Prepared by the researcher : –Mona Turki – The Higher Institute of Computer Sciences and Multimedia Sfax. Tunisia
Democratic Arab Center
Journal index of exploratory studies : Fifth Issue – September 2022
A Periodical International Journal published by the “Democratic Arab Center” Germany – Berlin
:To download the pdf version of the research papers, please visit the following link
Abstract
This study focuses on augmented reality (AR) technology for the enhancement of Berber heritage in Tunisia. The article stems from the motivation of students at the Higher Institute of Computer Sciences and Multimedia in Sfax to run projects to launch augmented reality (AR) applications during the academic year 2021-2022 as part of their final year project. This endeavor is part of an innovative plan for preserving and maintaining Tunisian cultural heritage through new immersive technologies. In this perspective, this paper studies a project that proposes methods of interactivity between Berber jewelry and the Tunisian public in order to enhance the country’s cultural heritage when using Unity 3D, entitled TUN’AR, and Vuforia so as to valorize Berber jewelry.
Introduction
In the light of the swift transition to the digital age, our relationship with goods has drastically changed. As a result, people involved in culture, history and heritage preservation have been confronted with profound questions of meaning when considering the enhancement of cultural heritage through new technologies. Indeed, we are witnessing the perpetual evolution of the new emerging technologies of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Digital Transformation. In fact, during the last decade (2010-2020), these new Artificial Intelligence technologies are constantly developing and spreading around the world at a very high speed to reach the general public and professional environments.
At a time when new technologies allow for rapid development of information and communication, VR, AR and digital art constitute a real opportunity for the enhancement of cultural heritage. In this respect, those new immersive technologies are applied to history to enhance patrimony. Indeed, the emerging issue of appropriation and success of virtual environments is linked to its ability to exist in place with the real world. Better still, it is the integration of the two real and virtual worlds to create one (Bruno Arnaldi et al., 2015, p.36). This is, indeed, the ultimate goal of Augmented Reality (AR).
AR consists of superimposing virtual elements on reality in real time. This technology thus makes it possible to see, with the help of a smart object such as a smartphone, images created by software (Unity 3D) in a real context. Augmented reality (AR) is applicable to various sectors, including cultural heritage. As such, this new technology can play a role in educating the public about the history and art of their community or others. These elements are fundamental to better develop an identity, both at an individual and community level. In this perspective, young Tunisian UI / UX designers, those ‘digital native’ (Prensky, 2007), are part of a project to create 3D augmented reality (AR) applications.
This article aims to study and highlight the motivation of students at the Higher Institute of Computer Sciences and Multimedia in Sfax when engaged in projects to design Augmented Reality (AR) applications during the academic year 2021-2022. These projects fall within several fields (history, culture, heritage, archaeology, culinary arts, architecture, music, mythology, etc.). It is a multidisciplinary study to revive the Tunisian patrimony. Moreover, these creations of 3D applications of augmented reality (AR) are integrated in the framework of innovative applications with the Unity 3D software. Actually, young Tunisian UI / UX designers are learning the principles of this famous software for creating games and applications (design, modelling and implementation) in order to design their own AR projects on PC or mobile.
These projects propose methods of interactivity between Tunisian cultural heritage and the public in order to enhance its value. To run the study, the 3D Augmented Reality application is entitled “TUN’AR” that considers the famous Berber (Amazigh) jewelry and tattoos used by the Tunisian natives. The main objective of this application is the enhancement and updating of the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia through new technologies. In this context, we will focus on the processes of creating AR application of Tunisian cultural heritage, we will, especially, consider the enhancement of Berber (Amazigh) jewelry. Hence, this study is seeking to answer the following crucial questions:
- How is Augmented Reality applied to history?
- What is the interest of AR for the enhancement of Berber (Amazigh) cultural heritage in Tunisia?
- What are the particularities of the TUN’AR application in the enhancement of the Berber Jewelry?
