City of Cape Town launches Digital Vault during Heritage Month

City gets a Digital Vault

The City of Cape Town‘s Community Arts and Culture Development Department has partnered with the City’s Information Systems and Technology Department to develope a Digital Vault where the City’s artworks and heritage items can be recorded by officials and viewed by the public.

With this new Digital Vault, residents, and anyone around the world, can access and explore the interesting and incredible artworks and heritage items that make up the City’s collection.

What’s in the vault?

As described by the City, each item in the vault is listed with high quality images, descriptive information as well as some of the stories that make the item valuable and important. 

“The digital vault is an incredible resource, whether you are a student, a school learner, an academic researcher, an art lover or just a regular Capetonian curious about the rich history and stories of our city as expressed through art and collected items. As far as we know, this is the first such  public-facing digital catalogue of art and heritage assets in South Africa, and we are very excited for people to start using it,” Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said.

“The Digital Vault allows everyone to have access to the art and historical artefacts in our city. It is very important to us that the collections which the City manages and cares for are accessible, so people can learn, appreciate, and be inspired by them. We believe in the importance of preserving, investigating and sharing our heritage, because it is essential for people’s identity building, and creating a sense of belonging,”Mayoral committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross added.

The Vault can be accessed and explored by visiting: www.capetown.gov.za/DigitalVault