The Best in Heritage 2016 by Best in Heritage

The Best in Heritage

Projects of Influence

15th Edition

Dubrovnik, Croatia 22 - 24 September 2016

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 1

The Best in Heritage

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Projects of Influence Dubrovnik 22 - 24 September 2016

15th edition

in partnership with Europa Nostra with the support of Creative Europe

and ICOM Endowment Fund Dedicated to the memory of Kenneth Hudson (OBE) & Georges Henri Riviere

contents

Contents

i10 > Creating Unique Stories.......................28 Breaking the Frame - Framework Knitters Museum i11 > A

Mediation Tool to Enhance Knowledge, Heritage and The Visitor's Experience............................................30 HistoPad Chambord

i12 > Reaching

out to Chinese Audiences through Digital Engagement................32 Australian Centre for the Moving Image: “China Up Close”

What Is “The Best In Heritage”?....................4 The Unique Annual Survey Of Museums, Heritage And Conservation Achievements....5 Let Us Engage - A Plea For The Participative Public Memory Institution..............................6 i1 > CMHR Mobile App..................................10 Canadian Museum for Human Rights App i2 > The

Dalí Theatre-Museum, A JourneyThrough The Artist’s Mind........12 Fundation Gala-Salvator Dali:Dali’s Last Masterpiece

i3 > VanGoYourself.com................................14 VanGoYourself i4 > DOMunder

-Underground Visitor Experience..............................................16 DOMunder - Tinker Imagineers

i5 > Designing

a Moving ImageWebsite for a Moving Image Generation......................18 Australian Centre for the Moving Image

i6 > Uploading

Large Collections to Wikimedia Commons.............................20 Europeana Foundation, GLAMwiki Toolset

i7 > Re-discover Heritage,Think HERMeS...22 HERMeS: Hermoupolis Digital Heritage Management i8 > A Monument Comes Alive......................24 Gubec Teater by the Museum of Peasant Uprisings in Gornja Stubica i9 > “Adventure

in the National Palace Museum” 3D Animated Film Series......26 National Palace Museum “Adventure in the NPM: The Formosa Odyssey”

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i13 > Create

Your Own Frank Gehry Inspired Designs..................................................34 Fondation Louis Vuitton: Archi-Moi

i14 > “Great

Archaeological Sites” Collection: The Digital Applied to Heritage............36 La grotte Chauvet Pont d’Arc

i15 > Museum

Field Guides Go Mobile in Australia................................................38 Field Guides to Australian Fauna – A Suite of Eight Apps

i16 > IDancing

Joe – Letting Visitors Join in the Dance!.............................................40 Musée de la Civilisation: Danser Joe

1 > A Museum for The 21st Century.............42 MuCEM: Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations 2 > From

Stone Fragments to The New Brand of Sardinia....................................46 Nuragic Sculptures of Monte Prama

3 > The

Foundations of a Family Friendly Museum...................................................50 Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery

4 > The

Black Experience: From Harlem To The World................................................54 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

5 > Crossing

The Borders of Museums and Languages...............................................58 Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature

6 > Learning

From The Old to Discover The New: The Heisei Chishinkan Wing.........62 Kyoto National Museum

7 > Battle!......................................................66 Battle of Bannockburn by National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland & Bright White Ltd

9 > Fujian

Museum's Innovative Thinking and Practice in a New Era.............................74 Fujian Museum

10 > Re-interpretingHeritage

through Contemporary Art..................................78 Mosman Art Gallery: Bungaree’s Farm

11 > Protecting

The Structure of a Unique Medieval Settlement, and its 19th Century Hallhouses...............................82 Rundling Association

12 > Unique

Cultural Landscape of Salt Valley Anana..........................................86 Salt Valley of ANana

13 > Reinventing

Traditions, Conserving The Authentic................................................90 Conservation of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple

14 > Science

And Technology Are Part Of Our Culture...................................................94 Fries Museum

15 > Learning

by Doing - Training of Heritage-Aware Rural Home Owners..98 Programme for Owners of Rural Buildings in Estonia

16 > Jianchuan

Museum Cluster: China’s Largest Private Museum Project........102 Jianchuan Museum

17 > Utopia As an Inhabited Familistere at Guise 18 > Art UK and The Art Art UK: Art Detective

Museum.........106

Detectives............110

19 > Stories

About Common Past and Present................................................114 Pomurje Museum: Radgona Bridges

20 > A Live Reading Marathon....................118 “Karenina Live” Leo Tolstoy Museum and EstateYasnaya Polyana 21 > Gods,

Myths and Mortals – Greek Treasures Across The Millennia.........122

23 > The

Stonehenge Evironmental Improvement Project .........................130 Stonehenge: Surrounding Landscape and Visitor Centre

24 > Mataura

Museum: Bigger on the Inside... ..............................................................134 Mataura Museum: “Reinventing the Mataura Museum”

25 > When

Your Lake Is Turning Green, Can YOU Save It?.........................................138 ”Lake Winnipeg: Shared Solutions” Manitoba Museum

26 > Live The Humanitarian Adventure......142 International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum 27 > The

Vietnamese Women’s Museum – Not Only For Women...........................146 Vietnamese Women’s Museum

28 > 2014

/ 2015 The Whitworth as A ‘Closed’ and ‘Open’ Gallery...............................150 The Whitworth

Presenters..................................................154 Speakers and Moderators.........................164 The Excellence Club...................................168 EUROPA NOSTRA Europe’s Leading Heritage Organisation................................174 ICOM, Speaking The Language Of Museums.. ....................................................................176 Meyvaert Glass Engineering: Celebrating 190 Years of Craftsmanship in Engineering Display Solutions........................................178 The Future of Exhibiting: EXPONATEC COLOGNE 2017...........................................180 Maritime Silk Road.....................................181 Dubrovnik Museums..................................182 Sponsors and Patrons page.......................183 Impressum ................................................184

Hellenic Museum 22 > First

Virtual Online Museum Devoted to Venice...................................................126 Wonders Of Venice: Virtual Online Treasures

ISSN 1849-5222 Zagreb, 2016. THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 5

contents

8 > Towards An Inclusive Museum..............70 Museum of Arts in Iron in The Maremma

introduction

What is “The Best in Heritage”? Professor Tomislav S. Šola

Director, European Heritage Association

The conference has been created as a consistent and yet changeable event: consistent in its format and changeable in its contents. It is good that the introduction to it may well stay the same: our conference proves to be an appropriate response to a world which is growing more and more competitive, tracing constant elaborations of quality criteria. Fifteen years ago when we started the conference, excellence in professional practice was an emerging concept. Ever since, we have been contributing to a nascent heritage profession and, indirectly, providing arguments for its science of public memory. The practical solution to these concepts was relatively simple: we decided to set up the world’s annual scene to present a handpicked choice of ambitious projects, - those that gained a prestigious award in the preceding year. In 2015 some fifty competent juries, national and international, sifted several thousands of projects applying for recognition. Almost 300 of them have been granted some kind of recognition (see our website for the only list of the kind). This 15th jubilee year we have decided to celebrate with an addition to the programme which we hope will prove well worth continuing: IMAGINES is a specific choice of awarded multimedia and otherwise technologically based projects that may interest the closer circle of heritage specialists. Our role is to capitalize on these juries’ effort by spreading their good news about projects that are exercising influence and thus 6 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

producing changes in the quality of heritage work. During previous years the professional public has voted for the best formal presentation. We have noticed that the winner is usually the project perceived by the professional audience as the most influential among all others and thus for this edition of the conference, we renamed the award: The Project of Influence. A separate though similar award is granted to a project from IMAGINES part of the programme. Both laureates are given a trophy by the organizer. By experience we know that there is some doubt still, regarding whether competition is legitimate in culture? Culture is about criteria, about evaluation - not competition. This is correct, and indeed award schemes which are helping this to happen by selecting "the best", are elucidating and employing certain criteria of quality evaluation. Perfecting professional standards in servicing public needs and increased public and media visibility is the aim of all awards. Our world is increasingly one of numbers, quantities and frenzy of superficial change. Therefore, to counteract and correct this, the conference is after quality, excellence, inspiration and ideals of a perfect profession of public memory, with all its prestigious, important occupations and increasingly accomplished civil sector. This year’s team, Ida Marija, Koraljka, Elvis, Vedrana, Sen, Eugen, and Domagoj, is led by Luka Cipek, our project manager: by the time he edits this publication all the presenters will know him well. We are a low profile NGO offering best possible performance a devoted team can achieve, maintaining our uniqueness and the good atmosphere our participants create.

John Sell CBE, Chairman, Advisory Board The Best in Heritage This conference connects the dispersed ranks of this increasingly important but often fragmented heritage sector, members of which are all concerned with the same general objectives. It also connects the public and private, the trained professionals and activists and believers in the cause of heritage. The partnership with EUROPA NOSTRA, supported by the European Commission, is a strategic link to the civil sector, while ICOM, our main and foremost patron, ICOMOS and ICCROM, connect us to the professional world. ICOM’s Endowment Fund provides support for this publication. It is, however, the City of Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Museums which are a true guarantee of our success. The conference still enjoys symbolic help from the Croatian Ministry of Culture, the agency that fully financed it at the very beginning. The conference is gaining momentum and influence. The recent signing of Memorandum of Understanding with the ICOM Endowment Fund and with the Chinese Museums Association are encouraging signs of recognition. The success of organisers in gaining a partnership with a prestigious global company, MEYVAERT Glass Engineering, for the IMAGINES part of the programme is another proof of this increasing presence. The Media partnership Digital Meets Culture and our collaboration with ASEMUS and with IZI.Travel testifies the vitality of this already well-established global professional event.

It is increasingly important to have an orientation and examples when trying to increase quality of our products. The internet is the epitome of impenetrable masses of knowledge where one needs guidance to profit from it. The Best in Heritage is such a search engine. Besides providing real-time and direct experience, all the presentations which take place become an unavoidable tool for professional training. The Organisers proposed to create the White Council, a body of experts composed of moderators, the key-note speaker and the Board Chairman, who will do a wrap-up session on Sunday morning in Rector’s palace. Open to all participants, it will be a precious occasion in marking trends and tendencies in the sector. The Advisory Board is very much supporting the constant innovations to the programme in spite of often scarce resources. Our overall aim is to create inspiration within an agreeable and useful event and to forge creative links, - tasks in which the magic of Dubrovnik will undoubtedly help us again.

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introduction

The Unique Annual Survey of Projects of Influence in Heritage Sector

keynote address

Let Us Engage

A Plea For The Participative Public Memory Institution

Dr Ad Geerdink, Director, Westfries Museum voted as Project of influence at the best in heritage 2015

The Westfries Museum in the town of Hoorn, 30 kilometers north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, is a historical museum dedicated to the Dutch Golden Age, the era of painters like Rembrandt and Vermeer, in which Hoorn was a vibrant merchant town and an important junction in world trade. At last year’s edition of the Best in Heritage Conference the museum presented its award winning project the Coen Case. It was chosenas ‘Most influential project’ by the participants of the 2015 edition of the conference. A true honour. The Coen Case appealed because it offers to museums and heritage institutions a format through which to deal with a situation in which heritage becomes dissonant,a situation that occurs in almost every country, especially with monuments dedicated to historical figures or events. With a change in public opinion these monuments suddenly become the focus of protest. The Coen Case was the response of the Westfries Museum to a heated public debate about a statue on the central square of the town of Hoorn. The statue represents Jan Pietersz Coen (1587-1629), one of the first governor generals of the Dutch East India Company, who was born in Hoorn. The debate started when a group of citizens asked the city council to remove the statue. 8 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

In their opinion Coen was a mass murderer who had used violence against the indigenous population of the Banda Islands in order to maintain a Dutch monopoly on the spice trade in the East Indies. And a murderer, they said, even if the statue had been there for over 120 years, did not deserve a monumental tribute. Their petition led to a fierce nationwide public debate, that went on for weeks in the newspapers, on television and of course on social media. The debate was emotional and very black-or-white. Jan Pietersz Coen was either a villain or a hero, with not much in between. At one point the initiators of the petition were even threatened. To the Westfries Museum the debate was a challenge it had to meet. Being a museum dedicated to the time period in which Jan Pietersz Coen acted, the museum saw the debate as a unique opportunity to reach one of its most important goals; to make its collection and knowledge relevant to contemporary society and especially the local community. The museum chose clearly not to be the settler of the debate, to act as the sole owner of historical truth, but as facilitator, guide, communicator, and interpreter. In this position the museum posed questions and produced material for answers, without en-

keynote address

forcing an opinion, thus helping everyone to make up their own mind in the matter. The heart of the project was an exhibition, shaped like a trial; an ideal format to present different opinions and to motivate people to take notice of opposite opinions. The museum presented the visitor with a real charge â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jan Pietersz Coen does not deserve a statueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and subsequently lots of evidence (objects) for and against the charge, witnesses of the defence and the prosecution (historians and journalists with different opinions) and a judge, the famous Dutch historian and television personality Maarten van Rossem. The museum asked the visitor to be a member of the jury and to come up with a motivated verdict on the charge.

Communication was a key factor in the success of the project. To involve as many people as possible the museum built a special website and made a glossy magazine called Coen!, a nod to the many personal magazines available in the Netherlands. To keep publicity going, the museum organised several activities, ranging from side exhibitions, to concerts, lectures and a storytelling project. The Coen Case proved a great success. Almost 10,000 visitors participated in the project, 3,000 of them schoolchildren, but more importantly, the initiative calmed the overheated public debate in Hoorn. Everyone felt heard and the exchange of opinions became more constructive.

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 9

keynote address

In the end a majority of the visitors voted against the charge. They wanted the statue to remain. With exact the same percentage (67%) the city council also voted in favour of the statue, but it asked for a new information plaque, in which the different views on Coen were addressed. The museum wrote this text. Thanks to the Coen Case, the case was settled, without further protest. The Coen Case got the museum a lot of credit, from local politicians, the public and the press. In 2014, the project was awarded the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award.

Social Engagement Apart from being an appealing format to deal with dissonant heritage, the Coen Case is also an example of the value a participative museum or heritage institution can add to society. Participative means an open eye to the needs of the community it serves, and using all its knowledge, professionalism and creativity to contribute to the solving of social problems in the community.

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And the Coen Case is just one of the many inspiring examples of participative public memory institutions that were presented at last year’s Best in Heritage Conference. The Žanis Lipke Memorial in Riga, Latvia, for example, showed how it took the lead in organising talks about a very sensitive but important social and moral question; the attitude the Latvians should take inregard to the current refugee crisis. Should the Latvians welcome the refugees from the civil war in Syria, or not? The museum took this role in the spirit of Žanis Lipke and his family, who, risking their lives, saved 80 Jewish people from persecution during the Second World War, On another level, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in the United States chose to be a catalyst for neighbourhood revitalization. Their goal is to change not only the lives of the children and families that visit the museum, but also of those in the neighbourhood; neighbourhood that had experienced profound urban decay. Together with community leaders, the museum worked out a Quality Live Plan for area residents. It sets aside

Commitment to the vitality of the local community is also the drive of the Baksi Museum in Bayburt Turkey, an initiative to counter the high levels of immigration in the region. The museum initiates projects that not only contribute to the sustainability of public memory, but also offer work to the local women, by combining local textile tradition and modern design. Like the Baksi Museum, the Sauer Museum in Arbon, Switzerland did a wonderful job in restoring the pride of the local community in their heritage. The Sauer factory, which produced trucks and buses, was once the main employer in the area. When it shut down in 1987, after 150 years of production, 6,000 men and women in Arbon (which has only 13,000 inhabitants) lost their jobs. Thanks to the help of a large collective of volunteers, the Sauer Museum managed to preserve the industrial heritage of the Sauer Company and thus give the heart and soul back to the community, by rediscovering its history. All these examples show that the social engagement of public memory institutions can really make a difference. A strong advocate of this social engagement is Professor Tomislav Šola, founder and director of the Best in Heritage Conference. In his latest book Mnemosophy, an essay on the science of public memory, he states that this engagement should be the primary mission of all institutions that are public memory keepers. Public memory should not be the domain of solo scientists or marketers, but should be used for the benefit of society. It is up to the public memory institutions to refine their raw material (all the knowledge stored in the public memory they manage, mneme)

and turn this into a superior value, a finished product (wisdom, sophy). A product that puts the past into the function of the present. The ecomuseés, established in France in the 1970s, were the first to put this into praxis. A focus on social engagement, however, will need a change of mind in the heritage movement, new professional standards and a renewal of the science of public memory. I find Šola’s plea appealing. Not only that, it may well be a necessity. We are not living in times of change, but in changing times, with a lot of disruptive developments. Whether it is the impact of the internet, prevailing neoliberal politics with their emphasis on ‘the market’, or the ever changing behaviour of the museum visitor that’s no longer a loyal costumer but a cultural omnivore who has to be pleased and tickled all the time, in order to survive, museums and heritage institutions have to find answers to all of these changes. Without a clear, say idealistic, compass it is very easy to lose direction in the complex societies public memory institutions operate within nowadays. Without such a compass we tend to become a donkey that’s just following a carrot that’s hung before its nose, without any sense of direction. So let’s discuss and investigate the possibilities of a new social engagement. Let us be inspired at this year’s Best in Heritage Conference by the best practises from all over the world. But most of all ; let’s engage, because : “...The world can be made a better place every day, by everyone, let alone by the institutions serving the common good.”

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keynote address

funds for the improvement of neighbourhood homes, organises after school programmes and gives grants to promising students.

CMHR Mobile App

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Canadian Museum for Human Rights App international design and communication award 2015 for best app

Corey Timpson

Vice President, Exhibitions, Research and Design ≥ www.humanrights.ca ≥ corey.timpson@humanrights.ca ≥ canadian museum for humanrights 85 Isreal Asper Way Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3C 0L5 ≥ facebook.com/canadianmuseumforhumanrights twitter.com/CMHR_News instagram.com/cmhr_mcdp youtube.com/user/HumanRightsMuseum

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights Mobile App delivers a rich museum experience via a hand-held mobile device, such as a smartphone. Featuring the first use of iBeacon technology in a Canadian cultural institution, and the largest such use in the world, the free app provides a fully accessible self-guided tour (using audio, images, text and video), interactive map, mood meter, online ticketing, information to help plan a visit, and more. At the Museum, visitors can use free Wi-Fi to download the app to their own iOS or Android device, or borrow a loaded device, free of charge, at the ticketing desk. The app, available in English, French, American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes Québécoise (LSQ), can also be downloaded before

or after a visit to the Museum, allowing anyone to experience a virtual tour. The modular design and development of the app acts like an armature, ensuring the easy addition of content, functions, and programs to its original offering, facilitating the growth of this offering over time. This not only allows the CMHR to continually meet the expectations of its audience, but as a very contemporary and active museum, this design concept has already enabled the museum to remain relevant. Recent additions include Augmented Reality functions, temporary exhibition related content and programs, 3D artefact exploration, and much more.

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2. The Dalí TheatreMuseum, A Journey Through The Artist’s Mind Fundation Gala-Salvator Dali: Dali’s Last Masterpiece AVICOM FIAMP Award 2015 for Long film / Gold

Montse Aguer Teixidor

Director, Dalí Museums & of Centre for Dalinian Studies ≥ www.salvador-dali.org ≥ mat@fundaciodali.org

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≥ Centre d’Estudis Dalinians Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí Pujada del Castell, 28 17600 Figueres Spain ≥ facebook.com/MuseusDali twitter.com/MuseuDali youtube.com/user/FundacioDali flickr.com/photos/fundacio_dali

With the documentary Dalí’s Last Masterpiece, we wanted to talk about Dalí, his art, his philosophy and his persona, as well as his last and ultimate creation, the Dalí Theatre-Museum of Figueres (Spain), into which he poured his universe, projected his imagination, his dreams and his visions, and in which he condensed a life devoted to art. The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation initially conceived of this documentary as a way to open the door of the house and invite the viewer to enter the museum created by Salvador Dalí, where once the Municipal Theatre stood, destroyed by the Civil War, and where he worked until the end of his life.

close friend of Dalí and the former Director of the Theatre-Museum, and Salvador Dalí himself, who we can see and hear in archival footage and photographs. In perfect harmony, these three voices reveal some of the secrets of Dalí's last great work. Theatre of memory, dream architecture, world of optical illusions … an 'imperialist and surrealist museum', in Dalí's own words. These are concepts that continually came to the fore as the director David Pujol worked on the script of the documentary with Montse Aguer. One of the main challenges, then, was how to apprehend visually the space characterized by these definitions.