1- Augmented Reality applied to history
From a terminological point of view, the expression augmented reality is a combination of two words “reality” and “augmented”. In French, the term is nonsense, since it is semantically incorrect to want to augment reality. Augmented Reality has existed since the 1990 and is proposed by Caudell and Mizell (1992). Moreover, according to Olivier Hugues (2011), the purpose of augmented reality is the perception of reality that we seek to increase, either by remaining faithful to the rules of reality or by modifying reality through the imaginary.
Augmented Reality has only really evolved in the last decade, thanks to the constant development of technological innovations, belonging mainly to the field of Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies. However, AR (Augmented Reality) refers to the advance of several disciplines (computer science, artificial intelligence, computer vision, ergonomics, didactics, psychology, etc.). From this perspective, augmented reality is essentially transdisciplinary. As a matter of fact, Augmented Reality (often abbreviated to AR) was popularized by the success of the game Pokémon GO in 2016.
During this last decade (2010-2020) we have witnessed the deployment of VR-AR technologies to the general public. This period has been marked by the evolution of video games, which have motivated and led to major and recent advances in the evolution of terminals (smartphone, tablet, VR headset, AR headset). Indeed, the last few years have seen the development of new technological hardware with very low costs and very good performance. According to Bruno Arnaldi and his research team (2015), this rebound is due both to the development of smartphones on the one hand and video games on the other. The evolution of technological terminals is accompanied by the development of new software equipment from the video game industry such as the Unity 3D game engine and the Vuforia software. This has enabled new developers (game designers, serious game designers, UI/UX designers, hobbyists, etc.) to design their own solutions (AR applications on PCs or smartphones).
In this perspective, it becomes important to define Mobile Augmented Reality. As for mobile augmented reality, it targets a wider audience than in the past, as users have their own mobile devices and already know how to manipulate them. In this regard, Höllerer and Feiner (2004) identify six components necessary for a mobile augmented reality system to function (Tobias H Höllerer and Steven K Feiner, 2004, p.23) :
- Mobile Computing Platform;
- Displays For Mobile AR;
- Tracking And Registration;
- Environmental Modelling;
- Wearable Input And Interaction Technologies;
- Wireless Communication And Data Storage Technologies
2- Method and tools
According to the evolution of the new technologies of artificial intelligence (AR/VR), the men of culture and heritage in Tunisia (teachers-researchers, experts, museum curators, cultural artistic directors, etc.) are focusing on the enhancement of cultural heritage through the new immersive technologies. Today, as a teacher-researcher in the professional master’s degree of UI / UX design at ISIMS, dealing essentially with subjects and workshops of the immersive environment, virtual sets and augmented reality, I am faced with problems concerning the enhancement of our country’s cultural heritage (architectural, musical, traditional, clothing, etc.) by the tools of virtual and augmented development. Indeed, the architectural monuments, the objects, the clothes of the different historical periods of Tunisia are so rich that they require a new perspective. In this perspective, young UI/UX designers are developing a new dynamic and interactive approach to Tunisian patrimony, encouraging the public to become “spect-actors”. Therefore, the designer of the AR application aims to give the “spect-actor” the status of an active participant and value a direct interactivity with its heritage.
In this vein, the given paper is at the heart of the problematic of this study: the valorization of Tunisian cultural heritage through AR technology, from the point of view of young Tunisian UI/UX designers at ISIMS. In doing so, we are faced with the following problematic questions:
- To what extent does AR contribute to the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia?
- From what perspective does the young Tunisian UI/UX designer approach this TUN’AR application?
- What are the particularities and specificities of the dynamic and interactive approach to Berber cultural heritage?
In other words, it is a question of evoking the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: Augmented Reality technology enhances the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia through the specificities and particularities of this technology.
Hypothesis 2: The main perspectives refer to the association between the Berber cultural foundation and the technological evolution of AR in order to design the TUN’AR application, which considers the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia.
