“Monument of the Future” Unveiled in Ohrid: A Smart Totem Blending AI, Virtual Reality, and Cultural Heritage

On 24 May 2024, Sefidanis presented a new public-facing digital humanities installation in Ohrid titled “Monument of the Future,” unveiled in the atrium of the University “St. Paul the Apostle.” The premiere was timed to the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and the central narrative element was deliberately symbolic: a life-sized virtual “traveler from the future,” depicted as an astronaut on a holographic parchment, arriving to “deliver” the Glagolitic script—an emblem of Slavic literacy and cultural continuity—into a contemporary, interactive medium. Source

The concept, as described in the original reporting, positions digital art as a convergence zone where information technologies and the humanities can jointly serve preservation and public engagement. The installation is framed not as a conventional monument, but as an interactive digital artifact that enables real-time communication between visitors and a virtual presence, using AI-driven interfaces to make heritage content accessible, dynamic, and scalable. Source In parallel coverage, the system is also presented as a platform that can support smart-city functions—offering informational guidance to visitors, facilitating local economic visibility, and serving as an instrument for cultural continuity in a highly mobile, globalized world. Source

From an engineering standpoint, Emiter’s technical description outlines a purpose-built structure designed for outdoor-grade robustness and immersive visibility. The installation is described as a multi-layer monument body with an internal steel framework (2.5 meters) and an external metal structure (3 meters), configured around triangular geometry and “windows” for presenting different views of a virtual scene. Transparent acrylic panels form a protective cage-like enclosure with cutouts for sensors and peripheral devices, while the top element is an inverted-pyramid acrylic form intended for visual signaling and sensor integration. Source

The display layer is specified as three 75-inch 4K screens (3840×2160), driven by a central computing unit that processes sensor data—including human movement, speech, and facial expression—and renders a virtual environment populated by avatars and other multimedia elements. Source The sensor suite is described as including cameras and optical sensors for tracking motion and gestures, microphones and audio sensors, and gas and other safety sensors, with power infrastructure designed to meet standards and include uninterrupted operation via UPS/battery backup. Source

In terms of the user experience, IT.mk reports that the monument is designed for 360-degree interaction, allowing visitors to approach from multiple sides, while the AI adapts the scene in real time based on sensor input. The same coverage notes that the virtual scene is envisioned with reflective elements to mirror the surrounding environment, creating a hybrid or mixed-reality effect. Source Both IT.mk and OhridPress emphasize multilingual speech interaction—speech recognition and synthesized responses—so that communication can scale beyond a single local language and operate continuously throughout the day. Source

OhridPress additionally characterizes the monument’s visual identity as a black glass prism symbolizing the space-time continuum, containing the astronaut figure as the “future traveler.” In that framing, AI is positioned not only as an interface layer, but as a tool for generating predictions—conceptually “warning humanity” about upcoming challenges—while the patented interface is described as reflecting the surrounding environment through its sensor network as part of the virtual scene. Source

Beyond symbolism and immersion, the reporting also highlights a practical dimension: the monument is presented as a platform that can help connect visitors with local services, craftspeople, and small enterprises, and as a mechanism for aggregating behavioral data that can be used to model trends and forecast future dynamics relevant to culture, tourism, and commerce. Source

Multiple sources state that the project was supported by North Macedonia’s Fund for Innovation and Technological Development through the “Startupuvaj-5” call, and that it was implemented by the team of Sefidanis Research & Development in Ohrid under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Anis Sefidanis. Source

Finally, OhridPress places “Monument of the Future” within a longer arc of Sefidanis work in public digital heritage: it explicitly describes the installation as a continuation of earlier initiatives connecting “ancient Ohrid” with new technology, referencing the digital “smart monument” dedicated to Grigor Prlichev that was promoted in August 2022. Source

References and original publication dates

OhridPress — “Sefidanis promotes the ‘Monument of the Future’…” — 25/05/2024. Source
Emiter — “Virtual traveler on a holographic parchment brought the Glagolitic script…” — 27/05/2024 (12:30). Source
IT.mk — “Ohrid got the Monument of the Future!” — 28/05/2024. Source
OhridPress — “Removed the monument of Grigor Prlichev at ‘Dolna Porta’…” (context on the 2022 digital monument) — 05/03/2025. Source