The documentary’s hosts couldn’t be better presenters: Montse Aguer, Director of the Dalí museums, the painter Antoni Pitxot, a THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 15

VanGoYourself.com VanGoYourself MW2015 Best of the Web 2015 Award for Digital Exhibition and People’s Choice Award

Peter Pavement DIRECTOR, Surface Impression

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≥ www.weareculture24.org.uk www.surfaceimpression.digital www.spildaftid.dk ≥ info@surfaceimpression.com ≥ Surface Impression Ltd 11a Jew St Brighton BN1 1UT United Kingdom ≥ facebook.com/surfaceimpression twitter.com/@surfimpress

VanGoYourself is designed to help people rediscover and engage with classic paintings in a new way. It allows them to recreate classic scenes from some of world’s most famous paintings (over 100 works from many collections in Europe and North America) using their own cameras and smartphones – and above all themselves – that they can then share with their friends on social media. The site features works from Masters such as Van Gogh or Rembrandt – with scores of paintings from a variety of collections across European and North American countries all just waiting to be recreated! Visitors to the site can decide how ambitious they feel, then choose a painting that is ‘easy’ or ‘challenging’ to recreate. They can also select paintings using criteria such as ‘selfie potential’ or ‘for lovers’.

VanGoYourself offers a genuinely different and surprisingly deep way for visitors to engage with heritage, based on emotion, playfulness and curiosity. Although the interaction is fun, recreating a painting forces the user to engage deeply with the aesthetic composition and content of the artwork, and by extension, the intent of the original artist. As well as existing as a simple online service, the idea can be deployed by tourist offices, museums, cities, tour guides, etc to promote specific destinations, sites and events. Produced by Culture 24, VanGoYourself is a Europeana Innovation. It was built by Surface Impression in the UK and designed by Spild af Tid in Denmark.

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DOMunder Underground Visitor Experience DOMunder - Tinker Imagineers Heritage in Motion Best Achievement Award 2015

Erik Bär

partner/founder, Tinker imagineers ≥ www.domunder.com www.tinker.nl ≥ erik@tinker.nl ≥ Tinker Imagineers Hamburgerstraat 23 3512 NP Utrecht The Netherlands ≥ facebook.com/tinker.imagineers twitter.com/Tinkerimagineer facebook.com/domplein twitter.com/domplein

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No other spot in The Netherlands can match the 2000 years of history of the Domplein in Utrecht. It is faced with only one problem: a major part of this history is under the ground and literally passed over by everyone. To unlock this concealed history for the public at large DOMunder was created. This underground archaeological visitor experience combines access to well-preserved heritage with an evocative experience – with high tech solutions for climatisation , conservation and multimedia – at a single venue, in an innovative way that is unprecedented in Europe. Visitors assume the role of the archaeologist, as a time-traveller, by descending into the darkness with an interactive flashlight (based on infrared and 3D technology). This light is used to activate walls, findings and stories. In this way, they uncover the un-

believable layered history of the Domplein square. They go back in time until they come face to face with the Roman headquarters: the birth of Utrecht. Aside from this archaeological expedition, which mainly arouses curiosity, there’s also the multimedia descent in time. Aided by the detailed 3D reconstructions of the Domplein, visitors virtually find themselves, amongst other things, in the Gothic Cathedral and looking around the Roman Castellum. A second audio-visual highlight is ‘the terrible tempest’. By making use of state-of-theart computer animations, lighting and sound effects, the visitor relives this historical storm of 1674. All of this takes place right in the middle of the archaeological discoveries, which makes it all an authentic experience.

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Designing a Moving Image Website for a Moving Image Generation Australian Centre for the Moving Image MAPDA 2015 Institution Website Award

Russell Briggs

Director, Exhibitions & Collections

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≥ www.acmi.net.au ≥ russell.briggs@acmi.net.au ≥ Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Federation Square Melbourne Australia ≥ facebook.com/acmionline twitter.com/acmi instagram.com/acmionline

In 2016 a cultural institution’s website should be intelligent and socially engaging and make people think, ‘wow, what’s this place?’ It should speak to people richly and clearly and provide a real sense that we are at the forefront of digital evolution, that we continually challenge ourselves and keep pushing forward. ACMI’s goal was to develop an intuitive site that provides our audience with a clear understanding of who we are and our core offering – exhibitions, film and live events; that speaks to a diverse audience, catering equally to those simply looking for event information and those looking for a richer curatorial experience; that brings our exhibitions, films and talks to life online, with rich and engaging content delivered in interesting ways; that creates clear purchase paths through to online tickets sales and

merchandise; and that enhances opportunities for individuals/communities to interact with, and contribute creatively to ACMI. The current ACMI website (www.acmi.net.au) was developed and launched in 2002. In late 2009-2010, ACMI shifted its strategic focus to include reviewing and expanding its online presence and launched a new version, and in 2015 launched the newest iteration of the site. Our most important goal was to create a website that profiled the museum as a place filled with movement, life, and surprise, to use the moving image as much as possible, but still make it something that was scalable to all devices and was affordable to support.

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Uploading Large Collections to Wikimedia Commons Europeana Foundation, GLAMwiki Toolset MUSE Award 2015 for Open / Gold

David Haskiya

DIRECTOR, Products and Services, Europeana ≥ commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GLAMwiki_ Toolset ≥ david.haskiya@europeana.eu

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≥ Main Europeana Office Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5 2595 BE Den Haag Netherlands ≥ twitter.com/EuropeanaEU facebook.com/Europeana plus.google.com/+europeana/posts

Most galleries, libraries, archives or museums (GLAMs) have it as their mission to make available their collections for research and to educate the public. Publishing your collections online is one of the best ways to fulfill that mission, but this is costly and typically does not result in massive numbers of users. It is costly because writing the contextual texts to accompany the digital objects is expensive, and low reach because the Internet favours larger platforms over smaller sites. Sharing your collections of images, films and audio on Wikimedia Commons makes it possible to partially overcome the challenges of cost and reach. Once it is uploaded to Commons, information becomes available to all 287 language editions of Wikipedia. Images, videos and sound recordings are displayed in the immediate context of encyclopedic knowledge, adding to the understanding of that content in a non-commercial and neu-

tral space. And, being the 5th most visited website in the world means that this material can be viewed in its new educational context by a far larger audience than ever before. Uploading large collections to Wikimedia Commons with good metadata is not easy without support, though. Historically it has required access to dedicated developers with good knowledge of metadata to accomplish batch uploads to Wikimedia Commons. For this reason, the Wikimedia Chapters of the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands funded Europeana to develop a tool that would allow GLAMs to mass-upload content without needing developers, without external assistance required and at their own pace. The GLAMwiki Toolset was launched in mid2014 and GLAMs can now make their digital content visible in Wikipedia articles more easily than ever before! THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 23

Re-discover Heritage, Think HERMeS HERMeS: Hermoupolis Digital Heritage Management EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 (research and digitization)

Dr Pavlos Chatzigrigoriou developer

≥ www.digitalheritagelab.eu www.thinkhermes.com ≥ p.chatzigrigoriou@cut.ac.cy info@iampavlos.com ≥ CUT Arch. Kyprianou 31 CY 3036 Limassol CYPRUS ≥ facebook.com/pavlos.chatzi twitter.com/pavlospc 24 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

When a piece of long-term research finishes, there is always a question about further development. In the case of HERMeS (HERitage Management e-System developed for the Historic City of Hermoupolis, in the Greek Aegean Island Syros) it was also a question about raising awareness. HERMeS proved that 2.4 historic buildings collapse every year, as a result of abandonment. This phenomenon was intensified by the severe economic crisis in Greece. The research proposed an optimal conservation plan for the city, after carefully evaluating variables, through an innovative point system. But in order to keep following this plan, there was a need to update the data, as buildings are constantly changing through time. Updating a database of 1000 historic buildings with no funds is a huge challenge. Developing a digital heritage collection crowd-sourcing por-

tal, using open source software and sharing crucial data for every building, was the answer to this problem. Citizens check the database, report mistakes in the database, and contribute stories and photographs. This effort led us to a big digitization project, involving up to 1,290 historic buildings, 14,400 geotagged photos and more than 15,000 fields of information. HERMeS, as an innovative heritage research and digitization project, won an 2015 European Union for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award. It is used in tourism and education, and now with the help of the Digital Heritage Research Lab from the Cyprus University of Technology, HERMeS is going to connect the intangible and tangible heritage which forms the “Urban Memory” of Hermoupolis.

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i A Monument Comes Alive

Gubec Teater by the Museum of Peasant Uprisings in Gornja Stubica Heritage in Motion Film and video Award 2015

Vlatka Filipčić Maligec HEAD, Museum of Peasant Revolts

≥ www.msb.mhz.hr www.mhz.hr ≥ msb@mhz.hr ≥ Muzej seljačkih buna Samci 64 49245, Gornja Stubica Croatia ≥ facebook.com/Muzej-selja%C4%8Dkihbuna-190842000958677/

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GUBEC THEATRE is a powerful multimedia narrative dedicated to the Great Peasant Revolt that took place in 16th-century Croatia. The project was made in 2013 in order to mark its 440th anniversary. A thematic performance and 3D projection was made for the Museum’s surroundings, to be displayed on the forty-meter long Monument of Matija Gubec and the Peasant’s Revolt made by Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić. The mapping also involves various interactions with art performers. The multimedia combines animation of the monument’s parts, film inserts, music and light effects in order to stir the emotions of people, while at the same time telling the true story of the Peasant’s Revolt in an accurate and chronological way. Such an overwhelming narration required the creative and artistic skills of many collaborators who were working on the project. They used new multimedia solutions in making the monument narrative come alive, which created great impact on the audience.

Besides enhancing the emotional involvement of viewers, a special accomplishment was the “enlivenment” of certain characters, projected on the monument in one swirl of colours and movements, augmenting the impression of the experience over and over again. The project entwines high quality technologies and virtual solutions, animated characters exchange with living artists, and public memory is enriched with historic records and music. This abundant national multimedia story carries strong messages of struggle for human dignity and equality. The human drama of the Gubec Theatre is a powerful tool in presenting to the broad audiences a part of Croatian history. Its 15-minute performance is extremely rich in content, combining historical data with works of art, poetry and music, living performers and multimedia effects; and thus the monument site and its environment and present audience are brought into a universal celebration of freedom.

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“Adventure in the National Palace Museum” 3D Animated Film Series National Palace Museum “Adventure in the NPM: The Formosa Odyssey” AVICOM FIAMP 2015 Medium Film Gold Award

János Tari

Chair, ICOM/AVICOM Intl. Committee for Audiovisual and New Technologies ≥ www.npm.gov.tw ≥ service@npm.gov.tw ≥ National Palace Museum No.221, Sec.2, Zhishan Rd. Shihlin Dist. Taipei City 11143 Taiwan ≥ facebook.com/npmgov youtube.com/user/npmmedia

The three National Palace Museum (NPM) Treasures, Child Pillow, Jade Duck and Pihsieh, have always started their journeys together. What surprising adventure are they going to bring us this time? An unexpected visitor from the Qing period, a Taiwanese dog with a triangular face, almond eyes and a sickle-shaped tail, walked into the NPM's multi-media room 210. Following the little black dog, the three characters of the NPM started an unprecedented journey to a beautiful and exciting destination, Taiwan. Riding the Qing Navy's most innovative Tong-an ship, the NPM Treasures set foot on Formosa Taiwan of the 18th century.

There are currently four episodes in the Adventures in the NPM series: the first episode is “Adventures in the NPM”; the second is “Meeting the Painting and Calligraphy Masterpieces”; the third is “Lost in the Art of Landscape Painting”; and the fourth is “The Formosa Odyssey”. For the shooting of this video series, the NPM combined its research team with a 3D animation technology team. Together they completed several stunning works, which successfully bridged the gap between the NPM’s ancient artifacts and the public. The beloved main character of the series, Child Pillow, will continue his adventures along with his friends, and bring more surprises to the audience.

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10. Creating Unique Stories

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Breaking the Frame - Framework Knitters Museum Heritage in Motion Websites and online content Award 2015

Paul Baker MANAGER

≥ www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk ≥ office@frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk ≥ Framework Knitters Museum Chapel Street Ruddington Nottingham NG11 6HE United Kingdom ≥ twitter.com/FrameKnitter facebook.com/FrameworkKnitter

The Framework Knitters Museum is a small independent museum which explores the history of Nottinghamshireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s textile industry. One of the key stories we consider is that of the Luddite Riots. You may be familiar with the term Luddite in relation to a person who opposes new technology; however the origin of the word refers to a 19th century protest movement originally consisting of the Framework Knitters who attacked the machines, managers and industrialists which they blamed for their poor living and working conditions. With such an emotive story to explore I was keen to create an opportunity for interaction and reflection. Inspired by the interactive book format we developed a unique interactive film in which the main character speaks directly to the viewer and requests their advice in confronting challenging dilemmas. For instance the knitter asks the viewers whether he should join a gang, engage in criminal damage, steal to feed his family or

tell on his friends. All of these issues have obvious contemporary relevance. By utilising hidden hyperlinks the viewer makes choices from a menu which changes the direction of the film. Each scene has been filmed a number of times with subtle differences to ensure that there is continuity as every choice made sends the story in a different direction. The viewers effectively create their own film. When used in a classroom setting the group debate the options and vote on their preferred choices. At the end of the film the users are encouraged to reflect upon the choices they made and whether, given the conclusion, they might wish they had made different ones. Essentially we aim to transform the audience from passive 21st century voyeurs into active, emotionally committed participants. The film is offered free to users on the museum website and our You Tube channel.

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A Mediation Tool to Enhance Knowledge, Heritage and The Visitor's Experience

HistoPad Chambord AVICOM FIAMP 2015 Grand Prix

Virginie Berdal researcher ≥ www.chambord.org ≥ virginie.berdal@chambord.org ≥ Château de Chambord 41250 Chambord France ≥ facebook.com/lechateaudechambord/ twitter.com/domainechambord youtube.com/user/DomainedeChambord

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11.

Using 3D recreations and augmented reality principles, this new tool offers a spectacular, immersive visit to eight Renaissance-period rooms aChambord. Décor, furnishings, original layout, sound effects: the recreated spaces come back to life before visitors’ astonished eyes. A novel and interactive experience, the HistoPad is the fruit of the expertise of a scientific committee made up of specialists in the period and artistic talents, renowned in the field of innovation in the service of heritage. In addition, the tool offers a “virtual guided tour” of 24 key rooms in the monument, in which visitors can discover its history and collections (almost 200 interactive slides are translated into 12 languages). There is also a fun virtual reality treasure hunt for young-

er visitors. Finally, an automatic iBeacons location system helps visitors find their way round the château and automatically starts the app when they enter a room. With a user satisfaction rating of 93%, The Chambord HistoPad plays a role in showcasing, promoting an understanding of and highlighting one of the most emblematic of French heritage monuments. The HistoPad won an award as part of the last “Festival International de l’Audiovisuel et du Multimédia sur le Patrimoine” (International Festival of Heritage Audiovisual and Multimedia) organizedby AVICOM-ICOM, in recognition of its scientific and educational value, its originality and also its technological qualities. (Grand Prix Avicom Claude-Nicole Hocquart and bronze award in the “Multimedi’Art Innovative” category).

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≥ photo: Ludovic Letot

In 2015, the Domaine national de Chambord (France) and the French start-up Histovery co-produced a new on-site mediation tool available on digital tablet: The Chambord HistoPad.

Reaching out to Chinese Audiences through Digital Engagement Australian Centre for the Moving Image: “China Up Close” MAPDA 2015 Multimedia Award

Russell Briggs

Director, Exhibitions & Collections

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China Up Close was an expansive program that explored Chinese moving image art, film and culture. It sought to deepen Australian audiences’ understandings of Chinese cultural practice, highlighting its symbiotic relationship with the rapid and powerful changes in Chinese culture and society. The goal of China Up Close was to increase understandings in Australia of key movements, makers and themes in Chinese screen-based art and film, looking at the social, historical and aesthetic context for screen-based work. The distinction between contemporary mainland Chinese artists, diasporic Chinese and local Chinese-Australian artists had never been fully explored in the Australian art and film worlds, and this was also an important area of focus for the China Up Close program. At the nucleus of China Up Close was a free exhibition presenting the elaborate films and film installations of celebrated Shanghai-based artist Yang Fudong. This exhibition

was the first major institutional survey of the artist’s work in Australia. It was supported by a major film program as well as dynamic public events, including an interdisciplinary symposium. The symposium focused on the extraordinary development of contemporary moving image art and cinema in the opening up of contemporary China. Also featured were a number of Youth Programs, Lunar New Year family activities and a significant online digital presence. Between the Screens was the online aspect of China Up Close. It was designed to experiment with new ways of engaging and creating material with online audiences whilst attempting to alter the default relationship from user to creator. Its goal was to engage directly with Chinese-speaking audiences and develop an interactive model that was as easy to use for Chinese-speakers as it was for English-speakers.

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i13.

Create Your Own Frank Gehry Inspired Designs

Fondation Louis Vuitton: Archi-Moi AVICOM FIAMP Award 2015 for Multimedia Art Innovative / Gold

Joachim Monegier du Sorbier Head of Visitor Experience and Interpretation programs ≥ www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr ≥ contact@fondationlouisvuitton.fr ≥ Fondation Louis Vuitton 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi Bois de Boulogne 75116 Paris France ≥ facebook.com/FondationLouisVuitton twitter.com/FondationLV www.youtube.com/user/FondationLV 36 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

It is available on the App Store for free or at the Welcome desk of the Foundation on Ipads, and kids can discover the architecture of the Foundation and play on their own.

Sketch your idea Start by choosing a shape drawn from familiar objects and make it your own by manipulating the outlines with your fingertips. Add colour, patterns and a background to create an inspirational sketch that will help you produce your own 3D design later.

Meet the team behind the building You can search through the gallery’s visitors to see if you can find the key members of the team and discover what each role involves.

Explore the space With our amazing 360 degree photography and a fun quiz, we take you inside the sails, explain how the sound engineers work in the auditorium, and how the building is designed to reflect the space it sits in.

Drive a crane Take control of a crane and play against the clock to drop the glass panels, each individually shaped, into the correct position on the sail. But be quick!

Design like Frank Gehry Having explored the building itself, now it’s your chance to turn your design sketch into a Gehry-inspired building. Position all your elements, change your colour or background and then your building is ready!

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≥ photo: Ludovic Letot

Apprentice Architect (or ArchiMoi in French) is an app for children who want to explore the Louis Vuitton Foundation building and create their own Frank Gehry-inspired designs.

“Great Archaeological Sites” Collection: The Digital Applied to Heritage

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La grotte Chauvet Pont d’Arc AVICOM’s FIAMP 2015 Web Art Gold Award

Thomas Sagory

archaeologist and digital project manager, Musée d’Archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye ≥ www.archeologie.culture.fr/chauvet ≥ thomas.sagory@culture.gouv.fr ≥ Musée d’Archéologie nationale Thomas Sagory Château - Place Charles de Gaulle 78100 Saint-Germain-en-Laye France ≥ facebook.com/grandssitesarcheologiques twitter.com/GSArcheo twitter.com/Archeonationale

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On Sunday December 18, 1994, Jean-Marie Chauvet led his two friends, Éliette Brunel and Christian Hillaire, on the Cirque d'Estre toward the cliffs. All three had a passion for speleology and had long stopped counting their discoveries. But this time they discovered one of the oldest paleolithic caves in the world, with evidence of human occupancy from 36 000 years BC. On 22 June 2014, this extraordinary cave was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Marvel at the underground landscapes and the spectacular artwork on the cave walls, where bears, horses, lions, mammoths and rhinoceros abound. Protected by a landslide that blocked the entrance to the cave, the works of the prehistoric artists and the footprints of our Aurignacian ancestors have been left almost perfectly intact for 38,000 years.

The project was the 2015 publication of the website collection “Great archaeological sites” archeologie.culture.fr that presents, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages, the history and lives of humans in times past by the most accomplished of specialists, in a format accessible to everyone. The aim of the project was to give access, as widely as possible, to this inaccessible sanctuary, never opened to the public for preservation reasons. The research work on the cave, and its preservation and presentation, are being carried out by the services of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. The website of the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc cave bears witness to this collective approach, presenting the development of the cave and offering a voyage through time.