Hypothesis 3: The young UI/ UX designer develops a dynamic and interactive approach to Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia, encouraging the public to become “spect-actors”: active participants in direct interactivity with their Berber heritage. Also, this approach encourages the designer to grant the status of a “co-author” of his Augmented Reality application.
Using digital technology to serve the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia is part of a strategy by which the young Tunisian UI/UX designer aims to achieve several objectives:
- To Reconstruct the past history of each element of Berber heritage;
- To build the metamorphosis of Berber signs and symbols through history;
- To reinforce the attractiveness of each object or element of Berber heritage;
- To Develop a pedagogical tool for the new generation to understand the particularities of Berber culture in Tunisia;
- To improve the learning experience of the user of the application TUN’AR;
3- Results and their discussion
‘TUN’AR’ is an Augmented Reality application. It intends to enrich the knowledge of the public in direct contact with the elements of the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia and to stimulate its creativity. The founding idea of this project is to design an Android AR application about Berber jewelry in Tunisia. Indeed, AR technology brings a real added value to the experience of exploring Berber culture in Tunisia. Actually, this consultation of Berber heritage elements requires the added value of AR to provide a fun and engaging experience. In that, the UI / UX designer considers some examples of Berber jewelry such as the fibula, the ‘isni’ and the ‘tifilit’, and also tattoos such as the olive tree and ‘the spider’. The aim is to decipher some of the signs and meanings of Berber symbols.
Fig.1. Home interface of the RA TUN’AR application, hammami, 2022.
This application of augmented reality is part of the end-of-study projects at the Higher Institute of Computer Sciences and Multimedia of Sfax. Hence, we focus on the development of the 3D project of augmented reality named “TUN’AR”. We propose an analytical study of the mobile application “TUN’AR” which is based on augmented reality technology. This is in order to present heritage information of Berber culture, specifically Berber jewelry in Tunisia, in the form of a real/virtual interactive experience.
This experience is animated by information on each Berber object in the form of a pop-up bubble. In this sense, this application is in line with virtual visit applications to museums or archaeological sites. It is the new approach to e-tourism that specifically uses new technologies to present heritage information in the form of real virtual interaction.
3-1- Berber cultural heritage: jewelry
Throughout Tunisia, there is an extensively rich Berber cultural heritage. The different elements of this heritage (pottery, tapestry, jewelry, clothing and architecture) did survive in certain villages in the north-west of Tunisia, in the villages of the Sahel and also in the deep south of the country. This richness comes from the diversity of motifs that perpetuate a prehistoric art in the 21st century. In fact, the Berbers, known as Amazigh, are a group of indigenous ethnic groups from North Africa, who may share commonalities depending on the geographical area in which they live (languages, clothing, customs, music, social organizations, ethnic origins, etc.). From this point of view, Ibn Khaldun, in his monumental work on the history of the Berbers and their dynasties, stated: “The Berbers have always been a powerful, formidable, brave and numerous people; a true people like so many others in the world, such as the Arabs, the Persons, the Greeks and the Romans” (Ibn Khaldun, 1984, pp. 199-200).
The Berbers seem to have excelled in the making of jewelry, an old tradition that they have transmitted from generation to generation. In order to know the Berber jewels, we notice rich and diverse collections. To make their jewelry, the Berbers used different metals: gold, silver, lead, iron, bronze, etc. They also used fine stones: pearls, coral, amber, . . .etc. Heirs to very old traditions and sensitive to the demands of the environment and time, the Berbers practiced hammering, engraving, granulation, chiseling, inlaying, filigree, enameling, setting, riveting, . . . etc.
Moreover, the Berbers (Amazigh) seem to have also shone in the ornamentation of the bodies through tattoos. Indeed, the Berber tattoo is known as being a chic ornamentation. Better still, it is an ancestral tradition that was used like jewelry, an artistic technique, combining aestheticism and sociology in the sense, tattoos on the skin have life of their own, asserting the expression of determining meanings. Indeed, this ethnic group used tattoos to identify the different tribes and social belonging as each motif has a meaning and considers a specific tribe.
