Rethinking cultural heritage in Greece, Cyprus and Austria
How can we showcase European cultural heritage to Europe’s citizens and tourists? The answer, according to the EU-funded ReInHerit project, is to create a novel model of sustainable heritage management that will change how museums and cultural heritage sites communicate and collaborate today. As part of the ReInHerit project, the Museum of Cycladic Art in Greece, the Graz Museum in Austria and project coordinator Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Nicosia have joined forces to develop a growing travelling exhibition, three digital exhibitions and an expanding digital collection under the umbrella title ‘ReThinking’. The exhibitions and digital collection focus on social issues that have been relevant since antiquity: identities, conflict and craftsmanship. The three thematic exhibitions are named ‘ReThinking IDENTITIES: Gender, Diversity, Discrimination’ (led by the Museum of Cycladic Art), ‘ReThinking CONFLICTS’ (Graz Museum) and ‘ReThinking CRAFTSMANSHIP’ (Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation). “Each thematic exhibition features three objects selected from the collections of each of the three museums involved in the project,” according to information posted on the website of the Museum of Cycladic Art. “After being presented at the museum where it was originally conceived, each exhibition will travel to Austria, Greece and Cyprus respectively, in order to tell a special story under the broad theme of social issues.”
Merging the physical and digital
The exhibitions’ main aim is to explore ways in which objects can be presented in museum spaces when it is not possible to exhibit the original. This is why the three museums have also created three digital exhibitions to mirror the physical exhibitions. The digital ReThinking exhibitions, which include interactive digital storytelling tools, painting tools and educational activities, were launched in March 2023. The ‘ReThinking IDENTITIES’ exhibition deals with the always relevant concepts of gender, diversity and discrimination. There have always been distinct gender roles in society, from the prehistoric era to modern times. To further help visitors explore their views on identities, the exhibition includes three digital works from each of the participating museums that present different identities through the ages: a marble Cycladic female figurine (Greece), a temple boy statuette (Cyprus) and the self-portrait of the artist Ida-Sofia Maly (Austria). How can we interpret conflicts today? How much does our present influence how we view past conflicts? How do we deal with recurring conflicts over the centuries? The ‘ReThinking CONFLICTS’ exhibition approaches three different historical conflicts and contexts from various perspectives through three objects to emphasise the complexity of conflicts and encourage viewers to challenge traditional narratives. The ‘ReThinking CRAFTSMANSHIP’ exhibition highlights craftsmanship knowledge, traditions and techniques passed down through the centuries on natural materials, the processes they undergo, and their connection to sustainability and climate change. Using different media, it offers viewers the chance to rethink the way they perceive their intangible cultural heritage. A digital collection focusing on the same themes has also been created with objects from other museums in Greece, Cyprus and Austria. The ReInHerit (Redefining the future of cultural heritage, through a disruptive model of sustainability) project ends in February 2024. For more information, please see: ReInHerit project website
Keywords
ReInHerit, conflict, identity, craftsmanship, cultural heritage, exhibition, museum