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15. Museum Field Guides Go Mobile in Australia Field Guides to Australian Fauna – A Suite of Eight Apps MW2015 Best of the Web Award 2015 for Mobile

Dr Elycia Wallis Manager of Online Collections, Museum Victoria

≥ www.museumvictoria.com.au ≥ ewallis@museum.vic.gov.au ≥ Museum Victoria PO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia ≥ twitter.com/museumvictoria facebook.com/museumvictoria instagram.com/museumvictoria 40 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

This project extended an earlier one, in which Museum Victoria had created a single field guide for Victorian fauna. The national apps project was funded by the Australian government, through the Inspiring Australia, Unlocking Australia’s Potential scheme. It was achieved as a collaboration between seven museums and the Atlas of Living Australia. Museum scientists around the country wrote content, sourced images and – for birds and frogs – sounds. Project management, programming and design were done by Museum Victoria.

The project was a remarkable example of cross institutional collaboration with over 300 contributors to the final products. Both the product and the collaboration have been recognized as outstanding, winning a number of awards in 2015 including the Best of the Web award for mobile, a Bronze MUSE award for Mobile Applications, and a Museums Australia MAGNA award for Interpretation, Learning and Audience Engagement.

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> National suite of Field Guide Apps produced in Australia

The finished apps are completely free to download for Apple and Android devices. Furthermore, the code for the apps is published on GitHub and other developers can freely use this resource. The apps have been downloaded over 150,000 times across all platforms.

≥ Museum Victoria scientists show off the Victorian app at Community Schools day, Photo: Nicole Kearney / Museum Victoria

The Field Guides to Australian Fauna are a suite of eight apps designed to help users to identify Australian animals, birds, fish and invertebrates. There is one app for each Australian State and Territory, covering fauna found in that geographic area. Over 2200 species are included across the suite of apps.

16. Musée de la Civilisation: Danser Joe AVICOM / FIAMP 2015 ^multimedia art innovative / Gold

Stéphan La Roche executive director

≥ www.mcq.org ≥ RENSEIGNEMENTS@MCQ.ORG ≥ MUSÉES DE LA CIVILISATION 16, rue de la Barricade C.P. 155, succ. B Québec (QC) G1K 7A6 Canada ≥ facebook.com/mcqorg twitter.com/mcqorg youtube.com/mcqpromo 42 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Dancing Joe – Letting Visitors Join in the Dance!

Created with Montreal multimedia company Moment Factory,in collaboration with Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault, Dancing Joe helps pass on the memory of this piece by recreating the choreography: 20 minutes, 15 visitor-dancers wearing the Joe character’s costume. Guided by the voice of rehearsal director Ginelle Chagnon, who contributed to new versions of the work, participants moved through the sequence of steps in the studio.

Images were captured during the session and then combined with original sequences and reflections of Jean-Pierre Perreault and his collaborators. The comments received were extremely positive. Many visitors said they had a memorable and unique experience. However, shyness and the fear of investing physically in a collective activity seemed to curb participation. If the workshop were to be held again, the Museum would put more focus on preparing visitors to dispel their fears. With this immersive multimedia experience, Dancing Joe nurtured the memory of the piece in ways that were simple yet engaging. By reaching out to visitors through the experience of contemporary dance, the multimedia workshop contributed to the impalpable transmission of this intangible heritage.

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≥Photo: Jessie Bernier – Icône

In March 2015, visitors to the exhibition Rebel Bodies at Musée de la civilisation, Québec City, were invited to experience contemporary dance through movement. With an accessible approach, the exhibition demystified contemporary dance. In addition to seeing the exhibition, visitors could recreate a seminal work of Québec’s dance heritage, Joe (1983), by Jean-Pierre Perreault (1947 – 2002).Through the multimedia workshop, visitor-dancers immersed themselves in the choreographer's world.

1. MuCEM: Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations Marseille, France European Museum Forum / Council of Europe Museum Prize 2015

Mikaël Mohamed

head, international relations ≥ www.mucem.org ≥ mikael.mohamed@mucem.org ≥ MuCEM 1, esplanade du J4 13002 Marseille France ≥ facebook.com/lemucem twitter.com/MuCEM_Officiel instagram.com/mucem_officiel 44 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

A Museum for The 21st Century

Being the first museum dedicated to Mediterranean cultures, the Mucem is unique. The Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires, created in 1937 in Paris, was transformed, and moved from Paris to the regions. Opened in Marseille in June 2013, the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (Mucem) is a symbol of the rebirth of Marseille.

One Museum, Three Sites The Mucem comprises three sites covering nearly 45,000 m2. Located by the sea, at the entrance to the Vieux Port, the J4 building – the emblematic, striking edifice by Rudy Ricciotti – and the Fort Saint Jean – a completely restored historic monument – embody perfectly, with their two footbridges, the aim of forging a link between the two Mediterranean shores. They house the large exhibitions and events that make up the museum’s artistic and cultural programme. The Centre de Conservation et de Ressources (CCr), located in the city centre, is home to the museum’s collections. These unique holdings give the Mucem a rich array of cultural offerings.

A Cultural Complex The Mucem is interested in the contemporary aspects of European and Mediterranean civilizations. It aims to help visitors better understand the world they live in. It holds a million works of art and objects, showcased in an ambitious programme of permanent and temporary exhibitions. It has a vast historic span stretching from the Neolithic to the present, drawing on all the human and social sciences disciplines, bringing together art from both shores of the Mediterranean.

Crossroads in the Mediterranean Its aim is to showcase the heritage of the Mediterranean, foster new exchanges in

the Mediterranean region, and also, during the current period of upheaval, help lay the foundations for the Mediterranean of tomorrow. From Marseille, the emblematic city of cultural diversity, the Mucem seeks to play a key role in improving cohesion by becoming a place where it will be possible to acquire a better understanding of the region

The J4: The Heart of The Museum Overlooking the sea, on the former J4 pier, the building designed by Ricciotti (in association with Roland Carta) forms the heart of the Mucem. Here, large exhibitions are held, as well as artistic and cultural events, and the large exhibitions are hosted on two levels. • Level 0: the semi-permanent Galerie de la Méditerranée (Mediterranean Gallery). This thematic gallery has modular displays, changed every 3 to 5 years. • Level 2: temporary exhibitions. Flexible space means each exhibition can be given the space it requires (between 300 and 2,000 m2). It also houses an auditorium with seating for 335 (for lectures, performances, concerts and film series), a screening space for audio-visual documents (‘the Médinatheque’, in collaboration with the INA ), a space for children (‘L’Odyssée des Enfants’), a bookshop and gift shop, and a café and restaurant with a panoramic terrace. Finally, it houses the technical areas: workshops, storerooms, offices, spaces for discussion and research, etc.

Making The Collections Accessible In addition to its missions linked to the conservation and enrichment of the collections, the Mucem is dedicated to disseminating the collections and making them accessible. All THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 45

of the collections can be consulted, upon request, in one of the rooms designed for this purpose. The CCr also has two spaces dedicated specifically to disseminating the collections: • A small room for temporary exhibitions (110 m2) is where external curators have carte blanche to give a fresh perspective on the collections. • A storeroom, the ‘appartement témoin’ (800 m2), was specially designed to receive the general public, who can get an idea of the variety of the collections and the techniques used to conserve them. Finally, the CCr makes it possible to implement a policy of short-term and long-term loans to partner museums in France and abroad.

Urban Transformation And International Reputation Thanks to its strategic location in the heart of Marseille, the Mucem is a major venture for both the Mediterranean and Marseille in particular. The quality of the urban transformations – combining contemporary architecture and renovated historic monument 46 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

– together with the project’s inclusiveness, made the museum exceptionally popular from day one: today the Mucem is an internationally recognised ‘world object’. Since 1995, the city of Marseille has undergone a veritable metamorphosis with the Euroméditerranée project, thought to be the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. The transformation of the seafront by the state aimed at creating a new economic centre, revitalising the city centre and the port by creating new links between them: it was about ‘building a new city on the city’, to lift Marseille to the level of Europe’s other great metropolises. Located on the edge of the Euroméditerranée, at the frontier between the Vieux Port and the La Joliette quarter, the complex made up of the Fort Saint Jean and the J4 pier was chosen as the site for the Mucem. The first was a historic monument – the property of the state – which had never been open to the public. The second, built in the 19th century, has always been part of the port: it was at the J4 that, up until decolonisation, travellers from all over the world would set sail and arrive. Here the spectacular contemporary building designed by Rudy Ricciotti was built. Finally, the Belle

de Mai neighbourhood, houses the Mucem’s Centre de Conservation et de Ressources, built on a disused industrial site. These three sites form a 45, 000 m2 complex: beyond its scientific and cultural aims, the Mucem represents an unprecedented example of the transformation of an urban site through culture.

new pedestrian route between the city’s historic neighbourhoods (Vieux Port and Panier) and the former port zone transformed by Euroméditerranée, the Mucem naturally became part of everyday life. Free admission to spaces that had previously been off-limits generated a strong sense of allegiance to the museum.

Success With The Public And The Media

Popularity amongst tourists turned out to be quite high: unexpectedly, the Mucem even became one of the reasons people decided to visit Marseille. Its opening was widely reported (more than 3,000 articles in the national and international press between June and December), establishing the museum firmly amongst Europe’s leading cultural destinations. In 2014, the Mucem was ranked 10th by the Journal des arts. That same year it was awarded the 2015 Museum Prize from the Council of Europe. Today it occupies a prestigious place on the international scene, and is one of the new symbols of Marseille’s influence, its cultural vitality and its role as an interface between Europe and the Mediterranean.

The opening of the Mucem in June 2013, when Marseille-Provence was ‘European capital of culture’, was greeted with huge enthusiasm, with more than 1.8 million visitors in less than seven months. The following year, visitor numbers soared to unexpected levels, with 650,000 visiting the exhibitions and 1.8 million visiting the sites (Lord Culture estimated 350,000 visitors would attend exhibitions in 2011). The Mucem joined the circle of the 50 most visited museums in the world. More importantly, the Mucem is, a new public space in Marseille: admission to the outdoor spaces of Fort Saint Jean and the Ricciotti building is free, as a result of which the locals immediately embraced the site. With its footbridges, which created a

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2. Nuragic Sculptures of Monte Prama, Sardinia, Italy EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Public Choice Award 2015 (Conservation)

Roberto Nardi

From Stone Fragments to The New Brand of Sardinia 48 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

President, ICCM Foundation ≥ www.ccaroma.org ≥ robertonardi@ccaroma.org ≥ Centro di Conservazione Archeologica – Roma Via del Gambero 19, 00187 Roma Italia ≥ facebook.com/CCAROMA/ twitter.com/CCAROMA youtube.com/CCARoma

In the 1970s, 5178 stone fragments dating from the eleventh to eighth centuries BC, representing archers, boxers, warriors and nuraghe models, were excavated by the Archaeological Superintendence of Cagliari (Sardinia) from the funerary and sacred area of Monte Prama, near Cabras, Oristano. The statues are known today as the Giants of Monte Prama, due to their impressive dimensions, more than two meters in height. The monumental statues shed new light on the art and culture of the Sardinian people. In 2007 the CCA, Centro di Conservazione Archeologica of Rome, directed by Roberto Nardi, was awarded a contract to design and implement a conservation project to put the statues on display at the Museum. The funds (1,128,909 Euro) were made available in the framework of a Program Agreement for Cultural Heritage between the Ministry of Culture of Italy and the Autonomous Region of Sardinia. The work was carried out in the 450 square meter laboratory of “Li Punti”, made available by the Superintendence in Sassari, set up by CCA for this purpose as a space open to the public. Technical interventions performed during the conservation process were designed according to the principles of minimum intervention and reversibility, respect for the original materials and finish, for the patinas of time and the marks of history, full documentation and complete transparency. The curative conservation was carried out by using delicate systems for cleaning - atomized water and mechanical tools, compatible material for consolidation and surface protection – lime based mortars, gluing and external metal supports for remounting the fragments into statues. No holes have been put into the original stone to insert pins.

The fragments, their state of conservation, the technical original details, the operations implemented have been documented graphically, in a database, with photos and video, with a 3D scanning campaign that covered the entire collection. Diagnostics provided study tools and techniques to identify the problems regarding the deterioration of the artifacts, their interaction with their surroundings, and the stratifications, documenting the ancient and recent history of the sculptures. Cleaning, consolidation, re-composition of the matching fragments, gluing, assembly of the statues and creation of new supports for museum display are some of the activities implemented, and represent only a small percentage of the activities carried out during the program. The Monte Prama conservation project was designed as a multidisciplinary effort to bring together aspects of conservation and restoration, public engagement and communication on regional, national and international levels in order to fill the chasm that centuries of neglect have created between the statues and the public. For this purpose the program was strongly geared towards public involvement. Information was disseminated among the wider public by opening the restoration workshop to visitors and through other initiatives. Longer-term objectives were to make students, academics and the public more familiar with the artifacts and bring the statues back into daily life, the island’s culture, and international knowledge. The traditional restoration workshop has been transformed into a Gallery Laboratory where the public can observe the progress of conservation and restoration activities. Initiatives for students have included a poster

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contest for primary, middle and high school pupils, as well as guided tours to the work site. Specifically designed didactic materials have focused on the meaning of this unique archaeological legacy and on the importance of preserving historical and artistic evidence for future generations. Press conferences, public meetings, conferences and a web site dedicated to the Monte Parma project are some of the other initiatives carried out to keep the local population and the general public constantly updated on the progress of conservation and restoration activities. Due to the high number of fragments of all sizes and weights, the fragile composition of the original stone (a bio limestone), and the lack of any information on the statues and their original shape, the project’s initial objectives were limited to the study and accurate documentation of all the fragments, their consolidation and stabilization, and the reconstruction and display of one or maximum two sculptures. At the end of the project the results were 1202 fragments assem50 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

bled out of the original 5178 fragments, 38 sculptures mounted on new supports, forming an impressive army of five archers, four warriors, 16 boxers and 13 nuraghe models (cone-shaped stone towers). In Spring 2014 CCA put the collection on a temporary display in the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari and Museum of Cabras. At the same time funds have been allocated for the reorganization of the Museum of Cabras to host the collection close to the original site of Mont’e Prama. The Monte Prama Conservation Program has been a cultural, technical, and financial challenge that allowed a unique, forgotten page of history to return to the knowledge of specialists and of the wider public. Thanks to accurate study and technical analysis, much information was gathered on aspects almost unknown in relation to the Nuragic civilization and published in three volumes. Amongst the several economical outcomes of this project for the Island, the number of tickets to the Museum of Cagliari sold has

doubled, and increased fivefold at the museum of Cabras; new restaurants and hotels opened in Cabras; new souvenir production started; new wines were produced in the name of the sculptures. From a cultural angle it is worthwhile to report that when you land in Sardinian airports, representations of the sculptures welcome you, schools organize activities related to them, festivals are organized using the sculptures as logos, the regional basket ball team adopted the sculptures on their t-shirts, many international broadcasts report about the collection and, recently, after receiving an EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015, the Regione Sardinia managed a successful voting campaign for the Europa Nostra Public Choice Award. The sculptures of Monte Prama have been received by the local population as a major component of their cultural heritage and they are becoming “the brand” of the Island.

volvement and communication on a regional, national and international level. The success of this project brought-in new resources and a new excavation was organized in 2015 giving as result 2200 new fragments, 4 new sculptures with 2 new typologies. A new conservation project started in the museum of Cabras with the common objective to complete the conservation of 7500 fragments of stone and put the collection in display in a new museum in Cabras, close to the original site where the sculptures were discovered forty years ago.

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Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Carlisle, United Kingdom Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award 2015

Anna Smalley Head of Learning

≥ www.tulliehouse.org ≥ enquiries@tulliehouse.co.uk ≥ Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Trust Castle Street Carlisle CA3 8TP United Kingdom ≥ twitter.com/tulliehouse facebook.com/TullieHouse instagram.com/tulliehousemuseum/

3. The Foundations of a Family Friendly Museum

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Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery is an independent regional museum with an international reach. Located in the historic city of Carlisle, on the border between England and Scotland, the museum welcomes 250,000 visitors every year. We look after nearly 400,000 cultural artefacts on behalf of the local government covering Fine and Decorative Art, Natural Sciences, Archaeology and Social History. Highlights include the largest collection of pre-Raphaelite artwork in the north of England, an internationally important Roman collection that centres on Hadrian’s Wall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and a huge collection of specimens that represent the flora and fauna of Cumbria, the most bio-diverse county in England. We have partnerships with some of the most prestigious museums in the country, including the British Museum and the Tate, as well as international partners including the Imperial Decree Museum in Xuzhou, China. The museum’s award-winning learning and engagement programmes bring these collections to life. We have recently launched a Manifesto that puts learning and our community at the heart of everything we do: we want to develop active participants, be inclusive, inspire learning and be a catalyst for thinking differently. In 2015 we were the national winners of the Telegraph Kids in Museums Family Friendly Award. Kids in Museums are an independent charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming for all families. The Award has been running for 13 years and is one of the most prestigious museum awards in the UK as it is voted for by the public. This year there were over 650 nominations. Tullie House has been entering the award for a number of years and has made the longlist of twenty every year since 2011. We kept applying as we really believe in families and wanted to shape our programme around this key

target audience. We made it to the shortlist of six for the first time in 2015 and then went on to win the award – a huge honour. Tullie House was established in 1893 and occupies a unique place in Carlisle as a community and tourist asset. The Museum has a magical atmosphere that is hard to put into words. Staff and visitors feel a strong sense of ownership of the space; it is comfortable and familiar and because of this it is a safe space where all visitors, but particularly children and families, can be inspired and challenged to think differently. We subscribe to the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Manifesto and excelling in all of its key areas was a central reason behind us winning the award. Following these principles is simple and does not have to be expensive – we are proud that we won the award without spending thousands of pounds on brand new interactives or state-of-the-art digital technology. We won because we are passionate about families and this shines through in everything we do. Key elements of the Manifesto include:

Begin at Birth Adopting this principle has allowed us to create a programme that focuses on intergenerational learning. Tullie is a space where parents feel comfortable bringing their very youngest. We run Toddler & Baby sessions every fortnight in spaces around the Museum, including the galleries and gardens. We offer these sessions free of charge and have created a community of regular mums, grandparents and dads who have adopted Tullie Toddlers as part of their routine. “We love coming to the toddler group, there are always different activities and the staff are very friendly”

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Invite Teenagers In We are committed to providing an accessible space for all ages, and actively seek out opportunities to work with this challenging but rewarding age group. Tullie has its own young person group (The Youth Panel), who contribute to exhibitions and events and take part in innovative projects. Most recently they have designed and launched an app that takes visitors on a ‘Cultural Crawl’ around Carlisle, featuring film and animation. In order to fully commit to this principle we have embraced inclusivity: as well as engaging with teenagers who are already interested in history, we work with those who may experience barriers to accessing the museum through challenging personal situations. This includes learners from the national crime reduction charity NACRO, and the Carlisle Young Carers group. Our projects often use the National Arts Award Framework, where learners work on projects that develop their skills and achieve an accredited qualification. On a recent poetry based project: “Because I had no previous experience of spoken word, 54 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

I found the prospect of the performance quite challenging! Overcoming this really boosted my confidence and I really enjoyed the experience of performing to the largest audience I have ever read in front of.”

Share Stories Interacting with visitors is a core element of our Visitor Engagement team’s role, as reflected in their recent title change from ‘Front of House Team’. They encourage visitors to share their thoughts and memories, using our collections as catalysts for this process. In our Collections Conversation programme, staff encourage visitors to handle and interact with artefacts. Discussions focus on sharing thoughts rather than the right or wrong interpretation of facts. We also hold a monthly ‘Morning at the Museum’ session for adults living with dementia and their carers: at the sessions we use our collection to stimulate discussion, as well as provide a space for participants to make new friends.

“I have enjoyed this morning getting together and chatting with people. Enjoyed the friendliness…Looking forward to the next time.”

Reach Beyond Your Four Walls We recognize that visiting a museum can be intimidating for many people. By taking our collections into the community we hope to break down barriers and help people understand that Tullie House is their Museum – this deepens their support through increased participation but also financially through membership and donations. We do this through regular outreach sessions at care homes, children’s centres, schools and community events and fairs.