Being in front of one of the elements of the Berber culture gives rise to the need to discover and understand all its aspects. In this respect, the objective of this study is to assist the user of this application to grasp all possible knowledge (jeweler’s techniques, tattooing techniques, materials, signs and meanings, etc.). Furthermore, the aim is to make the exploration of Berber ornaments (jewelers and tattoos) more attractive in order to create a captivating immersive experience. In this perspective, it is a question of guiding oneself towards a sensory approach of the Berber heritage in Tunisia. Better still, the study is to be guided towards experimentation in order to transcribe the evolution of its components. Consequently, all of these elements are taken into consideration in the conception of the project of valorization of Berber jewelers.
Within the framework of the ethnographic study of Berber civilization, we note a preponderant consideration of the history of Berber artistic traditions. Thus, it is a question of understanding the cultural traditions of Berber women. Indeed, Berber women played a central role as producers of textiles (clothing, weaving, etc.) and as bearers of Berber artistic heritage (jewelers, tattoos, etc.). Berber women had a specific social status reflected in the tangible and intangible elements of Berber cultural heritage (jewelers, tattoos, oral poetry, clothing and weaving, etc.). In this sense, Bécker (2006) states that Berber women are “the main producers of art, and women’s art identifies the group as Berber” (Bécker, 2006, p.584).
In this perspective, the Berber women carry their community’s ethnic identity through their different artistic expressions. At the same time, as the bearer and creator of the founding elements of Berber culture, women determine the richness of the different signs and symbols of this ethnic group. In this respect, Bécker (2006) states: “Women have both created the artistic symbols of Berber identity and worn them on their decorated female bodies as a public symbol of Berber identity” (Bécker, 2006, p.585).
Berber jewelers carry profound meanings, as it is composed of symbolical signs. Thus, the jewels, so precious, have not known any change, through the centuries. Thus, these precious jewels, which are passed on from generation to generation, also represent Berber art and decorative practices of that are better revealed during the wedding ritual. Indeed, most Berber artistic and decorative practices are revealed during the wedding rituals and ceremonies, such as Berber tattooing that stands out as the oldest practice for the embellishment of the body. The whole body is considered as a surface on which the tattooist gives free rein to their highly significant artistic practice and imagination. Indeed, they believed that this practice singularly enhanced women’s beauty.
Among the elements of Berber jewelers, the predominant presence of the fibula never ceases to evoke the richness of the Berber cultural heritage. In this sense, it has become an allegory of the Amazigh ethnic group. Indeed, Henriette Faber-Camps, in the ‘Fibula’ section of the Berber Encyclopedia, states: “Whether they come from Tunisia, Eastern Algeria, Greater or Lesser Kabylia, the Aures, the M’zab, Western Algeria or Morocco, today’s Berber fibulae may vary greatly in their forms, manufacturing techniques and motifs, but their method of attachment is unchanging” ( Henriette Faber-Camps,2011) .
A large number of Berber fibulae adopt a triangular shape “خلالة مفتوحة” and are worn in pairs (2 fibulae to hang the Berber dress drape). Each fibula consists of three distinct elements: a central sting, a main structure and an omega ring. In this respect, it becomes important to reflect on the significance of the general shape and its decorative elements.
3-2- TUN’AR: Mobile interactive augmented reality for Berber jewelry
To create this Augmented Reality application, the UI/UX designer chose to use marker-based AR technology. Indeed, this type of technology allows content to be displayed (3D image, video, sound, etc.) when the marker is detected by the camera. A marker can be (photo, illustration, QR code, etc.). Technically speaking, when the marker is detected, by entering the camera’s field of view, the related content can be displayed. In doing so, the orientation, position and quality of the marker are taken into consideration so that the content is associated with its own marker.
