whole days the playground for children and adults alike to visit and discover. Various digital technologies were included for augmented, virtual and mixed reality, holograms and interactive applications, all presented as guided tours inside the UPT Museum. Participants had the opportunity to experience spectacular physics demonstrations and chemistry experiments that stimulated their 5 senses, and to discover Timisoara's technical firsts.

Items included in the XR Show included:

• "Heritage in the spotlight Timisoara - Digital & Virtual", a collection that includes an online website and several mobile apps, including augmented and virtual reality applications that provide an interactive perspective on the city's history and heritage.
• "SH Culture App", an augmented reality app for heritage and panoramic views of Timisoara, where the public is taken through the history of 5 iconic neighbourhoods, revealed through 3D videos and 3D scans of the museum's heritage, and can visit the buildings in 360 degrees with VR glasses.
• Various cultural performances such as digital installation "Bega Echoes"by Norwegian artist Ingrid Bjørnaali and Romanian artist Marius Jurca, which explores the cultural history of the Bega Canal.
• "Patterns of Poetry"another digital installation by artist Marius Jurca (13m10j), based on custom software, through which you can "paint" the city of Timișoara with colour and the lyrics of Robert Șerban's poems.
• "Physic AI Garden" created by Anna Dumitru and Alex May, in collaboration with the CAPABLE Project, and part of the BioArt Revolution, organised by the Romanian Science Festival, offering a unique perspective on the interaction between physics and artificial intelligence.
• "History of UPT and MECIPT in VR"a virtual presentation of the history of Politehnica University of Timisoara and the first electronic university computer in Romania.

The event offered participants not only a foray into cutting-edge technologies, but also an exceptional journey through the history, culture and diversity that Timisoara has to offer. It was a unique opportunity to discover the potential of technological innovation to bring inanimate objects to life and to highlight the cultural and historical values of the city in spectacular and interactive ways.

The digital components of the project are accessible online at https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/ and via mobile apps that can be downloaded from Android and Apple stores or by searching "Spotlight Heritage Timisoara".

• App link for Android users: https://is.gd/SjiIgv  
• App link for iOS users: https://is.gd/y6JxeV  

Spotlight Heritage Timișoara / Patrimoniul sub reflectoare is a digital cultural initiative of the Politehnica University of Timișoara realized in partnership with the National Museum of Banat, part of the Cultural Programme Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture. Cultural project co-financed by the Center for Projects of the Municipality of Timișoara, Timiș County Council, Ministry of Culture, Romania, EEA and Norway Grants.