Be The Core Of Your Community We are passionate about making children and adults feel comfortable in the Museum – it’s a key part of our Manifesto that Tullie becomes a “third space” for the community, away from home and work. We aim to do this through our changing exhibition and events programme founded on principles of co-cre-

ation, by breaking down economic barriers to access through reduced entry for locals and free initiatives, and by making our spaces as inviting as possible. “There were community spaces. There was an exhibition about carnivals in Carlisle by a local group. The café had a lovely area with toys that the children could play with. Lovely gardens too. They had that nailed for me.” The primary pillar of our Manifesto is to create a museum fit for the twenty-first century, a museum that has something to say about Carlisle, Cumbria and the world in which we live; a museum that unleashes creativity and invites co-creation; a museum which is collections based, curatorially informed and audience focussed; a museum with a human face providing a third space anchoring community life. Winning the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Award was a huge step in this direction and has set us on a path that we feel will make the Museum sustainable, resilient and inspirational for generations to come.

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4. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture New york, United States National Medal for Museum and Library Service 2015

Dr Sylviane A. Diouf Director of the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic History, Curator of Digital Schomburg ≥ www.schomburgcenter.org ≥ Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY 10037-1801 United States ≥ twitter.com/schomburgcenter facebook.com/Schomburgcenter youtube.com/user/theschomburgcenter

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The Black Experience: From Harlem To The World

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located in Harlem, New York, is a research unit of The New York Public Library system. It is recognized as the world’s leading repository focusing on materials related to the global black experience. We serve an array of functions—from international research institute to cultural center, museum, and performing arts venue. Our dedication to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of black life, history, and culture stems from the tradition set forth by our namesake, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a black Puerto-Rican who immigrated to New York in 1891. Determined to prove to the world that black people had a history, Arturo Schomburg collected black-related books, manuscripts, prints, pamphlets, newspapers, and ephemera. He developed relationships with book dealers from around the world. In May 1926, The New York Public Library purchased Schomburg’s collection, which attracted the attention of scholars, artists, politicians, intellectuals, and the general publicand was instrumental in the development of the Harlem Renaissance. Today, the Center contains over 10 million items. We know that there is limited knowledge on the great contributions of black culture and westrive to providefree services and programs for a variety of constituents from the United States and abroad. The Schomburg, a well-respected institution, serves as a cutting-edge cultural arts and research center that provides intellectual discovery through research, innovative programming, research fellowships for college students and faculty, educational programs for teenagers and teachers, cultural performances, and free exhibitions. Recently, the exhibition “Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers” has been traveling to over 20 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean and has also

been displayed at the United Nations in New York. Digital exhibitions on diverse topics, such as black migrations, the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World, or the Black Power movement have been seen in over 170 countries, offering international viewers the latest scholarship on the global black experience. The year 2015 marked the Schomburg Center’s 90th anniversary and over the course of our history we have contributed profoundly to the intellectual understanding of race and the global black experience. As a public institution dedicated to fostering literacy, arts appreciation and awareness of the contributions of black people the world over, the Schomburg Center provides access to and professional reference assistance in the use of its collections through five divisions, each managing materials in specific formats but with broad subject focus: the Art and Artifacts Division; the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division; the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division; the Photographs and Prints Division; and the Research and Reference Division. The Schomburg Center connects the dynamic worlds of scholarship, art, community learning and public programming unlike any other institution. Our research facilities and multi-purposed building provide a supportive environment for community groups with limited resources. We attract a broad range of constituencies that are multi-racial, multi-generational and represent the diverse communities of New York City. Our deep history and connections with the African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino and African immigrants speak to and demonstrate our commitment as an inclusive organization. Unlike other research institutions, the Schomburg is the only one that combines intellectual research, cultural arts, and pubTHE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 57

lic programming focused exclusively on the black experience. One of our unique features is our public programming series that attracts and engages with diverse audiences and community partners. The Schomburg hosts free public programs that showcase films, theater productions, performances, speaker panels, and authors’ conversations. Events are live streamed and are available to viewers throughout the world. The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery is another unique initiative, the only one of its kind in a public library. The Center's mission is to generate and disseminate scholarly knowledge on the slave trade, slavery, and anti-slavery pertaining to the Atlantic World. The Center supports the work of researchers with fellowships. Given the centrality of Atlantic slavery to the making of the modern world, the Lapidus fellowships provide a counterbalance to the contemporary direction of scholarship 58 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

in African-American and African Diaspora studies.To raise awareness and historical literacy, the Lapidus Center engages the public with live-streamed programs, an annual nonfiction prize, and a biennial conference.

The National Medal For Museum and Library Service The Schomburg Center was proud to receive the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2015 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The mission of IMLS is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Each year, IMLS selects ten recipients to receive the prestigious National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community. For 22 years, the award has celebrated institutions that respond to societal needs in innovative ways, making

a difference for individuals, families, and their communities. The award is a based on a nomination process and the Schomburg Center was nominated by United States Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York. The award includes a presentation at the White House, a plaque and a modest grant award to acknowledge the achievement.

Lady of the United States and she graciously agreed to provide a video presentation at our 90th anniversary gala. We also leveraged earned media from various outlets that learned about the Schomburg Center from the National Medal and we were able to highlight our achievement with individual donors and supporters.

The Schomburg Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nomination process was led by our administrative offices and the proposal was developed by our Strategic Initiatives Department. It required strategic oversight and planning. The successful process was managed by a single staff member (Director of Strategic Initiatives) that allowed for the proposal to have focused attention.

The National Medal is the highest award bestowed upon libraries and museums in the United States. We are recognized as a leader in our field and define excellence as the ability to provide intellectual and cultural enrichment focused on the black experience.

We used the award to elevate our profile during our 90th anniversary season. This was a strategic approach to leverage funding, new media and other opportunities. Strategically, we were able to gain access to the First

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is where history comes alive. Our work helps to celebrate the American narrative of diversity, ingenuity, hope and social progress and offers enriching insight on the global black experience for everyone to share and learn. THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 59

Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature Hovdebygda, Norway Norwegian Museum Of The Year 2015

Ottar Grepstad Director

Crossing the Borders of Museums and Languages ≥ www.aasentunet.no www.haugesenteret.no www.allkunne.no ≥ admin@aasentunet.no ≥ Centre for Norwegian language and literature Indrehovdevegen 176 N-6160 Hovdebygda Norway ≥ twitter.com/IvarAasentunet twitter.com/Haugesenteret twitter.com/Allkunne facebook.com/ivaraasentunet facebook.com/haugesenteret 60 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

It all started in 1990 with a difficult question: how do you make the invisible visible? 25 years later, the answers were honoured with the prize Museum of the Year 2015 in Norway. The Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature “is an unusually vivid, ambitious and systematic communicator and manager of intangible cultural heritage”, the jury said. The award was not given for a single project, but the work undertaken over many years in two museums, two festivals, one online encyclopedia and eight web sites. The idea in 1990 was to renew the Ivar Aasen Museum, opened in 1898 as a memory place at the homestead of the Norwegian language researcher and poet Ivar Aasen (1813–96). He was the man who changed the future of Norwegian language history. Only 22 years old, Aasen claimed that all Norwegian dialects should be the starting point for a written standard of Norwegian. The linguist travelled 27 000 km within the borders of Norway to find the Norwegian language – a journey longer than that of Marco Polo. Aasen also wrote songs and other poems that still are among the most popular in Norway. The Norwegian parliament decided in 1885 that Norwegian Nynorsk and Norwegian Bokmal should be two equal languages in Norway. That makes Norway one of the first formally bilingual states in the world. Today Bokmal dominates, but Nynorsk has become a natural part of everyday life, and is the first language of at least 550,000 Norwegians. That makes Nynorsk a major language in the world; 5,000 out of 7,000 languages are used by less than 100,000 people. A story about this development demanded innovation, being our own pathfinder, making our own solutions. The foundation of the Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature (Nynorsk

kultursentrum) dates from 1993 and documents, preserves and promotes oral traditions, written culture, the written standard of Norwegian Nynorsk, all Norwegian dialects, and the life and work of Ivar Aasen. Our collections cover all parts of Norway, both oral and written culture. The outstanding Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn created the new Ivar Aasen Centre in 2000, with a design inviting guests to walk along the road of language. Museums tend to hide away the great questions of life, Fehn said, so the exhibition at the Aasen Centre opens with the front page of a newspaper from 1896 announcing that Aasen died today. Such a beginning gives an open end and pinpoints the difference between memory and history. Along the road of language, the visitor meets the individual story of Ivar Aasen and other users of language, and the collective story of Nynorsk and other languages in international and historical perspectives. The exhibition encourages the use of many senses, with installations on language and literature that visitors can look at, listen to and touch. They can have a look at the sheets of rough paper that Ivar Aasen never got around to using, listen to authors talking about writing, and spin a globe that shows the spread of different alphabets around the world. We believe that no language is defined only linguistically. History, culture, economics and politics always matter. Norwegian Nynorsk is more than a language, we say. To make the language visible in all aspects, we live by the rule “context is king”. Intangible cultural heritage needs to be interpreted in its context. We tell a never-ending story, and our institution has become a part of that story. Every single day something new is put on exhibition in the Aasen Centre.

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This is also the case in the Olav H. Hauge Centre. In 2014, this new museum opened in the village where the very popular Norwegian poet Olav H. Hauge lived (1908–94). We always look for the broadest perspective, a space for possibilities without being limited to the story of one author. Too many author’s museums are limited to one person, often in some kind of splendid isolation from other parts of written culture and society in whole. The Hauge Centre is an author’s museum, as is the Aasen Centre, but it is also a museum dealing with poetry of all kinds across the borders of languages, from the poems of Homer to Goethe’s classics and the newest hit by Adele. As intangible cultural heritage, poems were sung before they were written, and our museums follow the pre-romantic understanding of literature. Our strategy for Internet use was developed at a time when one in ten Norwegians had access to the web. Today, the users of our web sites can choose between 35,000 text documents about language, literature, cur62 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

rent affairs, or they may select some of the 900 items in the online shop. Our digital service is available all over the world – the guest is always only a few clicks away. Situated in the countryside, hours away from the cities, our centres travel throughout the country with exhibitions and events like concerts, lectures and theatre productions. The young ones are our specialty; one out of three guests are children or teenagers. As confirmed by many studies, the digital arena provides new opportunities for lesser-used languages. In 2009, we opened the online encyclopedia Allkunne as an edited alternative to Wikipedia. In this way, we are able to offer reliable and well written information in Nynorsk on every matter of daily life and history, language and literature. In our exhibitions, however, our slogan is to be analogue wherever we can and digital only when we have to. The personal touch of history adds a value to the memory. All guests will meet knowledgeable guides who show

them around the exhibition and tell stories of wonder and contemplation. For us, nothing compares to the oldest technique of communication, the basic form of language as intangible cultural heritage; oral story telling. More than many other cultural institutions in Norway, we have insisted on our position as an independent institution. An outdoor amphitheatre is a part of the Aasen Centre. People have gathered here since the 1880s, enjoying music, song, dance and the spoken word. This was an early arena for the development of democracy in Norway. Today, our foundation eagerly joins discussions about language and language politics, and we add the perspective of language meetings to the migration through Europe these days. We look for the imagined community of the users of Nynorsk, and we try to strengthen it. There is even more. We try to influence the decisions on language politics by parliament and government. After an initiative from our foundation, the Norwegian Parliament in 2014 decided the Norwegian constitution

should be written in both Norwegian Bokmal and Norwegian Nynorsk. In July 2016, we established the International Network of Language Museums during the ICOM General Conference in Milan. So far, 11 museums from many countries in Asia, Europe and America have joined the network. With an unbroken history from 1898, the Aasen Centre is the oldest language museum in the world and the only language museum in the Nordic countries in Europe. The Hauge Centre is the only literary museum in Norway with a classic understanding of the broad spectrum of poetry. Our idea is to be useful for someone. Documents for information or discussion, experiences for sharing, connecting people, telling stories that someday themselves may become intangible cultural heritage by crossing the borders of memory, museums and languages.

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Learning From The Old to Discover The New: The Heisei Chishinkan Wing

Kyoto National Museum Kyoto, Japan Mayor Award, Construction Category, the Kyoto Landscape Award 2015

Dr. Sasaki Jōhei

director GENERAL

≥ www.kyohaku.go.jp ≥ Kyoto National Museum 527 Chaya-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan 605-0931

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In September 2014, the Kyoto National Museum opened its new wing after twenty long years of planning and construction. The building, which was designed by architect Taniguchi Yoshio to hold changing exhibitions of the museum’s collections, was christened the Heisei Chishinkan, meaning “Heisei-Era Hall of Discovering the New.” This name is drawn from an ancient aphorism, “learn from the old to discover the new” (onko chishin), epitomizing the spirit with which the building was conceived to fit into its historical geographic location in Japan’s ancient capital. That same year, the Heisei Chishinkan was awarded the 2014 Mayoral Prize in the Architectural Division of the Kyoto Landscape Prize. This award describes itself as follows: The Kyoto Landscape Prize was established [to recognize projects that] use imagination and ingenuity to harmonize traditional culture with new innovation in order to create urban landscapes in Kyoto that will still be appreciated fifty or one hundred years in the future, thereby deepening the consciousness of citizens and tradespeople about landscape and promoting the creation of scenery that adds value to the worth and appeal of the city. Kyoto National Museum’s new wing has a highly contemporary, streamlined design, but it also relates to the traditional urban scenery of Kyoto. Despite the cutting-edge contemporary feel of its limestone façade, the Heisei Chishinkan retains a distinctly Japanese sensibility. A broad, steel-framed white glass curtain wall extending across the front evokes the wooden latticework and shoji-papered doors and windows of traditional Kyoto buildings; the column-to-beam constructionand the wide overhanging eave across the front also refer to Japanese architecture. Even the building’s layout alludes to the past: the front

entrance hall is located directly over the underground archaeological remains—discovered during pre-construction excavations— of the South Gate of Hokoji, a temple that once housed the enormous, nineteen-meter-high Great Buddha seen in paintings of early seventeenth century Kyoto. Metal rings in the pavement and reflecting pools around the front entrance mark the locations of underground foundation stones for the original temple gate and temple wall. Museum visitors approach the entrance of the Heisei Chishinkan from the south, following an ancient pilgrimage path between the Great South Gate of Sanjusangendo—the temple across the street containing 1001 life-size gilded Buddhist statues from the twelfth and thirteenth century—and this ancient South Gate of Hokoji. The new wing was built to replace an earlier collections hall and to complement the Kyoto National Museum’s original architectural masterpiece, dating from the museum’s establishment in 1897. The French Renaissance style Meiji Kotokan, nestled perfectly into the geographic landscape, was designed by Katayama Tokuma (1854–1917), the leading Western-style architect of Japan’s Meiji period (1868–1912). A designated Important Cultural Property, this historic building has traditionally been used for temporary special exhibitions in the spring and autumn. In preparation for upcoming structural upgrades, the Meiji Kotokan has been closed since autumn 2015, and special exhibitions have been held inside the Heisei Chishinkan. Originally, however, the new wing was designed to hold changing exhibitions of the museum’s collection. The Kyoto National Museum is home to some of the world’s greatest masterpieces of Japanese art, mostly from the millennium during which Kyoto was the capital of Japan (794–1868). It also has outstanding antiquities from China THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 65

and, to a lesser extent, Korea, Ryukyu, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Its storage rooms house not only museum-owned objects but also masterworks from temples and shrines entrusted to the museum for long-term care and safekeeping, including numerous National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Nearly all the exhibited works in the building are rotated out monthly for their preservation, so the ancient artworks in the galleries are in a constant state of renewal. Gasps of amazement inevitably escape from the lips of first time visitors to the Heisei Chishinkan Wingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ground floor galleries. Having passed through a light-filled entrance lobby, they now find themselves in a dim, tranquil space with small-scale galleries for decorative arts and calligraphy on one side and a grand hall for sculpture before them, with a soaring, two-story ceiling. Imposing, sometimes massive, Buddhist statues sit on long platforms, lit to dramatic effect before a stunning bronzed backdrop; other works rest in sleek, custom-designed glass cases. Moving upstairs to the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s painting 66 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

galleries, visitors may continue to glimpse the gilded sculptures below through brass grills imitating traditional blinds of bamboo or reed. A sense of openness permeates the Heisei Chishinkan, giving a sense of place within the greater architectural space; and yet the scale of each gallery takes into consideration the original viewing context for different kinds of artworks. While Buddhist sculptures are exhibited within a high-ceilinged gallery evoking a capacious temple hall, decorative arts are shown in more intimate galleries suggestive of the limited confines of tatami-mat rooms. Outside of the galleries are vast, airy spaces, such as the expansive Grand Lobby overlooking the central garden, and smaller hideaways such as the floating second floor lounge or the hidden back patio overlooking the greenery of Hokoji temple to the north. A glass-walled restaurant opens onto the wide lawn of the west garden and an ancient pagoda.

In my comments about our award-winning new wing in the 2014 Kyoto Landscape Prize brochure, I wrote, “Taniguchi’s Japanese-inspired contemporary architecture is juxtaposed with the original Meiji Kotokan to create a harmony in contrasts.” Architect Taniguchi Yoshio himself acknowledges, “I think I found my own answer to the mandate I received to forge a structure appropriate to Kyoto. Even ten years after producing the original architectural design, I hardly wanted to change a thing, suggesting that the building can withstand the test of time—that my architecture is neither new nor old.” Most visitors agree: by honoring the past, this building for the future feels timeless. We hope that when the ICOM General Conference is held in Kyoto in 2019, museum professionals from around the world will see this elegant new wing as a model for seamlessly connecting past and future. All Japanese names are written with the surname followed by the given name

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≥ Photos: Kitajima Toshiharu

Because of its historic location within the city and its location across from an existing Important Cultural Property structure, the height, underground depth, and building footprint of the new wing were all subject to rigid building restrictions. Nevertheless, architect Taniguchi—known for the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures at the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York—managed to design not only a building beautifully suited to the space but also one of the most technologically sophisticated museum facilities in the world. The Heisei Chishinkan Wing incorporates the latest seismic isolation technology to provide maximum protection to its cultural properties in the event of a major earthquake; its cases and galleries are illuminated exclusively with LED lighting, providing high-quality color rendering while reducing the harmful wavelengths of conventional light sources; it produces energy through a solar generation system installed on the roof of the museum offices; and its Lecture Theater screens 4K and VR films about the collection.

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Battle! Battle of Bannockburn by National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland & Bright White Ltd york, united kingdom Museums + Heritage / Innovation Award 2015

Chris Walker Founding director, bright white ltd ≥ www.brightwhiteltd.co.uk ≥ chris@brightwhiteltd.co.uk ≥ Bright White Ltd Suite 2F, Swinegate Court East Swinegate, York YO1 8AJ United Kingdom ≥ twitter.com/brightwhiteltd

Description of Project

Outcome

The £9.1m Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre is situated 2km south of Stirling. The site also includes the 1960s ‘Rotunda’ battlefield monument and a memorial park.

The project was delivered on time, on budget and exceeded the expectations of the client team. The interpretive vision was delivered without compromise. On opening, the project attracted significant broadsheet and tabloid attention and praise:

Overall Objective of the Project To mark the 700th anniversary of the most decisive battle in the Wars of Scottish Independence by creating a new learning-led Visitor Centre on the site of the 1960s Centre. Other significant objectives are to appeal to the audience of today, promote the best in Scottish digital design, and make the Battle of Bannockburn site a source of inspiration for every visitor.

Strategy for Implementation The project vision required the largest ever collaboration between heritage bodies in Scotland. The vision required unusual cross-sector collaboration between a government agency, a charity, further education establishments, academia, private industry, funding bodies and volunteers. To meet the soft opening date of 1st March 2014, and be fully operational by the 700th anniversary of the battle in June 2014, a long lead-in programme was devised. The project was declared to be “Interpretation-led”, to describe the relationship between interpretive designers, architect and landscape architect, who were separately appointed. The consultants were appointed through a design competition process. The project team declared that Bannockburn should be an exemplarly digital interpretation project. Interpretive design was dominated by multiple highly-innovative digital forms of interpretation.