In order to achieve an interactive 3D experience, the UI/UX designer must start by modelling the main elements of the Berber cultural heritage. This 3D modelling is done through several software packages such as Maya, Blender, 3DS max and 4D Cinema. Moreover, it depends on the 3D object to be modelled: a heritage object or a human being. In the case of our TUN’AR application, the UI/UX designer does the 3D modelling of the Berber jewelers using the 3DS Max software.
In this first step, the young designer models the different Berber jewels, then goes on to coloring and texturing in order to obtain the photo-realistic 3D rendering. Indeed, the designer chose to focus on three jewels: تيفيليت , خلالة مفتوحة, اسني . To do this, the author uses a lot of the polygonal modelling tools such as extrude, connect, make planar, selection by vertex, polygon, . . . etc.
In this step, the young UI/ UX designer moved on to the 3D modelling of each jewel. To do this, the modelling is based on two methods: either editable splines, and/or editable poly. In this, she either starts by drawing a 2D primitive, converting it to editable spline in order to draw the overall shape. Then, she uses the extrude in the edit list to get the 3D volume. Or, she starts by adding 3D primitives, converting to editable poly to draw the global shape of the jewel. Then, she uses the different edit panels (edit vertices, edit poly, edit geometry) to obtain the desired jewel model.
Subsequently, the designer used the Material Editor and the Material / Map Browser to add faithful materials to each piece of jewelers (gold, silver, pearls, precious stones, etc.). Finally, she used the technique of realistic 3D synthesis of virtual images in order to obtain a glimpse of the finale rendering: Berber jewelers with real textures, as shown in the figure below.
Fig.2.Modelling of Berber jewelry ” اسني ” and ” ” تيفليت, hammami, 2022.
The creator of this project proposes the use of mobile interactive AR technology in the presentation and exploration of Berber heritage jewelry in Tunisia. When it is a mobile AR application, the principle will be to use the camera of a “smart” object (smartphone or “smart” tablet) to film the real world to detect elements and add virtual information to these elements. In the case of our “TUN’AR” application, the young UI/UX designer chose image-based AR. The operation is relatively simple, the application will film the environment in order to detect image markers and locate the 3D positioning of 3D models (Berber jewelry). Indeed, the markers used (image Target) are easily identifiable images that indicate to the application where it should display a given virtual information such as an object (3D or 2D). In this perspective, the young UI/UX designer is designing the graphic interfaces, below, to play the role of image markers.
Fig.3. Image markers (front and back) of the maps of TUN’AR, Hammami, 2022.
Once the target image is spotted by the camera by the “TUN’AR” application, the visitor is able to instantiate the elements of Berber culture to explore their details. In this sense, the creator of the AR application uses mainly the Unity 3D game engine. Thus, the management of AR will be done by the Vuforia plug-in, which is compatible with Unity 3D. Indeed, Vuforia offers a very simple image detection system, through Vuforia Target Manager. Through its web site, Vuforia offers the possibility to define all the target images that the developer wants to use in his application (2D images, cuboids, cylinders and 3D objects). For this project, the choice of Vuforia was not random as it considers the above image marker as “a good target”. The plug-in will detect the image more easily and the application will work better.
Fig.4. Example of target images from the TUN’AR application, Hammami, 2022.
In a third step, the young Tunisian designer moves on to create the digital interface of the augmented reality application. On the digital home interface of “TUN’AR”, there is a “Start” button which allows access to the other consecutive interfaces. The purpose of the second interface is to present this Augmented Reality application. By choosing the arrow on the right, the user accesses the third interface, through which he/she can choose to explore Berber jewelry.
