TRACES 01 - Transmitting Contentious Cultural Heritages with the Arts

European cultural heritage is inherently complex and layered. Conflicting or controversial perspectives on different historical memories and experiences have always been colliding in the variegated cultural landscape of Europe. Such contentious heritages are often particularly difficult to convey to a wide public and can impede inclusivity as well as prevent the development of convivial relations. Nevertheless, if transmitted sensitively, they can contribute to a process of ‘reflexive Europeanisation’, in which the European imagination is shaped by self-awareness, on-going critical reflection, and dialogue across different positions. Which kind of new knowledges and perspectives onto a renewed European identity based on contentious cultural heritage might emerge from long-lasting collaborations between artists, researchers and cultural agencies? How can they contribute to institutional and social change? To investigate such questions, the EU project Transmitting Contentious Heritages with the Art: From Intervention to Co-Production has brought together established and emerging scholars, artists, and cultural workers. In the next three years they will explore challenges and opportunities raised by the transmission of difficult heritages in contemporary Europe with the aim to identify new directions for cultural institutions and museums. To do so, the multidisciplinary team involved in the project has initiated theoretical investigations pertaining to different research fields, and a series of art-based action researches, including five Creative Co-Productions: Absence as Heritage (Medias, Romania); Awkward Objects of Genocide (Krakow, Poland); Casting Of Death (Ljubljana, Slovenia); Dead Images (Vienna, Austria and Edinburgh, United Kingdom); Transforming Long Kesh Maze Prison (Belfast, United Kingdom), presented in the following pages.