What a dish The Herald Scotland Bannockburn [is a] spectacular triumph for the combined forces of 3D science and historical narrative. The Telegraph A visceral sense of the odds against the Scots. The Financial Times What waits within dissects [the kings’] seismic collision with thrilling modernity. The Independent The next generation of museum interpretation in action. The Stirling Observer Stunning The Daily Record The BattleGame is the centerpiece. It pitches two teams of visitors against each other in a historically-accurate virtual battle recreation. To improve their chances of winning, they have to learn to fight as a medieval army, working as a team. Robert Bruce’s use of the landscape and terrain was critical to his success. It's difficult to perceive the actual battlefield because of modern development in the area. To successfully interpret the battle, the team had to help visitors interpret the landscape. The interpretation was assessed independently by ScotInform’s Qualitative ReTHE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 69

search paper. This showed that all learning outcomes are being delivered through the digital forms of interpretation. Meta-analysis was conducted by HS, NTS and Bright White to collate opinion across all forms of feedback: Visitor book, Twitter, Trip Advisor, schoolchildren and schoolteacher surveys. Seventy-four school groups were analyzed to assess the response from teachers. The response is very heavily weighted at “Excellent, 10/10”. The project has already won a number of awards, most notably the ASVA Best Visitor Experience, the Scottish Design Award for Best Cultural Project, the Museums and Heritage Awards 2015 for Innovation and Highly Commended in thePermanent Exhibition category. It was named overall winner for Excellence in Interpretation at the Association for Heritage Interpretation Awards 70 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

2015 and also won the Visitor and Interpretation Centre category. AHI Awards Judge comments: “This is a visitor experience and interpretation project like no other that we have come across. It goes all out to explain a complicated medieval battle to visitors in an engaging and fully immersive way and most definitely has learning at the heart of the experience. With learning at the core of this project, ‘learning through doing’ as one of their concepts, is maintained across the experience. The battle game enables you to fight the battle with your fellow team members without a predicted outcome – the English can win too! After the game has been played the battle master explains how the real battle of Bannockburn was fought and why Bruce picked this particular site at which to meet the Eng-

Overall it is an innovative, interactive experience which has held fast to its intention to provide the opportunity to learn about an important historical event in a very original way.” The centre formally opened at full capacity in May 2014. The BattleRoom was incorporated into a major BBC documentary, starring Neil Oliver and shown in June 2014.

Creativity and Originality Digital forms of interpretation and learning dominate the visit. The digital is leveraged to provide a unique and powerful learning experience. The BattleRoom, a world’s first in Multiplayer Cooperative Gaming, is at the core of the visitor offer. Motion capture was used in the fight scenes, also a world’s first in interpretation. The 3D immersive environment provides a 1:1 relationship with the action. Real and virtual environments are seamlessly blended together, unconfined by the envelope of the building. Multiple Digital Storytelling techniques are used within the non-linear visitor route and the use of written word is minimal. A digital archive of 3D objects, characters and weapons was created, as the visit was designed to spill out into classrooms before and after. Every visit is different because the visitors are the protagonists.

Cost-effectiveness and Budgets

content through the use of virtual space, digital storytelling and group-based participatory learning. In creating an exemplary project, the team identified the whole-life cost of digital systems, and built the maintenance and refurbishment costs into the business plan.

Summary of Team Involved - The owners and operators were The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), partnered with the Scottish government agency Historic Scotland (HS) to deliver the project. NTS provided operational development, education, academic and interpretation teams. HS provided project management. The project was funded by the Scottish Government and the HLF - The appointed consultants consisted of Interpretive Designers Bright White Ltd as the lead design consultancy alongside Reiach and Hall (Architects) and Ian White Associates (Land-scape Architects) - Bright White Ltd collaborated with Glasgow School of Art’s Digital Design Studio to create the 3D immersive media. Bright White appointed console game developers D3T Ltd to develop the Battle Game - The NTS-chaired Academic Advisory Panel included seven key academics, leaders in their respective fields, to provide historical and scientific input to the project. - Interpretation was delivered by Bright White’s subcontractors. Basebuild was delivered through contract with Mansell Construction, now Balfour-Beatty Plc

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≥ Photo: Katie Blake, Bright White Ltd

lish. The gaming table also shows you the topography of the area today compared to the medieval period.

Towards An Inclusive Museum

Museum of Arts in Iron in The Maremma Follonica, Italy European Museum Academy / DASA Award 2015

Barbara Catalani Architect

≥ www.magmafollonica.it www.museidimaremma.it ≥ magma@magmafollonica.it ≥ facebook.com/pages/MAGMAfollonica

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The MAGMA was conceived to tell the technological, artistic and human story of the Follonica ironworks in its heyday, at the peak of its production. For much of the nineteenth century, the building housing the museum contained a state-of-the-art blast furnace for the smelting and casting of iron, known as the Saint Ferdinand Furnace. The new permanent exhibition brings the old foundry back to life with three broad sections, one on each floor. Art, on the first floor, showcases the outstanding levels of specialization and sophistication achieved by the Follonica Foundry. The exhibition opens on the other spaces of the first floor with a selection of elaborate wooden patterns, representing part of the collection which is the true wealth of the MAGMA. Designed and sculpted by true artists, the patterns were used to shape the sand moulds in which molten iron was cast: they are beautiful examples of the teaching of the School of Linear and Ornamental Drawing that was established in Follonica at the behest of Grand Duke Leopold II. History, on the second floor, takes a look at the genius loci of the local district, which enabled iron production to flourish here for millennia. Here the exhibition focuses on Follonica’s local resources and the interconnected flows of energy sources, raw materials, humans and technologies that kept the ironworks running. Production, on the lower-ground floor, in the heart of the Saint Ferdinand furnace, shows the complex technological system used by the ironworks to smelt and cast iron. The highly evocative hall on the lower-ground floor of the MAGMA was once the true work-

ing core of the ironworks. The exhibition on this floor showcases the complex production process, highlighting each of the stages involved in turning iron ore into a finished product.

Learning Workshops The MAGMA’s workshops are the didactic compendium of the museum’s permanent exhibition. They are designed to give school groups the chance to learn more about the many different crafts and skills involved in the artistic casting of iron, and to have a go themselves. Students can try their hand at patternmaking, learning to carve wood and shape clay. They will then be able to create their own mould and go through the casting process using tin, before finishing off and polishing the pieces.

Documentation Centre The MAGMA’s Documentation Centre is a point of arrival and a place of information, research and exchange. Located in the halls of what was once the Museum of Iron and Cast Iron, its goal is to build an extensive archive of documentation connected with studies, research and projects concerning the city of Follonica and the local territory. The Saint Ferdinand Furnace is the oldest building in Follonica. Today it is both a showcase and a piece on show itself, a fine example of industrial archaeology located within the former ILVA complex, an area of great heritage interest. The rawness of the construction stone together with the minute detail of certain elements, such as the natural light that floods in from above from the opening where the

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chimney once stood, contribute to creating a place of great impact. The first challenge was that of preserving the point of the restoration effort and the original purpose of the space, which of course was completely different, seeing as it housed a blast furnace for smelting iron ore. In an effort to evoke how different it was, we decided to include an art installation to represent the furnace, occupying the same position and bearing the same shape as the inner chamber. A device shuts out the natural light that enters through the skylight, restoring the hall to its original darkness. The mechanized covering of the overhead skylight signals to visitors that something is about to happen, marking the start of a performance that evokes the smelting process and the purposefulness of a town that grew up around the factory. The installation is an attempt to combine narrative with art by creating an original and purely allegorical installation, a unique ex74 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

perience that stirs feeling and the imagination. Taking this idea as our starting point, we sought to weave a narrative between the past and the futureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;between a museum that has a story to tell, and a new community that will rediscover its roots in that museum. On the one hand there was the collection of sophisticated pieces of remarkable artistic value, designed to grace streets and homes; on the other there was a whole territory to explore, with all its resources, contrasts, and people. This was particularly complex job, as it called for very different narratives to be createdâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the exhibition of artistic pieces, scientific information on the resources and technologies found, and the human and urban development of a town established in the middle of a vast marshland. All this in a building that had to shine through in its own colours, since it, too, is part of the story. The use of multimedia displays to provide information is fundamental in a narrative approach such as this. Virtual space frees up physical space, which thus becomes

more contemplative and evocative. Issues that develop specific themes relating to the pieces and their creation become a motive of investigation for those keen to understand the reach of a catalogue or the architectural morphology of Saint Leopold’s Church, without overshadowing the minute detail of the features and the sheer impressive size of some of the pieces, such as the flame or horn of plenty that grace the monumental gates. The use of multimedia opens up many different ways to explore the pieces, enabling, importantly, the development and updating of the issues themselves. All this would be meaningless, however, if it was not rooted in a new consciousness of local identity. Firm in this conviction, the project’s focus needed to be placed on the collective memory of the local community, to ensure a link with identity and with the social interrelations of the past and present. To put this process into gear, the community needed to be engaged in both the preparatory stage and later in the production and startup stages. Thus, the museum was– and is - a form of inclusive participation, open to input and capable of enhancing its most pregnant aspects, giving them a voice. It was not only stories and first-hand accounts that were requested to help in the practical preparation of exhibits, but also collaboration and professional skills. This is how the “Ghosts of Times Past” section was created. The room tells the collective story of the community through significant literary accounts (contemporary travellers, historians, scholars and modern writers). The backdrop to their words is given by a collage of images from public and private archives, from the cinema and from home movies, capturing two centuries of history in one great mosaic.

The voices and faces representing the last generation of foundry workers bring the exhibition to a close in a special corner on the lower-ground floor. Their accounts of their memories and experiences bid us farewell, leaving us with the feeling of an open museum that unlocks the door to new roads and horizons to explore—an inclusive museum, in which we find a piece of all those people who have chosen to contribute—and of a museum experience. This is the MAGMA’s mission: to be a museum that respects local identity and the scientific work behind the exhibits, while conveying a clear poetic message that leaves a strong, lasting mark.

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Fujian Museum's Innovative Thinking and Practice in a New Era

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Fujian Museum Fuzhou, China Chinese Museums Association Most Innovative Museums Award 2015

Professor Wu Zhiyue DIRECTOR ≥ www.fjbwy.com/en ≥ Fujian Museum No.96, Hutou Street Gulou District Fuzhou, Fujian P.R. China

Fujian Museum was the only state-owned museum shortlisted for the Chinese Museum Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award for the most innovative museums in 2015. It is located in the scenic West Lake Park in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, southeastern China. As one of the national first class museums, it is part of the only six-in-one comprehensive museum complex in China, combined with the Natural Science Center, the Jicuiyuan Art Foundation, the Institute of Archaeology, the Cultural Relics Conservation Center, and the National Underwater Archeology Research Base. Fujian Museum covers 60,000 square meters, and the exhibition area stretches over 15,000 square meters with a total of 15 exhibition halls, which include the seven permanent exhibitions- The Splendid Civilization of Ancient Fujian; The Splendor of Maritime Silk Road; The Splendor of Fujian Opera; Rare Crafts; Jcuiyuan Gallery; Natural World; and Dinosaurs. - These are based on the various unearthed relics and collections held in Fujian Museum, and they absorb the latest research achievements in the field of history, unearthed relics, archaeology and natural science. In the Museum there are are over 170,000 diverse objects and artifacts with highlights in pottery and ceramics, Chinese painting and calligraphy, lacquer wares, textile, folk artifacts, and natural specimens. We are dedicated to forming a cohesive and creative system for exhibition design and implementation, service brand-building, academic research, and administrative management in the museum, alongside the relevant national and community developments which help the quality of public life. All of the resulting innovative promotions and highlights have obtained extensive reputations, and praise from the public as well as the professionals.

In regard to innovation in exhibition design and implementation, we will highlight the exhibition Splendor of the Maritime Silk Road, which took three years of preparation, cooperation with 45 museums in seven provinces, exhibited 300 selected antiques, won the Top 10 Annual Excellent Exhibitions in China 2014 Award, organized touring exhibitions in eight cities, five countries, the UN Headquarters, and ten ASEAN countries. In 2003, General President XI Jinping announced a desire to build a China-ASEAN Maritime Silk Road oriented toward the twenty-first century, and emphasised that it is of strategic significance to deepen regional cooperation for common prosperity. Therefore, the Splendor of the Maritime Silk Road exhibition exactly conformed to the trend of the times. In 2011, Fujian Museum launched three years of work and programming towards the develop of Splendor of the Maritime Silk Road. We brought together collections from 45 museums in seven coastal provinces including Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, with Shanghai and Jiangxi as, respectively, the specially invited municipality and inland province in this exhibition. Many related conferences and academic seminars were held in Fuzhou, Urumchi, Xiamen and Wuyishan. Thousands and thousands of miles we fellows walked, more than 50 museums we fellows visited, and over 300 the most important objects were chosen from hundreds of thousands of maritime Silk Road cultural relics, all of which could reflect profound cultural connotations of the Maritime Silk Road. China has a long and glorious seafaring history. As early as the Qin Dynasty and Western Han Dynasty the maritime network was greatly expanded. After the development of the Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties, the MariTHE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 77

time Silk Road entered into its heyday during Song and Yuan Dynasties, and from late Ming to early Qing Dynasties, a new pattern of the Maritime Silk Road started. On the strength of the cultural relics, with the background of the times, several thematic sections in Splendor of Maritime Silk Road were not only reflecting the great images of the splendid ancient Chinese long distance voyaging, but also representing the profound importance and tremendous impact in the fields of history, technology, religion and culture of a thousand years of maritime trade and commence. The simple design of the exhibition, which conformed to standards of propriety, created the elegant atmosphere of the great ocean. Meanwhile, with its concise narration and rich connotations, this exhibition was adorned with heavyweight cultural relics in each section, which deserved visitors' extended attention. Constant temperature and humidity, an automatic induction light source system and other strict security measures were used to protect the precious collections. Besides, various display tools and 78 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

assistant facilities were provided to create better circumstances for spiritual communication. During this exhibition, around 2000 visitors took part in more than 20 social education programs, with the themes of miniature boat making, seal engraving, embossed embroidery making and others. The aim was to offer visitors greater and deeper understanding of the Maritime Silk Road. As for the exhibition, more than 200 presentations from professional guides, and a 1000-hour museum volunteer guiding service were offered to the public. The academic seminars from top-level experts and scholars, and the photo-book with the titled of The Splendor of the Maritime Silk Road all garnered positive responses from visitors. In addition, many related research papers were published in academic journals, over 200 media reports appeared in newspapers, websites, Chinese microblogs, wechats, and other modern channels of spreading information.

By October 2013, with more than 4000 touching comments, a total of 357600 visitors from different sectors of society had visited this exhibition. As one of the top eight annual cultural events in the year of 2013 in Fujian Province, the Splendor of the Maritime Silk Road was chosen for display in the Capital Museum by the State Cultural Relic Bureau, the Beijing Municipal People's Government and the Fujian Provincial People's Government. Furthermore, this exhibition was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China to be displayed in UN Headquarters in 2014 as the national cultural brand. From 2014, for five years, the Splendor of the Maritime Silk Road will be a touring exhibition to the ASEAN countries,. We attach importance to the museum service’s brand-building as well. With the signing of agreements with 100 schools and 100 communities, we provide more opportunities by holding lectures, donating books, presenting temporary exhibitions and organizing composition competitions, etc. During holidays and special occasions, we invite

national intangible cultural heritage projects to perform, and these 400 fantastic performances vividly reproduce the beauty of the intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the projects of the Online Museum, Paper Museum and On-air Museum offer timely updates on the Museum. In order to promote multi-level academic research, Fujian Museum has launched a Five Year Plan, a ten year subject, and million-dollar investment project. Therefore, many subjects are researched in depth, including the subject of the maritime Silk Road, the social changes in contemporary Fujian, the Prehistoric Cultures of Fujian and Taiwan, Fujian’s coastal islands from a marine culture perspective, and HaKKa Traditional Houses in Fujian Province, etc. We also emphasize the administrative management in the Museum. All of the innovative attempts towards developing a reward system, security mechanisms, and incorruptible style supervision systems encourage a better administrative ecology in the museum.

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Re-interpreting Heritage through Contemporary Art

Mosman Art Gallery: Bungaree’s Farm Mosman, Australia MAGNA Awards / National Winner 2015

John Cheeseman Director

DjonMundine curator

≥ www.mosmanartgallery.org.au ≥ j.cheeseman@mosman.nsw.gov.au

≥ Mosman Art Gallery Cnr Art Gallery Way and Myahgah Road Mosman NSW 2088 Australia ≥ facebook.com/mosmanartgallery/ twitter.com/mosmanart instagram.com/mosmanart/ youtube.com/user/mosmancouncil

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Mosman Art Gallery (MAG) is a regional art museum located on the north shore of the harbour in Sydney, Australia. MAG is a broad based cultural institution and maintains a commitment to re-interpret Australian heritage through the commissioning of significant contemporary art projects. To mark the 200th anniversary of one of its most important local stories, the first land grant by colonial authorities to an Aboriginal person in Australia, MAG commissioned a ground breaking project called Bungaree's Farm. Bungaree's Farm was conceived as a cross art form program for the development of contemporary Aboriginal art practices consisting of research, residencies, workshops and exhibitions. The program worked on evolving new models for the development and presentation of contemporary Aboriginal arts. In commissioning Bungaree's Farm, MAG aimed to address core issues of Aboriginal Australian identity and unresolved and disputed historical issues in a contemporary art context. It was designed to appeal to general audiences, having particular relevance to students and audiences interested in Aboriginal and contemporary arts. The Bungaree story provided a rich and complex source of material for the exhibition’s artists to draw from including: • being the first person described as an “Australian” • being the first Aboriginal person to circumnavigate Australia (with Matthew Flinders) • his centrality to life in colonial Sydney including leadership of his community • thegrantingoflandatMosmanbyMacquarie to Bungaree. • his titles “King of the Blacks” and “King of the Broken Bay Tribe”

• his prominence as a subject in early Australian art and portraiture (greater in number than any early governor), including the first lithograph produced in Australia • his resilience reflected in his ability to live a traditional life and a life enmeshed between “worlds” • hischaracter,senseofhumourandflamboyance Bungaree's Farm developed into an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal audio, video, performance and installation art exploring Bungaree’s legacy and commemorating the establishment of 'Bungaree’s Farm' by Governor Macquarie at Mosman on 31 January 1815. The exhibition was the result of a series of intensive residency workshops held on-site and led by renowned Aboriginal curator DjonMundine OAM. The works were showcased in the T5 Camouflage Fuel Tank (a large scale former WWII naval fuel tank at Georges Heights) on the site of Bungaree’s Farm. Bungaree's Farm represented the first program to appropriately acknowledge the importance of Bungaree and examine his life and story from an indigenous and contemporary visual arts perspective. This exhibition has provided the opportunity for this unique figure in Australian history to be critically reinterpreted by Aboriginal artists and brought to public awareness. It was essential that the project have indigenous control, ensuring that appropriate sensibilities and expectations were met throughout its development and presentation. The artists were selected for their professionalism, their creative approach, their prominence and ability to engage with the subject and historical materials to produce an exhibition of outstanding works which interpret Bungaree’s story through a broad range of artistic responses.

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Participating artists included Daniel Boyd, (BLAK) Douglas, Karla Dickens, Leah Flanagan,Amala Groom, Andrea James, Warwick Keen, Peter McKenzie, DjonMundine, Caroline Oakley, Bjorn Stewart, Leanne Tobin, Jason Wing, Chantal Woods and Sandy Woods. The project was successful in achieving a critically, culturally and socially acclaimed monumental scaled series of artworks within the constraints of a strict timeframe, modest budget and difficult political environment. Led by Indigenous curator DjonMundine, this project commissioned fourteen emerging and established contemporary Aboriginal artists in the interpretation of key issues faced by Aboriginal society in the face of the forces of colonial settlement and the resultant state of European hegemony. After the failures of Aboriginal society to deal with the arrival of Europeans by Bennelong (through diplomatic means) and Pemulwuy (through active warfare), the story of Bungaree represents a third approach in coming to terms with the monumental shifts in power, control 82 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

and identity faced by Aboriginal people then (and now). While Bungaree had previously been the subject of written publications, his story had not been critically examined in the context of contemporary Australian visual arts or from an Indigenous perspective. The Bungaree project redressed these critical oversights by providing the opportunity for his life and story to acknowledged, critically re-interpreted by Aboriginal artists and brought to public awareness. Bungaree's Farm examined the contemporary indigenous perspective on the impact of early colonial society, the qualities and personality of the historical figure of Bungaree and the continuing contemporary dilemma of living between conflicting world views. In his curatorial statement DjonMundine wrote: "The workshops were about the process of bringing into being an extension of the artist's practice in creating non-tangible expressions of Bungaree's personality

and social being (moving image, projection, writing, ridicule and wit, in song and music and performance, both individually and/or in group display). I wanted to shift the Aboriginal presence out of the ghetto (of Redfern) to remind everyone, including ourselves, that Aboriginal people lived all over what is now called the Sydney basin - Aboriginal people are everywhere and Aboriginal people do everything". In order to resource the project, Mosman Art Gallery partnered with a number of organisations including Mosman Council, Arts New South Wales, Mosman Reconcilliation, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Royal Australian Navy. Bungaree's Farm was successful in breaking new artistic ground, re-establishing Aboriginal arts practices and identity (in unlikely geographical areas), in establishing new venues for the presentation of artwork and in resurrecting the story of a prominent Aboriginal leader from the past. A central mantra of the project was that 'Aboriginal people were everywhere and Aboriginal people did all things'. Working on the site of 'Bungaree's Farm', the first land grant to Aboriginal people by colonial authorities, the project conceptually reclaimed this area for Aboriginal people.