Fig.5. Digital interfaces of the smartphone application, Hammami, 2022
Once the user selects the jewelry button, a new interface opens containing a menu of the three jewels ( تيفيليت , خلالة مفتوحة, اسني ). When the user selects a Berber jewel, the 3D model of it appears on his or her own map. In this way, the first three scenes of Augmented Reality show one of the selected Berber jewels each time. The jewelry scenes consider the appearance of three animated Berber jewels: تيفيليت , خلالة مفتوحة, اسني and the various information concerning the meanings of the main Berber signs and symbols ( beauty, strength To create this Augmented Reality application, the UI/UX designer chose to use marker-based AR technology. Indeed, this type of technology allows content to be displayed (3D image, video, sound, etc.) when the marker is detected by the camera. A marker can be (photo, illustration, QR code, etc.). Technically speaking, when the marker is detected, by entering the camera’s field of view, the related content can be displayed. In doing so, the orientation, position and quality of the marker are taken into consideration so that the content is associated with its own marker.
In order to achieve an interactive 3D experience, the UI/UX designer must start by modelling the main elements of the Berber cultural heritage. This 3D modelling is done through several software packages such as Maya, Blender, 3DS max and 4D Cinema. Moreover, it depends on the 3D object to be modelled: a heritage object or a human being. In the case of our TUN’AR application, the UI/UX designer does the 3D modelling of the Berber jewelry using the 3DS Max software.
In this first step, the young designer models the different Berber jewels, then goes on to coloring and texturing in order to obtain the photo-realistic 3D rendering. Indeed, the designer chose to focus on three jewels: تيفيليت , خلالة مفتوحة, اسني . To do this, the author uses a lot of the polygonal modelling tools such as extrude, connect, make planar, selection by vertex, polygon, . . . etc.
In this step, the young UI/ UX designer moved on to the 3D modelling of each jewel. To do this, the modelling is based on two methods: either editable splines, and/or editable poly. In this, she either starts by drawing a 2D primitive, converting it to editable spline in order to draw the overall shape. Then, she uses the extrude in the edit list to get the 3D volume. Or, she starts by adding 3D primitives, converting to editable poly to draw the global shape of the jewel. Then, she uses the different edit panels (edit vertices, edit poly, edit geometry) to obtain the desired jewel model.
Subsequently, the designer used the Material Editor and the Material / Map Browser to add faithful materials to each piece of jewelry (gold, silver, pearls, precious stones, etc.). Finally, she used the technique of realistic 3D synthesis of virtual images in order to obtain a glimpse of the finale rendering: Berber jewelry with real textures, as shown in the figure below.
Fig.6. Modelling of Berber jewelry ” اسني ” and ” ” تيفليت, hammami, 2022.
The creator of this project proposes the use of mobile interactive AR technology in the presentation and exploration of Berber heritage jewelry in Tunisia. When it is a mobile AR application, the principle will be to use the camera of a “smart” object (smartphone or “smart” tablet) to film the real world to detect elements and add virtual information to these elements. In the case of our “TUN’AR” application, the young UI/UX designer chose image-based AR. The operation is relatively simple, the application will film the environment in order to detect image markers and locate the 3D positioning of 3D models (Berber jewelry). Indeed, the markers used (image Target) are easily identifiable images that indicate to the application where it should display a given virtual information such as an object (3D or 2D). In this perspective, the young UI/UX designer is designing the graphic interfaces, below, to play the role of image markers.
Fig.7. Image markers (front and back) of the maps of TUN’AR, Hammami, 2022.
Once the target image is spotted by the camera by the “TUN’AR” application, the visitor is able to instantiate the elements of Berber culture to explore their details. In this sense, the creator of the AR application uses mainly the Unity 3D game engine. Thus, the management of AR will be done by the Vuforia plug-in, which is compatible with Unity 3D. Indeed, Vuforia offers a very simple image detection system, through Vuforia Target Manager. Through its web site, Vuforia offers the possibility to define all the target images that the developer wants to use in his application (2D images, cuboids, cylinders and 3D objects). For this project, the choice of Vuforia was not random as it considers the above image marker as “a good target”. The plug-in will detect the image more easily and the application will work better.