Based on the shores of Sydney Harbour on one of the most spectacular sites in Australia, the project showed that Aboriginal people were not and should not be confined to the urban fringes but that their strong cultural connections with places like Mosman needed physical confirmation and affirmation. That Aboriginal people do all things was reflected in the artwork produced, not limiting itself to traditional forms but attending to the highest and most cutting edge practices associated with contemporary art production. The project formed new ways of creating contemporary visual art work. Drawing from theatrical processes and from traditional Aboriginal cultural practices, the artists formed a group or ensemble for the development of visual art works. Modelled around an intensive series of workshops and residencies on the site of the original 'Bungaree's Farm', the project challenged artists and audiences to work and experience visual arts in combinations of form rarely experienced and beyond the normal practices of those involved. The focus of the project on the story and historical figure of Bungaree provided the artists with a central anchoring point which allowed them to experiment with both form and content. The development model used for Bungaree has now been taken up by other organisations and has provided a benchmark for the development of large scale Aboriginal art projects in Australia. THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 83

11. Protecting The Structure of a Unique Medieval Settlement, and its 19th Century Hallhouses 84 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Rundling Association Jameln, germany EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra award 2015 grand prix (Dedicated Service)

Adrian Greenwood committee member

≥ www.rundlingsverein.de ≥ vorstand@rundlingsverein.de adrian.greenwood@t-online.de ≥ Rundling association Rundling 4 29479 JAMELN Germany

The Rundling Association received a Grand Prix of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award in 2015 for 46 years of commitment and strategic vision by its unpaid volunteers, seeking to protect the last remaining Rundling villages of Central Europe. Three generations of mainly local volunteers have worked tirelessly to research and publish articles on these medieval villages, to sensitise the public and their politicians to their vulnerability, to bring the past alive through its open air museum and to help prepare the way for acceptance by UNESCO as a cultural landscape worthy of World Heritage Status. The Rundling Association was created in 1969 by concerned citizens and has never had any paid staff. Its only income is a modest annual subscription from its 200 members. The original impulse came from external architects, planners and a few local people who engaged their politicians, and together with them founded the Association. They realised that these villages were unique, but only sparsely researched, so their initial effort went into encouraging the universities to undertake a proper historical analysis of the phenomenon. In doing so, the bias in the then politics of building preservation, which favored the cities and the towns, was uncovered. In 1969 few were interested in preserving rural communities. In the following decades many rural buildings came under the protection of the state, for which organisations such as the Rundling Association can take some credit. Some 2000 traditional half timbered farmhouses in rural Wendland are now protected by the state. Increasingly the value to the general city-dwelling public of rural oases is being recognised.

The Association has organised events, exhibitions, competitions, publications and media coverage in every one of its 46 years. It has encouraged individual villages to work with politicians to protect its essential shape, and has helped countless individual homeowners make informed decisions about necessary alterations and renovations. Recently it has surveyed all 204 villages that were mapped as Rundlinge in the early 19th century. Sadly it had to report in 2012 that only 96 are still recognisable as Rundlinge 200 years later. It aims of course to protect all 96 villages, but has put its recent effort into supporting the bid to UNESCO by the local authority for a protected landscape, containing an unbroken sequence of 19 of the least unspoilt villages. Even the concept of a protected cultural landscape still has to be fought for.

So What Are Rundling Villages and What Gives Them Their Outstanding Universal Value? They are planned villages from medieval times, created under German law but each catering for a small group of Slavic farming families, whose first tasks were to clear the land for cultivation. Rundlinge and similar looking tiny round villages were only to be found in a narrow strip of Central Europe from the Baltic Sea to the Czech mountains, and all can be dated to the period 1150 to 1250, after which they fell out of fashion. There must once have been over a thousand such settlements. There is little evidence of bloodshed, so the consensus today is of a more or less peaceful German expansion eastwards into lands hitherto occupied by the westernmost Slavs. Where land had not been cultivated, such as in Wendland, Rundling villages were planned and built all to the same model. They were cul-de-sacs, away from main through-roads, and had originally only one entrance, which THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 85

â&#x2030;Ľ MammoiSSel aerial: Rundlingsverein

Rundling Association -Aims and Objectives

was from the higher drier side, where the arable land was to be found. In the first phase the villages were semi-circular, usually with 5 or 7 farmsteads of equal size, shaped like slices of half a cake, and backing on to the wetter lower land. The farmsteads were arranged around a village green, which was not built upon, and were large enough to feed an entire family. In the following centuries two developments led to the creation of the circular shape we see today. Firstly landless farmers, called â&#x20AC;&#x17E;kossaterâ&#x20AC;&#x153; were granted plots for their houses, which partially closed the circle round the green. Secondly at a time of population pressure in the 15th century, the originally generous plots of land were halved, by the simple expedient of dividing each slice of cake into two thinner slices of cake, now to cater for two families not one. This doubled the number of houses

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in the village, but also emphasised the circular nature of the settlement. The vast majority of these Rundling villages in Wendland have remained tiny and self-contained, each village often no more than half a kilometer from its neighbour. Virtually every single Rundling village elsewhere in Germany has been built over and subsumed into larger villages or towns. Not only that. The Wendland villages have remained stubbornly agricultural. They are made up entirely of farmsteads, with no churches, schools or pubs. Self-sufficiency meant no need for shops or tradespeople. Christianisation came late to Wendland. Each village was always too small to have its own church, so even today none of the 96 existing Rundlinge has a church within the circle, and the 30 or so churches that were

We do not know what the original houses in the 12th century looked like, or indeed how they developed over the following centuries. The earliest houses that we know of are the Lower German hallhouses in their 17th century appearance. The majority of the 96 Rundlinge of today have Lower German hallhouses in their mid-19th century appearance, and it is these larger houses which are illustrated here. They were built, like their earlier counterparts, on the principle of „all under one roof“ - animals, harvest, waggons and tools at the front, farmer and family at the back. During the 19th century, with increasing prosperity from the cultivation of flax for home weaving, pigsties and additional barns were built behind these large main houses.

generously sized farmsteads. Increasingly these villages and their houses have protected status, so some control can be exercised on inappropriate development. The Rundlingsverein believes that it is possible to protect the villages and their 19th century hallhouses, by encouraging alternative ecological and small scale uses. It is not possible or desirable to preserve the past in aspic. These villages remain to be lived in by future generations of residents, and must change with the changing needs of those residents, without losing their essential uniqueness.

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≥> Samtgemeinde Lüchow (Wendland) /Hustedt network

built later to service over 200 villages are all outside. The same was true of schools, and later of taverns, which took over the limited role of local suppliers to the farmers.

Salt Valley of ANana Basque Country, Spain EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Grand Prix (Conservation)

Andoni Erkiaga Agirre

Director, Salt Valley FoundatioN ≥ www.vallesalado.eus ≥ info@vallesalado.eus aerkiaga@vallesalado.eus alberto@vallesalado.eus ≥ Fundación Valle Salado de Anana Salinas de Anana Plaza Miguel Díaz de Tuesta 1. C.P. 01426 Álava. País Vasco Spain ≥ facebook.com/ValleSaladodeAnana twitter.com/vallesalado

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Unique Cultural Landscape of Salt Valley Añana

12.

Valle Salado is located in the town of Salinas de Anana (Álava, Basque Country), in northern Spain. The ancient salt works cover an area of 13 hectares, forming a unique and exceptional saline landscape. The value of Valle Salado lies in its unusual architecture, which consists of sequences of stepped terraces built by humans using dry stone, wood and clay; in the salt crystallization pans; and, in the hundreds of pine-wood channels that take advantage of gravity to distribute the brine throughout the site using an ancient communal sharing system. It also lies in the fact that the springs provide the salt water from an ancient sea that disappeared 200 million years ago, and that the salt environment has led to the presence of a saline biodiversity, making it a Ramsar wetland of international importance. In addition, this salt-related architecture is unique not only because of the construction techniques and the stunning landscape that has been created through the symbiosis of all those techniques, but because Valle Salado has perfectly preserved its 6500 years of history. This evolution means that production structures that are hundreds of years old and developed for production systems that are no longer used coexist with others that were built during the 20th century. Thus, the salt works do not present a landscape frozen in time, but the result of a complex process of evolution developed by the salt workers over thousands of years, through a long trial and error process based on their empirical "know-how" regarding obtaining the greatest possible amount of salt in the most efficient way. It perfectly corresponds to the definition of landscape as a "combined task of man and nature". After thousands of years of uninterrupted production, the rise of coastal salt farming operations together with the land transport

revolution based on the introduction of railways, caused Anana and other in-land salt farms to decline. The lack of profitability from the late nineteenth century resulted in the salt workers using every means possible to try to make their product more competitive in a market that only valued quantity over quality. During this stage, Valle Salado came under threat as the system used was no longer sustainable. A disproportionate number of salt pans were built without consideration to the appropriate systems, due to the urgent need for quick profits. However, Valle Salado stands out for its resilience, its ability to absorb negative impacts, to change, introduce innovations and recover its existence based on knowledge, tradition and respect for ecology. After years of exertion by the salt working community, the public institutions prepared a “Master Plan for the Integral Recovery of Valle Salado” in 2000. After completing a draft of this plan in 2004, the institutions with responsibilities for heritage issues promoted some of the guidelines that it included, one of the most important being the creation, in 2009, of the entity that would focus on the recovery of the site, the Valle Salado de Anana Foundation. This non-profit Foundation comprises the Provincial Council of Alava, the Basque Government, the community of owners of the salt works, Gatzagak, and the local City Council. As the sole owner of the asset and responsible for its management, the Foundation assumed the Master Plan and decided to focus the project on recovering the sustainability of the site and ensuring its integrity by looking back in time and recovering the basic principles that had governed production over millennia. The Valle Salado Foundation concentrates on three major activities: salt production, maintenance work and cultural tourism.

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The connecting element of the project is the production of high-quality salt. In addition to being the main element in generating revenue, which is reinvested in the project as the Foundation is a non-profit making institution, the production process is the only method to ensure the maintenance of the structures as they were built by the Romans over 2000 years ago, using stone, wood and clay. Anana Salt is considered to be one of the best types of salt worldwide and is sold in more than 25 countries. The recognition of our salt as a Slow Food Bastion product and the submissions to have the site acknowledged as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO or as a GIAHS by the FAO, and the unconditional support of some of the best chefs in the world, have been very important to achieving this worldwide acknowledgement.

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The process of recovering the production areas that had been abandoned due to their lack of profitability is inextricably linked to the requirements of the markets. As we have said, the production of salt is the only activity that ensures the perfect condition of the salt-making architectural elements. Permanent maintenance work is performed by the salt-workers using traditional techniques developed by their ancestors through trial and error over a long period of time. Fortunately, as Valle Salado has always been in use, the knowledge chain has never been interrupted and, therefore, older salt-workers continue to transmit their “know-how” of incalculable value based on thousands of years of history to younger generations. On the other hand, the approach taken to enhance the salt works is to open it to the public. Valle Salado is now a cultural and experiential destination of the first order for tourists

and attracts thousands of visitors each year. The dissemination of the production, maintenance and research activities by means of a guided tour programme capable of ensuring the authenticity and integrity of Valle Salado is an important part of promoting respect for this heritage site where visitors can also become loyal Anana Salt customers.

the social capital that is essential for any sustained local economic development.

In short, the primary goal of the production, maintenance and dissemination work is to ensure the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future. In addition, this is a great opportunity for the local community and also for the surrounding district, because the process of enhancing the area and finding new uses has generated a strategic vision and a powerful driving force for social, cultural, economic and tourist development. This is helping to generate a feeling of identity, cohesion and belonging to the local community and to all the institutions, agents and citizens involved; elements that strengthen THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 91

Reinventing Traditions, Conserving The Authentic

Conservation of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple Thrissur in Kerala, India UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence 2015

Vinod Kumar architect, dd architects 92 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

13. ≥ www.ddarchitects.in ≥ mailddoffice@gmail.com ≥ DD Architects 30/99, Sasthalayam, New Agraharam Poonkunnam, Thrissur District Kerala, Pin- 680 002 India ≥ facebook.com/ddarchitects/

The tropical Malabar Coast in the Indian subcontinent reveals the socio-cultural manifestations of its rich built heritage through its traditional temple architecture. Developed through the creativity of eminent builders of the past, the Vadakkunnathan temple, since time immemorial, has stood high among the Hindu temples of Kerala. Even though the date of origin of the temple is unknown, historical research identifies the influence of diverse religious and cultural traditions like Buddhism, Jainism, Brahmanism and various European civilizations throughout the historical evolution of the temple as an architectural entity. Located right at the heart of Thrissur, widely known as the cultural capital of Kerala, the temple complex had a significant role in the historic evolution of this town and still serves as a nucleus for its growth and development. The world famous Pooram festival, held at the temple premises every year, stands out as a cultural highlight of this town. The temple complex - with its massive fortified surrounding wall and the four entrance gateways at cardinal points - follows the scheme of the traditional Kerala temples mentioned in ancient treatises. The overall structural system, essentially of wood, showcases the invaluable knowledge systems of the past. A large percentage of the temple complex was in a state of disrepair due to the lack of periodic maintenance and care. In addition to this, exposure to extreme climatic conditions prevalent on the western coastal belt of India, especially the monsoons, was not favourable for the disintegrating structural system. An assessment of the complex in the 1990s showed that no major repair works had been recorded for more than 100 years,

and the need of the hour was to conduct a ‘planned restoration’ in its entirety.

Objectives of the Project One of the primary objectives of the project was to balance the conservation principles put forth by the protecting authority and those prescribed by the traditional treatises. It was also important to respect the age old practices and rituals, in order to ensure that the authenticity and integrity of the temple complex was maintained. Vadakkunnathan, being a Hindu temple, has many metaphysical layers of meanings attached to it. Hence conserving the intangible values associated with the heritage became equally important as that of the physical structures. The existing pattern of rituals and beliefs related to the building activity were followed, by using the regional texts and oral traditions as the literary base for the whole process.

Coordinating Various Agencies and Stakeholders The day to day activities of the temple are administered and managed by the state agency- Cochin Devaswom Board, while the temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The funding and human resources for the conservation project were provided by VGKT (The corporate social responsibility initiative of TVS motor company, India). DD Architects worked as the local coordinator for the whole project. To coordinate and manage the ideas and ideologies of multiple stakeholders with differing mandates was a major challenge in this project.

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 93

≥ Sreeraman Sreekovil

Introduction

> fixing the new capital to the wooden column

The System of Work More than three hundred craftsmen covering different areas of expertise from all over south India were identified to be a part of this conservation programme. In that way, the project helped in conserving and reviving many indigenous craft traditions. Each of the shrines were taken separately, their condition was analyzed, the materials to be replaced/repaired were quantified and the appropriate work force were employed in various planned phases. Minor projects including horticulture, the revival of the traditional pond, housekeeping and illumination works were also carried out simultaneously. Ancient treatises on building and construction which prescribe specific geometries, systems of measurement and rituals for renovation were followed for each shrine in the temple complex.

Challenges faced / Lessons learned One of the biggest challenges was to converge the ideas of the temple custodians and the approach of the conservation team. 94 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

It was clearly perceived that a purely scientific approach to safeguard the buildingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; architectural value i.e. - treatment of just the material - would not suffice in this case. Therefore, prior to any action, gaining an indepth knowledge of the temple protocols and the expectations of the custodians and users became essential. There was constant dialogue between the conservation team and the traditional experts, the temple priests and the temple committee representing the users. All decisions were taken following this consultative process; thus ensuring not just the protection of the religious, cultural and social values of the temple complex, but also the continued support of the community.

Temple and the Unseen Energies Any sacred place has its own relationship with the cosmic energies, and the material used for its construction, being natural, is said to help in conserving these bio-energies existing within the temple precincts. Hence, in all the conservation measures, the parent material (in this case timber, granite, laterite, lime and copper) were used in particular, for the structures being restored. Apart from

Sensitization and Awareness Creation The temple was honoured with the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Excellence for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2015, which is the highest recognition presented to the projects that display exceptional achievement in conservation efforts. In its citation, the UNESCO says, "The holistic restoration of the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple represents a milestone achievement in reviving living religious heritage sites, using a combination of indigenous knowledge of vernacular building techniques, strict adherence to elaborate ritual protocols

and contemporary conservation practice..... ....Through the exemplary initiative of the temple stakeholders, and with commendable support from relevant authorities and the private sector, the project has preserved a significant archetype of Kerala temple architecture while safeguarding the community of age old practices of veneration." In a context of ignorance prevailing in the state towards heritage conservation, the global recognition for this project rekindled pride and interest in cultural heritage among the local community of the town. Also, this award helped in creating awareness among the public and the temple authorities on the need to preserve heritage in its original form. We have put forward a proposal for a site museum, which could ideally become a cultural space, helping people to understand the significance of the conservation efforts. Towards the end of the conservation process, an exhibition was also organized to convey the importance of the project to the public.

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> West entrance with Koothambalam and Gosalakrishnan shrine

using the traditional materials in the indigenous method and pattern of use, the team also undertook minor research work on each of the materials, regarding its history, pattern of usage, ingredients, technical specifications and territorial linkages, revealing many interesting facts about it, thus enhancing the educational value of the conservation work.

14. Fries Museum Leeuwarden, The Netherlands BankGiro Loterij Museumprijs 2015

Science And Technology Are Part Of Our Culture 96 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Kris Callens

Director ≥ www.friesmuseum.nl ≥ info@friesmuseum.nl ≥ Fries Museum Wilhelminaplein 92 8911 BS Leeuwarden The Netherlands ≥ facebook.com/friesmuseum twitter.com/friesmuseum youtube.com/Friesmuseum

The Fries Museum (pronounced [frı:s]) was founded in 1881 to collect, research, preserve and present the rich cultural heritage of Friesland, a remarkable province of the Netherlands. Its heritage comes from several rich cultural periods, from the almost mythical early Middle Ages with king Redbâd (died 719), a later medieval uprising under the hero ‘Grutte Pier’ against Holland in the west, the Dutch Golden Age of the seventeenth century, famous Frisians like the alleged World War I spy Mata Hari to a strong cultural identity in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The cultural identity of the region is intrinsically connected to the resurgence of the (West) Frisian language as an official minority language since 1950. The museum is located in Leeuwarden, capital of Friesland and in 2018 Cultural Capital of Europe. The last couple of years, the Fries Museum has been transforming itself into a prominent regional museum of international quality, networks and publics. An important step was the relocation of the museum to a new building. Originally located in an eighteenth-century city dwelling and its surrounding houses, in 2013 the museum moved to a new 9000 m2 building on the Wilhelmina Square, in the heart of Leeuwarden’s city centre. The bold open-plan design has a gigantic protruding roof elevated 25 meters above the ground and an imposing glass façade adorning the front. The design brings the city into the museum on the ground floor and connects the museum to the city, with the façade as a gigantic metropolitan display case and with the roof extending into the city. The building also houses an arthouse cinema and a café that enhances the atmosphere of the museum by day and of the film house at night. The collection of 180,000 objects, the largest regional collection in the Netherlands, moved to a new, trendsetting sustainable depot on the city’s outskirts, shared

by the Fries Museum with four other Frisian museums and archives. With its valuable and diverse collections as a starting point, the Fries Museum continuously connects its heritage to today’s world and future possibilities. Regional possibilities are used in “glocal” solutions: working with local communities and resources on global challenges. Thus, the museum is not a passive registrar of cultural products, but an active – sometimes even activist – catalyst in society. A colourful example is the active role the museum played in creating new knitware works by teaching 2,500 school children the wonderfully tangible art of knitting by means of intergenerational exchange. The results formed three radiant chandeliers in the museum’s façade during the exhibition Knitting!. The upcoming exhibition Rich by Rubbish, developed in collaboration with the science museum Boerhaave in Leiden, will connect the eighteenth century Frisian entrepreneur Watse Gerritsma to today’s development of a circular economy and of smart landscapes. Both developments are at home in Friesland and are building blocks of solutions for polluted cities worldwide. At the same time, the museum more than doubled its visitor numbers and was awarded the national Museum Award in 2015. With a similar connecting attitude, the Fries Museum develops well thought-out and visually engaging exhibitions. Three major exhibitions will form the core of the Cultural Capital of Europe programme. On 1 October 2016 the exhibition Alma-Tadema - Classical Seduction will introduce the international public to Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, the late nineteenth-century painter of antiquity, born in Friesland. His works were the main source of inspiration for all films on Roman times, from early Cinecittà films to major Hollywood productions such as Ben Hur and Gladiator. For the innovative combination THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 97

> photo Hans Jellema

of paintings and film, bringing together extremely valuable works of art from all over the world, the exhibition concept was awarded the bi-annual Turing Prize. The exhibition will also resourcefully use the museum’s inhouse cinema facilities. In 2017 and 2018, two other exhibitions will focus on two other famous Friesland personalities: Mata Hari and M.C. Escher, the latter born in Leeuwarden in 1898. Typical for the Fries Museum is the personal approach of each exhibition, be that in the storyline’s focus on the protagonist, in all the design aspects of the exhibition or in visitor participation. Smaller simultaneous 98 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

exhibitions present inspiring artists and collection highlights from Friesland, but also international trends connected to the landscape and community of Friesland. At the same time, the Fries Museum is trendsetting in ‘behind the scenes’ activities such as collection and information management, that are prerequisites for the museum’s programme. Enhancing concepts of depot and storage design from Switzerland and Denmark by adding extensive collaboration, it created the first self-sufficient depot that is in use by four museums and

erlandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; national digital heritage strategy in three layers: management of data collections, facilities for connecting the data, and applications for presentation and use. The first virtual exhibition on the square in front of the museum, connecting the collection in augmented reality to the city community, is in preparation. In short, the Fries Museum is ready for the future.

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> photo RubenvanVliet

one archive simultaneously. Together with 33 other museums, and invoking public knowledge and volunteers from Friesland, it will start assessing the significance of the combined Friesland collection and publishing the results digitally. The outcome of this programme will be: broad public support for preserving shared cultural heritage; a wider knowledge and hence use of the collection; possible transfers between museums where desirable; and extra depot space through the de-acquisition of objects with too little significance. The information policy of the Fries Museum is a leading example of the Neth-

15.

Learning by Doing - Training of HeritageAware Rural Home Owners

Programme for Owners of Rural Buildings in Estonia Tallinn, Estonia EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 GRAND PRIX (Education, Training and AwarenessRaising)

Elo Lutsepp HEAD, Centre of Rural Architecture, Estonian Open Air Museum ≥ www.evm.ee ≥ info@evm.ee elo@evm.ee ≥ Estonian Open Air Museum Vabaõhumuuseumi tee 12 13521 Tallinn Estonia ≥ maaarhitektuur.blogspot.com facebook.com/EvmMaaarhitektuur 100 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Yet at the same time, a considerable number of quite well-preserved historic farm buildings can still be encountered in rural areas all over Estonia and the museum’s mission is to help bring them back into renewed active use. Therefore, starting from 2006, the museum has become more focused on preserving rural architecture in situ, as much as this is possible, rather than transferring numerous new sample buildings to its own territory. This means that, besides research work, the open-air museum has acquired a new role to consult homeowners and encourage them to restore their historic buildings. Along with the stabilization of Estonian society from 1991 onwards, and as a counterbalance to globalization, people have started to pay more attention to local heritage and everything carrying their identity, including traditional architecture and landscapes. In the current century, more and more owners of historic rural buildings, as well as builders, engineers, architects, and officials of heritage and environmental protection, have contacted the museum in order to preserve the copious quantities of architectural heritage in rural areas. These people need competent advice, expert assessments and practical training. In this field the museum can, first of all, have an advisory role. Yet all activities related to offering any kind of advice or consultations

require thorough research before they can go ahead. This is why the Estonian Open Air Museum launched a programme by the name of Rural Architecture and Rural Landscape: Research and Maintenance. 2007–2010, led by the Ministry of Culture. Today, this programme of rural architectural preservation has gone through its second phase: the last development plan covered the period 2012–2015. Since 2012, a group of five people has been working within the museum as a separate unit, as the Centre of Rural Architecture at the Estonian Open Air Museum, providing a constantly available counselling service. A significant trend in today’s extensive construction activity is the renewal of old houses. Many facilities, having stood derelict, are being converted into modern dwellings or summer homes. Therefore, people need more and more practical advice and good examples when they are refurbishing their old rural houses. Starting from 2006, the Estonian Open Air Museum has organized different practical training courses at its own site. At first they were mainly about building stone and wooden fences, but from 2008 onwards, the topics of sessions have become more diverse – timberwork (renovation and building of log walls and different kinds of timber constructions), restoration of windows and doors, traditional methods of finishing (plastering, painting, paint making, etc.), renovation of limestone and granite (natural stone) walls as well as roofing (constructing reed-thatched and wood shingle roofs). Within the variety of different courses one can even learn how to dismantle and refurbish a traditional barn oven. By now, the Estonian Open Air Museum has further extended its activities and aims to contribute to the preservation of historic and attractive environments beyond the territory THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 101

≥ Plastering courses, making of lime plaster and plastering. 2012. Jaani farm, Pärnumaa County. Photo by Aune Mark)

The Estonian Open Air Museum, founded in 1957, is the main open-air museum in Estonia,and its task is to collect, study and exhibit the typical and best examples of traditional rural architecture from all over the country. At the Museum’s site, the translocated farmhouses and single architectural objects, together with everyday household utensils, introduce the lives of different social groups of peasantry from the nineteenth century till the 1930s.

> Building of a new single-roof. 2012. Sinioru, Harjumaa County. Photo by Aune Mark

of the museum by organizing different specific courses in local areas. In Estonia, the owners of rural built heritage are not entitled to any financial support for the maintenance of their buildings (except for the owners of historic monuments). We can offer them immaterial support by means of training courses and consultations. So, the primary aim of the training days is to show homeowners how to execute simpler jobs in refurbishing their old houses on their own, as it is inherent in Estonians to do things with their own hands. At the same time, they are given detailed instructions on what they can demand of experienced masters, in case they choose to order some work from them. We encourage house owners to use old methods and materials but also put to use new materials and technologies, and combine old and new. We do not seek to preserve Estonian rural landscapes by conservation, as if they were part of a museum, but rather try to adapt old buildings to modern require102 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

ments (energy efficiency, new environmental requirements, etc.), so that their historic value can be preserved. Within the project, house owners are taught both practical skills for renovating built heritage (use of traditional materials with traditional methods, etc.) and for the application of new technologies. All the training courses, both theoretical and practical, are conducted by specialists in relevant fields. In addition to practical knowledge, the house owners are provided with a wider ethnological and art-historical background. The majority of such training days take place on farmsteads, where the created values persist. Between 2008 and 2015, the Centre of Rural Architecture organized more than 100 practical training courses (with ca 1,900 participants) and 70 seminars (with more than 3,800 participants). Additionally, in cooperation with several partner organizations, plenty of similar events are carried out in different places every year.

Besides the official home page of the museum, our main communication channels are the blog of the EOAM Centre of Rural Architecture and our own Facebook page, as well as the constantly growing mailing list.

pants can learn by doing and thus contribute with their work to the preservation of particular structures. These training sessions may be interesting and educational, yet people get more inspired by the idea that their work leaves a concrete mark and helps to protect rural heritage. It is namely the owner’s protection that serves as the main basis for preserving our rural architectural heritage in situ. Well maintained settlements and landscapes serve as a precondition for the balanced development of tourism, employment and, through this, also whole rural areas. This connects young people to their ancestors’ homesteads, and contributes to a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way of life.

In organizing extensive training programmes, the Museum of Vernacular Architecture has grown far beyond its borders and reaches all over Estonia. Special courses in local areas are based on case studies, in which particiTHE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 103

>¸ Building of new log constructions for the traditional well at EOAM. 2011. Photo by Elo Lutsepp

The Centre of Rural Architecture has published a widely used handbook Vana maamaja (Old Rural House, 2012) and, in cooperation with the Harju County Museum, a brochure titled Väärtused vanas majas (Values in an Old Rural House, 2013). We have also made educational videos about building a wood shingle roof, Laastutalgud (Wood Shingle Bees, 2008), and restoring windows, Egon Kochi akende restaureerimine (Restoration of Egon Koch’s Windows, 2013). Travelling exhibitions on various subjects under discussion are organized each year.

16. Jianchuan Museum Cluster: China’s Largest Private Museum Project 104 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Jianchuan Museum Chengdu, China Chinese Museums Association Most Innovative Museums Award 2015

Fan Jianchuan

curator ≥ www.jc-museum.cn ≥ Jianvhuan Museum Yingbin Road, Anren Town Dayi County, Chengdu PR China

Introduction Jianchuan Museum Cluster, established in 2003 by Mr. Fan Jianchuan, is by far the largest non-state museum project in China. Located in Anren, a historic town in the southwestern province of Sichuan, it is a vast complex covering an area of over 80 acres, housing 28 individual museums and a rich collection of over 8 million artefacts, including 404 items recognized as Class-One National Cultural Relics. The exhibits are presented under four major themes: War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937 – 1945), ‘Red Age’ (Cultural Revolution 1966 – 1976), 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, and Folklore and Culture, corresponding to the project’s motto ‘to collect wars for peace, lessons for future, disasters for safety and folklore for cultural continuity’. Jianchuan Museum Cluster is a National 4A level tourist site and a National Cultural Industry Demonstration Base. In 2005, it was awarded ‘China’s most innovative museum’ by the Chinese Museum Association

obligation to rescue cultural heritage and restore collective memory. He emphasizes the value of objects as ‘supporting evidence’ for a more balanced understanding of Chinese modern history, and installs placards in the museums that read ‘quiet, let the artefacts speak’. His exhibitions constitute a material testimony to the nation’s contested pasts, thus making the museum cluster a space for visitors to commemorate, remember and reflect.

Fan Jianchuan Fan Jianchuan is the director of Jianchuan Museum Cluster and president of Chengdu Jianchuan Property Group Ltd. Born in 1957 in Yibin, Sichuan, Mr. Fan had been a soldier, college teacher, and a deputy mayor of his hometown before becoming a successful entrepreneur in real estate. In 2003, he founded Jianchuan Museum Cluster to showcase his personal collection of historic artefacts which he amassed over decades, featuring an immense amount of 20th Century war relics and objects of everyday use from the Mao era. Each museum in the cluster was designed by world renowned architects and curated under the supervision of Fan Jianchuan himself. A pioneering figure in private cultural heritage preservation, Mr. Fan views his enterprise as motivated by a strong moral

Exhibitions Dedicated to significant events in modern and contemporary Chinese history, the complex now accommodates 28 museums and memorial spaces organized around four themes. The Resistance War against Japanese Aggression series includes: the Museum of Mainstay, which showcases China’s 8 years’ defense against Japan’s invasion under the leadership of Chinese Communist Party; the Museum of Front Battlefield, demonstrating the 22 important battles during the Resistance War led by the Kuomintang (Nationalist) Army; the Museum of the Flying Tigers, a memorial museum of the 1st American THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 105

Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force and the alliance between China and the United States during 1941 - 1942; the Museum of War Prisoners, dedicated to the Chinese captives during the Resistance War; and the Museum of Sichuan Troops that commemorates the 300,000 soldiers and 3 million civilians who left Sichuan to support the front line. The Chinese Veteran Handprint Square displays a collection of handprints of over 4,000 Resistance War veterans. The Square of Chinese Heroes consists of 229 cast-iron figures of prominent Resistance War military leaders. The Square of Chivalrous Friends of China is a group of portrait sculptures of 40 foreigners who made humanitarian contributions to China during the Second World War.

The Red Age Museum Series demonstrates different aspects of social life during the country’s revolutionary period. The Museum of Red Age Living Goods displays everyday life objects such as textbooks, newspapers, posters, enamel cups and food coupons used in the Cultural Revolution. The Museum of Sent-down Youth traces the history of urban 106 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

young people sent to be ‘reeducated’ in rural areas from the 1950s to the 1970s. This series also includes the Museum of Red Age Porcelain Artwork, the Museum of Red Age Badges, Clocks and Stamps, the Museum of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Memorial Hall of Deng Xiaoping, and the Museum of the Long March in Sichuan. The Earthquake Museum Series commemorates the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, consisting of the Earthquake Diary 5. 12 – 6. 12, the Museum of Earthquake Artwork, the Museum of Hu Huishan and the Memorial Museum of 5. 12 Earthquake Relief. The Folk and Culture Series includes the Museum of Foot Binding, the Museum of Old Mansion Furniture,the Museum of Weapons, the Museum of Chinese Medicine and the Memorial Hall for Yangtze River Rafting.

Leisure and Tourism Fan Jianchuan expands the conventional conception of a ‘museum’, by building a museum park that incorporates shops and hotels, cafes and restaurants, a lake with a paddleboat service and many other amenities, so as to offer the visitors an experience

Missions and Vision Jianchuan Museum Cluster is a multifunctional complex of exhibition, education, research and preservation. Since its foundation, the museum has published 11 books, and connected with a variety of institutions in China and overseas. In 2008 Fan Jianchuan received an honorary doctorate degree from Bryant University, and set up the Jianchuan-Bryant Education Centre for Sino-US relation studies. In 2014, the Museum established the Research Centre for 20th Century Chinese History in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. of ‘viewing artefacts at leisure, thus appeasing both body and mind’

As a National 4A-level tourist site, Jianchuan Museum Cluster has made the town of Anren known officially as the ‘Museum Town’ of China. The thriving local tourism has been providing the town’s 80,000 residents with good prospects for employment and an improved standard of living.

For over a decade, Fan Jianchuan has upgraded the museum cluster with remarkable efficiency, and also offered his curatorial expertise advising on 16 cases of museum planning and development in other parts of the country. In 2017, Jianchuan Museum is to open its first branch in Chongqing, a project of 8 museums focusing primarily on the local resistance war history. Fan has a further plan for developing another 40 museums dedicated to the 40 years of Chinese economic reform. He claims that it is his goal to build a hundred museums in his lifetime. Fan Jianchuan states in his will that he would like to posthumously donate the museum cluster and his collection to Chengdu government, for them to become the shared wealth of the public, that continues to preserve the nation’s past, and inspire future generations.

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Utopia As an Inhabited Museum

17. 108 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Familistere at Guise Guise, France Europen Museum Forum / Silletto Prize 2015

Frédéric Panni

DIRECTOR ≥ www.familistere.com ≥ fredericpanni@familistere.com ≥ Le Familistere de Guise F-20120 Guise France ≥ twitter.com/Familistere facebook.com/lefamilisteredeguise instagram.com/familisteredeguise vimeo.com/familistere

The Familistere at Guise was a unique social experiment, a concrete Utopia founded in 1859 by the Fourierist and socialist manufacturer, Jean-Baptiste André Godin, near his stove factory. It is now an inhabited heritage site and museum with residents, working schools, gardens open to the public, and more. The museum is the corner-stone of the "Utopia" project for the cultural, architectural, economic and social development of the Familistere at Guise.“Utopia” is a public project which has been gradually developing since 2000. It is supported by the Conseil départemental de l’Aisne, the town council of Guise, the French state the Ministry for Culture and Communication, the Hauts de France region and the European Union. The mission of the museum is three-fold: firstly, to restore and develop the buildings and outdoor areas to promote the understanding and appreciation of one of the most remarkable social experiments of the industrial world and inspire a dialogue with modern society; secondly, to revitalize daily activity on-site and offer the people of Guise, a little country town in northern France, the "equivalent of wealth", to use Godin's expression; and thirdly, to develop a cultural and tourist industry and thus create jobs.

An Inhabited Museum The Familistere at Guise is a museum dedicated to the Familistere experiment and to social Utopias from the nineteenth century up to today. It is housed in the "Palais social", an extraordinary phalanstery and a model of communal housing. Some of the apartments in the right wing and central building are lived in, Familistere schools are now used as town schools, the Italianate theatre hosts a yearround season of drama and musical performances, the Familistere grounds (pleasure garden, modern Peninsula garden and lawns

around the 'Palais') are freely open to all and include games and recreation areas (boules pitches, football pitch, riverside fishing), the museum restaurant and café open directly onto the street, and the car parks are used by townspeople going about their daily lives. In the right wing of the Palais, the apartment occupied by Jean-Baptiste André Godin can be visited; it is enshrined in a part of the building entirely given over to housing. The central building itself, housing 3,000 sq.m. of exhibition space (opened in two stages in 2010 and 2014) is shared between residents and visitors. Mention should also be made of the factory founded in 1846, close to the Palais, which still produces stoves and cookers (employing nearly 250 people). The Familistere is a town-museum. Often called a "town within a town", it has become a bustling urban area. The guiding principle when creating the museum was that of mixed use: devising restorations/creations to enhance daily activities as much as possible while satisfying the curiosity of a wide audience, both national and international (65, 000 visitors in 2015); providing facilities as much for the benefit of local people as for visitors.

Museum as Live Experience This openness desired by the museum's founders goes hand in hand with a wish to create an identifiably 'museum' feel to areas within the Familistere. The museum's scientific staff are responsible for running the entire "Utopia" project. Building restoration, creation of the square, gardens or exhibition rooms are all devised by the museum's team which also oversees the planning and implementation phases entrusted to the architects, museographers, town planners and landscape gardeners. Because of this, the spirit of the Familistere, the mix of uses and town-like feel of the museum are especially apparent in the developments, be they public spaces, services or exhibition rooms. THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 109

≥ photo: Georges Fessy

Utopia

> Inner courtyard of the central pavilion. Photo: Ludovic Lesur, 2012.

The industrialism which prevailed when the Familistere was founded in the nineteenth century, the communal nature of its organization and its domestic vocation have been freely reinterpreted in contemporary developments: the use of industrial or standardized materials, the size and scale of amenities, the informal way in which visitors move around, etc. Familistere museography is not confined to presenting the museum; it enables the visitor to experience life in the place. Just like residents in the central building, they walk along the passageways to enter or leave exhibition rooms. In the life-size cross-section, an actual cross-section of the full height of the North wing of the central building by the architects BĂŠatrice Jullien and Catherine Frenak, the visitor gains an almost physical insight into the building, stripped bare. In the four interior scenes of the central building, the visitor can actually experience the size and illumination of apartments at different levels of the 'Palais'. The museum does not shrink from measures which run contrary 110 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

to normal museum practice: visitors must open solid doors to access exhibition rooms in the central building; the numbering system for these rooms hardly differs from that used for occupied apartments across the corridor, confusing visitors and making them think about where they are, just like any newcomer to the Familistere. Live performances also play an important part in living at the Familistere. Since 2001 the museum has organized a great day of street theatre on May 1st (the Labour Day celebrated by the Familistere since 1867), meetings and visits, bringing together several thousand visitors from near and far. Since 2011 a full theatrical season has been organized in the theatre.

Museum as Dialogue The urban/domestic quality cultivated and developed by the museum creates a distinctive ambience which encourages exchanges between the powerful Utopian experiment of the Familistere itself, as presented by the museum in different parts of the site, and modern society. The museum exhibition

From the start it was designed to inspire a dialogue, through its visitors, between modern society and the experiment in social justice and solidarity which took place at the Familistere from 1859 to 1968. To this end the museum has gambled – rather like Godin with his associated workers – on the intelligence, open-mindedness and social commitment of its visitors. It is educational but in a rather unusual way: rather than leading its visitors, the museum allows them to make their own choices; rather than instructions based on simplification or the selection of specimens, it prefers teaching based on complexity with a very real wealth of material; it encourages cooperation between different people and different generations.

The central aim of the museum, in its exhibition rooms as much as in its guided tours or theatrical performances, is that of sparking off discussion and social debate, of helping to make the visitor an involved citizen. This is also why disabled access to the entire site was developed with specialist associations, and why the involvement of real people is given priority despite the many multi-media devices available. In 2015, the Familistere at Guise was awarded the Silletto Prize by the European Museum Forum: “The Judging Panel was impressed by the way the museum both illustrates the past and links it to the present, whilst at the same time being a living museum. It has heroically saved a heritage site and made it flourish again. The museum restores pride to the local community and shows how today’s cultural and economic activities, rooted in the heritage of a site, can help the regeneration of a town following a deep economic crisis.”