Fig.8. example of target images from the TUN’AR application, Hammami, 2022.
In a third step, the young Tunisian designer moves on to create the digital interface of the augmented reality application. On the digital home interface of “TUN’AR”, there is a “Start” button which allows access to the other consecutive interfaces. The purpose of the second interface is to present this Augmented Reality application. By choosing the arrow on the right, the user accesses the third interface, through which he/she can choose to explore Berber jewelry.
Fig.9. Digital interfaces of the smartphone application, Hammami, 2022
Once the user selects the jewelry button, a new interface opens containing a menu of the three jewels ( تيفيليت , خلالة مفتوحة, اسني ). When the user selects a Berber jewel, the 3D model of it appears on his or her own map. In this way, the first three scenes of Augmented Reality show one of the selected Berber jewels each time. The, fertility).
In this respect, it is important to go through two consecutive stages on the Unity 3D game engine and on Vuforia in order to set up the various AR scenes. This involves, among other things, displaying a 3D model on a marker. To do this, the UI/UX designer created the Vuforia database. Indeed, she added the five main maps (graphic interface) in a Vuforia database in order to be able to detect them. Then, she moved on to setting up Vuforia’s Image Target prefabs that will make 3D models appear on the Image Target. For example, when a 3D model is placed on a marker as a pioneer of the marker, it is this model that will be displayed by the AR application if the marker is detected by the camera.
Fig.10. Augmented Reality scenes of Berber jewelry, Hammami, 2022.
4- Conclusion
This study focuses on augmented reality (AR) technology and the enhancement of cultural heritage in Tunisia. Tunisia is no exception as it is part of a worldwide movement that aims at designing and creating heritage enhancement projects on all types of entertainment media (PC, mobile, smart tablet, VR headset, AR headset, etc.). These AR projects touch several new sectors, namely higher education. The Higher Institute of Computer Sciences and Multimedia in Sfax is part and partial of this wave through the teaching of several subjects: Immersive environment and Virtual sets and augmented reality workshop as well as through international cooperation projects.
This article focuses on the motivation of young UI/ UX designers in projects of cultural heritage enhancement through new technologies during the academic year 2021-2022. These AR projects mainly require the participatory creations of several actors through new emerging technologies: Unity 3D, Vuforia engine, Adobe Suite, #C language, . . .etc.
The main objective is to make application visits more attractive in order to create a captivating immersive experience: To assist the visitor of a museum or archaeological site to grasp all possible knowledge; To guide towards a sensory approach to the heritage monument; To guide towards experimentation in order to re-transcribe the evolution of its components. In conclusion, we can see that AR applications will enrich the knowledge of the public in direct contact with the heritage monument. In addition, these applications will stimulate their creativity.
In this article, we have been able to answer the different hypotheses of this study. In a first perspective, we note that the technology of Augmented Reality adds value to the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia. This is through the specificities and particularities of this new technology (3D modelling and texturing, Augmented Reality on marker, UI design of the application, UX design of the application, . . . etc.). In this way, this process makes it possible to achieve several objectives: to reconstruct the past history of each element of Berber heritage; to construct the metamorphosis of Berber signs and symbols through history; to enhance the attractiveness of each object or element of Berber heritage; to improve the learning experience of the user of the TUN’AR application, . . . etc. In a second perspective, we determine the main perspectives designating the association between the Berber cultural foundation and the technological evolution of AR in order to design the TUN’AR application. Finally, we consider a dynamic and interactive approach to the Berber cultural heritage in Tunisia, encouraging the public to become a “spect-actor” and the “designer-creator”of TUN’AR to grant the status of a “co-author”. Indeed, the user is a “spect-actor” because he becomes an active participant in direct interactivity with his Berber heritage. As for the UI/UX designer, she is a “co-author” because she intervenes in a participatory design process for her Augmented Reality application. She also applies the theory of mind (or brainstorming) of the “spect-actor” community in the UX design of “TUN’AR”.
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