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> The “Palais social” (left), the visitor center (center) and the theatre and schools (right) on the Familistere square.Photo: Stéphane Chalmeau, 2013.

spaces, and materials used in their construction, form a kind of conversation between modern architecture and that of the Familistere. In social and economic terms the restored Familistere again offers the "equivalent of wealth" to local people. In cultural terms it contributes to social debate by helping visitors to react as informed and active citizens.

18.

Art UK and The Art Detectives

Art UK: Art Detective London, United Kingdom MW Museum Professional Award 2015

Andrew Ellis

director ≥ www.artuk.org ≥ info@artuk.org ≥ Art UK First Floor 18 Percy Street London W1T 1DX United Kingdom ≥ twitter.com/@artukdotorg

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Art UK is the online home for art from every public collection in the United Kingdom. Art UK already features over 200,000 oil paintings by some 38,000 artists. These artworks are in museums, universities, town halls, hospitals and other civic buildings across the United Kingdom. Later in 2016 we will be expanding the project to include watercolours, pastels, drawings and prints uploaded by collections. And in 2017 we aim to add sculptures. A key aspect of the project’s mission is to engage as wide an audience as possible in contributing to the project. We have done this through a tagging project in which the public helped to tag paintings to make them more searchable. We have also achieved this by asking people to offer up valuable specialist knowledge about the artworks on Art UK throughArt Detective.

Background The Art UK project started in 2003. At that point we were called the ‘Public Catalogue Foundation’, which remains the legal name for our charity. Our initial focus was to make the UK’s publicly owned oil paintings accessible through a series of county-by-county printed catalogues. Early on it was acknowledged that this project would need to go online and an approach was made to the BBC to become the project partner in this online venture. This became the Your Paintings partnership and theYour Paintings website was launched in 2011 and was hosted on bbc. co.uk. Your Paintings was a great success. Its success proved that collaboration between public art collections, the BBC and us was an effective force. It also confirmed the potential for using a shared digital infrastructure to make other art accessible to global audienc-

es at a time when the vast majority of public collections could not do this on their own. To ensure long term-sustainability, we and the BBC decided we needed to builda successor to Your Paintings off bbc.co.uk. Hence the idea for Art UK was born. The idea was that Art UK would be a shared digital platform for all 3,000 + public art collections across the UK – not just museums but also university, hospital and council collections as well as institutions such as the National Trust, Government Art Collection and English Heritage. Important private collections such as those of the Oxbridge Colleges would be displayed. It would be operated byus but still very much in partnership with the BBC, who would create editorial using Art UK content and bring audiences to Art UK. An application was successfully submitted to Arts Council England for the majority of the costs of building Art UK. Additional funding was provided by the Scottish Government. Guided by a large Steering Panel of experts inside and outside the museum sector, we started building Art UK in April 2015 and launched it in February 2016.

Benefits The benefits of Art UK are substantial. The overwhelming majority of the UK’s public art collection is not on display with some 80% being in store or in public buildings without routine public access. Showing art online allows audiences to find out about artworks in store whilst also encouraging visits to the art that is on display. At the same time it opens up wonderful learning opportunities. Sadly, most collections do not have the means to show their holdings of art on their own websites. Art UK constitutes a single, shared digital national platform for all pubTHE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 113

≥ The Altarpiece of St Mary Redcliffe (triptych) by William Hogarth (1697-1764) at Bristol City Council offices. ©BBC

Introduction

lic art collections that unites the benefits of scale and technology. Instead of thousands of smaller collections each aspiring to build their own collection website, it provides one sophisticated national platform. The BBC will play a key role in the Art UK initiative by curating on bbc.co.uk artworks from the platform that relate to broadcasts and topical events and sending traffic to Art UK. Art UK is designed to inspire people to leave the online world and engage with art offline. People are encouraged to see paintings in real life with easy links to institutions’ own websites and with the use of Google maps to help their journeys. 10% of our audience uses Art UK to plan visits.

Art Detective: Why it is Needed Art Detective addresses the serious issue of insufficient – and declining – specialist knowledge amongst public art collections. A reflection of this is that the Art UK object records vary greatly between collections and that there are significant gaps in knowledge 114 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

about works. For example well over 10% of paintings do not have any firm artist attributions and at least 5,000 of the portraits do not have sitter identities. Given our broad institutional remit – which includes non-museum collections and smaller museums with specialisms other than art – it is not surprising that a large percentage of collections in the project do not have any fine art expertise. However, a feature of the last few years is that the already stretched body of expertise within museums is under further pressure. A 2013 Museums Association poll found that the number of Fine Art Curators had declined by 23% over ten years. And in the Museum Association’s July 2012 Report ‘The Impact of Cuts on UK Museums’, Gina Evans reported that research into collections was the area most likely to be de-prioritised.

How it Works Our solution was a digital network that connects public art collections lacking informa-

tion about their oil paintings with providers of specialist knowledge from around the world. Art Detective works in the following way. Questions from collections or suggestions from the publicare entered into the Art Detective interface, after following a link from the respective artwork page on Art UK. Volunteer contributors are invited to give information about their experience and expertise when they sign up. This may be art historical or relate to local history or topography. Contributors are encouraged to provide evidence when they make suggestions. Not all suggestions make it to public ‘Discussions’ as that is determined by the Art UK Editors. However, if they do get accepted, these Discussions are passed to one or more of the twenty-seven ‘Groups’ on the network. For example a suggestion or question about the identity of a portrait of a military figure would be passed to the Military Group as well as one of the British Portraits Groups. A Group Leader (a pro bono authority in the subject), supported by the Art UK Editors,

is responsible for leading public Discussions through to a conclusion. Firm or qualified conclusions are sent to the respective collection that owns the artwork (they are prompted to follow Discussions about their works). The collections have the final say as to whether the authorised record on Art UK is amended. Anyone can follow the Discussions. Broad public involvement – and contributions – is sought.

Outcome Art Detective is still very young. The principal outcome of Art Detective will be improved knowledge of the nation’s oil painting collection. Since launch in April 2014 there have been 224 Discussions on the site, with 125 of those now completed. Significant discoveries have been listed on the site at: http://www.artuk. org/artdetective/discoveries

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19. Stories About Common Past and Present Pomurje Museum: Radgona Bridges Murska Sobota, Slovenia Valvasor Award 2015

Metka Fujs

project leader, co-author and director ≥ www.pomurski-muzej.si ≥ info@pomurski-muzej.si ≥ POMURJE MUSEUM MURSKA SOBOTA Trubarjev drevored 4 SI- 900 Murska Sobota Slovenia 116 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

The area of Radgona was already settled in prehistory. The border between German and Slovene ethnic identities was fixed here in medieval times, and the town itself bloomed, due to its strategic position on the river Mura, on the border of Austrian lands and the Hungarian kingdom, as well as its rich vine growing area, exporting goods to important civil and church courts of that period. The old Radgona/Radkersburg is combined of an inner town on the island of the Mura river, of the suburb on the right river bank named Gris/Gries and of the hill which contains the location of the earliest settlements and the feudal estate named Gornja Radgona/ Ober Radkersburg. This all was one town till the Austro –Hungarian monarchy fell to pieces. After World War I, the peace treaty defined the new state border on the river Mura and the old town became part of the Austrian state, while the suburb with the castle hill became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, afterwards named Yugoslavia. Since 1991 this area has belonged to the Republic of Slovenia. The new town on the right bank of the river took its name after the castle Gornja Radgona. The state border has left in the hinterland of Austrian Radkersburg villages with a majority of Slovene residents, and in the hinterland of Slovene Gornja Radgona villages with a majority Ger-

man population. The first group have been officially acknowledged as minority from 1955, but have received some cultural minority rights only in the last two decades. The others were forcibly expropriated and ejected into Austria by the Yugoslav government after the World War II. In the 1960s Radkersburg was renamed Bad Radkersburg and turned into a blooming tourist town due to a preserved and renovated cultural-historical core and thermal water. Gornja Radgona has vegetated with a lack of identity, until in the last decades local enterprises have made breakthroughs, leading to the town becaming the economic centre of its surroundings. Based on the history of a once single town in one state and today’s two towns in two states, two museums - the Museum im Alten Zeughaus and the Pomurje Museum -built two collections, opened two permanent exhibitions, told two stories in their own way, which together form one whole story. Both collections are hosted in historical houses, the Austrian one in a former armoury and the Slovenian in a former medieval hospital or shelter. That’s why they are both important parts of the town’s past and the museums’ stories. The Museums offer visitors joint tickets, guided tours through both exhibitions, as well as through historic parts of both towns in two languages, and why they are preparing new joint programs also in cooperation with Pavel Haus- the cultural center of Slovenes in Austrian Styria, located in the nearby village of Laafeld/ Potrna . Our project began with a comprehensive renovation of the monument house- the old Spital - and setting of premises for visitors. The Gothic cellar was equipped for receptions and tastings of prestigious Radgona wines. In the Renaissance Hall, which is intended to host different cultural programs, events and weddings, the collection of works of art from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 117

≥ Air-photo of the two towns with the bridge on the river Mura

Pomurje Museum Murska Sobota, acting in an area where four state borders join - Slovenian, Austrian, Croatian and Hungarian can present a lot of stories and connecting projects. It displays connections between museums as institutions, between programs, between typical cultural heritage and traditional elements, between collections, projects in which it has been or still is cooperating. However, there are not many stories like the one about the old town Radgona/ Radkersburg and the two museums, which, with help of their collections, keep it alive for the public.

> Historical building of the old Spital

exhibited. The project continued with the opening of a new permanent exhibition titled Radgona bridges, awarded in 2015 with the highest Slovenian award for museum projects. The title Radgona bridges was chosen because the story about Radgona is always a story about the bridge. The bridge across the river Mura, which used to link the ancient town with its suburb, was burned down, flooded and rebuilt many times. In 1945 German army blew it up to stop the advance of the Soviet army. Seven years passed before the two states, with British mediation, agreed to build a temporary bridge until the presidents of both states together opened the new one in 1969. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s border on the bridge is just administrative and the bridge connects two towns and two countries as a wide open space for socializing and dialogue. But it is not just the architectural structure which acts like a bridge: the Radgona bridges exhibition galleries are bridges to the oldest past of the area, evidenced by the prehistor118 â&#x20AC;ş THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

ic and early medieval remains, to the family and political history of the town and its environs, between the urban and suburban inhabitants, between vineyard owners and vine dressers, through political, economic, and human falls and rises. The Radgona bridgesdisplays are also bridges between church history and popular beliefs, bridges through man's life from birth to death, between the two ethnic and linguistic communities that have lived in this area since its settlement. They are bridges between the Slovenes and Germans, who have been capable of burning all bridges between themselves in the process of national awakening, horrible wars, and retribution, but have been equally capable of rebuilding and maintaining them. Through the exhibition we can follow films with different personal stories: memories and current reflections on the life of the local population along the border, the native Slovenian student who goes to school in Austria or the Slovenian brewer who has a brewery

A local politician of the nineteenth century wrote: “We didn’t feel like Germans nor like Slovenes, because till 1848 no-one cared about that”.However, an American study commission leader for border setting in 1919 wrote: “A curious phenomenon of this borderland between the Slavs and Germans is that names mean nothing. In one town I visited the man representing the Slav side had a distinctly German name, and the German representative had an equally good Slav name. It is difficult to say what constitutes nationality. Language is not a test, for they are mostly polyglot. There is nothing about the personal appearance of the people or the built of their towns that proves one contention or the other”. In the exhibition one can find a wine press beam from 1871 with this text: ”Long live Slovenes and Germans and all, who helped building this wine press, the

diggers, pickers, carriers, pressers and all neighbours long live.” One and a half centuries ago this writing called upon us to live together. In between we survived bloody wars and social revolutions and at the end of complete human breakdown decided to live as even and equal. Today the museum offers us the possibility to openly face up to our past, to socialize, play and weave our future together. Not just for Pomurje Museum, but for two museums in two towns and two states, our collections are tools to tell stories about the common past and present, stories of bridges, muses and art masters, but most of all of the common historical memories of people living here. We are confident that in two neighbouring museums the community’s memory is in good hands and together with it our common past. We hope, of course,that so is our future.

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> A peace of former border fence with products, most often bought by Yugoslav citizens in Austria

on one side of the border and a pub on the other.

A Live Reading Marathon

“Karenina Live” Leo Tolstoy Museum and Estate Yasnaya Polyana Tula Region, Russia ICOM Russia award “The best project on work with the community

Fekla Tolstoy

Head of Development, Leo Tolstoy State Museum in Moscow ≥ karenina.withgoogle.com www.yasnayapolyana.ru ≥ twitter.com/yasnaya_polyana Yasnaya polyana tula oblast russia 301214

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Leo Tolstoy’s museums (located in Moscow and in Yasnaya Polyana) fully recognise that their responsibility to preserve the legacy of Tolstoy goes well beyond the physical items and works that they store in the museum collections themselves. This responsibility naturally extends to preserving Tolstoy’s heritage overall – his texts, and his ideas that he developed throughout his lifetime. And so the promotion of reading Tolstoy, as well as, to a degree, XIX-century Russian classical literature as a whole, is also an important area of responsibility for the museums. There is a well-known type of reading event called the Big Read, when people get together to read a book from cover to cover. Often this is done at universities, libraries or theatres. At the beginning of 2014, Yulia Vronskaya, an employee of the Tolstoy Museum, proposed to hold a Big Read of Anna Karenina from the two Tolstoy museums in Yasnaya Polyana and Moscow. Her colleague Fekla Tolstoy took this proposal further, coming up with the idea to bring people together to read the novel from all over the world, with the help of the Internet. The idea was to have each page of the novel read by a new reader from a new location, all broadcast live on the Internet. For example, one reader starts from Moscow, then hands over to a reader in St Petersburg, then the floor is passed to Vladivostok, then to Jerusalem, then Yasnaya Polyana, then back to Moscow, and so on. The project, Karenina: Live Edition, set out to demonstrate that culture in general, and in this case literature, is something that unites people all over the country and beyond. It is of equal value and importance for people in all layers of society, and in all parts of the world. It has the ability to remove borders. At the same time, the Internet has had a similar effect of removing borders from a technical

point of view. So the idea of reading one of the world’s most famous novels, all together, from different locations around the world via the Internet, looked attractive and meaningful. The reading took place between the 3rd and 4th of October. It was a non-stop, 36-hour livestreamed reading marathon, with more than 700 people reading from 10 countries and more than 30 cities around the world. Google agreed to be a key partner of the project, providing a connection between all of the different locations via Google Hangouts, and the reading was broadcast live via Youtube. Google also invested in the global promotion and marketing of the project. Young stars from cinema, fashion, sport and literature agreed to take part for free in a marketing video, which was viewed by more than six million people around the world. Three months before the reading was due to take place, a competition was announced where people around the world were invited to submit through Youtube their video applications to take part in the reading. More than 4,000 people submitted applications. In the end, readers included a mix of those selected from the applications as well as a wide range of celebrities: artists, actors, writers, senior government officials, sportsmen, musicians and of course descendants of Tolstoy living in a number of different countries. It was important for Fekla, as the creator of the project, that it be as inclusive as possible. Tolstoy’s novels, as with all literature, are for everyone, regardless of their age or social or economic standing. In order to be successful, the project needed support from around the country. The museum employees called their friends and colleagues from different museums, libraries THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 121

and universities around the country, trying to enlist their support for this initiative. Almost everyone that was approached agreed to take part for free in this non-commercial project. They made available their venues, they took responsibility for logistics at a local level, liaising directly with readers in their location. This included all different kinds of cultural institutions in Russia. Big and famous institutions took part, like the Russian State Library and Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and the Peterhoff Summer Palace and Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. But there were also applications to take part in the project from small libraries in remote towns across Russia, including some towns the project organisers themselves had never heard of. For example, there was Elizabeth, the Director of a library in a small town in the Urals called Snezhinsk (translates as ‘Snow Town’). She was the Director, and in fact also the only employee of the library. It was ex122 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

tremely important for Elizabeth, and the 10 readers from Snezhinsk, to be taking part in a project of this scale as equals alongside the largest institutions in Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities across Russia and around the world. A group from Narianmar, a small city in the North of Russia, prepared extensively. In the weeks leading up to the reading, they initiated dozens of hangout calls with the project director in Moscow to rehearse their parts of the text. Students from Yakutsk University asked for more and more time slots to be allocated to them in order to accommodate an overwhelming number of volunteers. To strengthen their case, many of them promised to deliver their readings in the distinctive national Yakutsk dress. In fact, there is no connection between this national dress and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. They just want-

ed their readings to be remembered. And they succeeded. Museum employees from Vladivostok organised a three-day festival around this event, including exhibitions and lectures dedicated to Tolstoy, as well as discussions about the reading. Of course, one of the key destinations that was central to the reading was the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate Yasnaya Polyana. The broadcast was conducted from Leo Tolstoy’s own home, at the heart of the estate; the 200-year-old house where he lived and wrote most of his works, including Anna Karenina. It was the first time in history that there was a live broadcast from the Tolstoy home. People read from small Russian cities and large cities such as Moscow, St Petersburg, Vladivostok, Perm, Samara, Irkutsk, Archangelsk and Ekaterinburg. Anna Karenina is one of the most popular and widely read books in the world, and so it was important for the project organisers for this project to be global. From the beginning, it was decided that the reading would be done, as the text was written, in Russian. But despite this, many applications were received from abroad – from Russian immigrants and from students of Russian, in Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris. Of course nobody expected that anyone would follow the marathon from the first page to the last. But in fact, people watched for considerably longer than expected, in some cases for several hours. Many of them tuned in initially out of simple curiosity about this new format of reading, but they stayed online as they quickly became engrossed in the text itself. They were also impressed by the narrators, each picking up where the previous left off, creating a kaleidoscope of

vastly different people, and different understandings of Leo Tolstoy’s novel. It was a real life edition. The reading reached more than 40% of the entire Russian population, and was viewed in 106 countries, and even set a new Guinness World Record for the largest audience of a live-streamed reading. For the duration of the reading, the number of internet searches for Karenina increased three times. The project also received substantial recognition in the press – more than 500 articles were written, as well as frequent reports on radio and television. And book shops reported a surge in sales of the novel during and immediately following the reading. After the event itself, a dedicated website (https://karenina.withgoogle.com) was created where the entire reading can now be viewed, searchable by narrator, location and themes of the readings – an entirely new way for people to engage with the novel. All the videos are accompanied by the text, enabling people to read and/or watch Tolstoy’s novel. In 2015, following the livestreamed format of Karenina: Live Edition, two more readings took place – Chekhov Live (a reading of the writer’s plays and short stories), organised by Google and the Moscow Stanislavsky Theatre; and Tolstoy’s War and Peace, organised by Russian State Television. It was a tradition in Tolstoy’s home in Yasnaya Polyana, as with many other XIX century homes, to read books together aloud in the evening. The organisers of Karenina: Live Edition, wanted to revive this tradition of family readings. Only now, with the help of Internet in the XXI century, can we share the pleasure of reading a good book without consideration of borders, distances or time zones.

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Gods, Myths and Mortals – Greek Treasures Across The Millennia Hellenic Museum Melbourne, Australia Museums Australia (Victoria) Award for Medium Museums 2015

John Tatoulis

Chief Executive Officer ≥ rwww.hellenic.org.au ≥ ceo@hellenic.org.au ≥ Hellenic Museum Former Royal Mint 280 William Street Melbourne Vic 3000 ≥ facebook.com/pages/Hellenic-Museum twitter.com/Hellenic_Museum

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The Hellenic Museum Australia is housed in the former Royal Mint, a heritage listed building in the heart of Melbourne. Erected in 1872 in response to the influx of gold flowing from the Victorian goldfields; the Mint was designed by government architect JJ Clark who styled the main administration building on Raphael's Palazzo Vidoni-Caffarelli in Rome. It remains one of the finest examples of conservative classicism in Victoria. Founded in 2007 by Melbourne businessman and philanthropist Spiros Stamoulis, the Hellenic Museum is dedicated to inspiring a passion for Hellenism by engaging visitors with innovative cultural programs, exhibitions and events. In its first years of operation the Museum focused primarily on the procurement and exhibition of curated collections from different Greek cultural institutions, under the auspices of the Greek Ministry for Culture. Over the past three years the Museum’s direction has changed dramatically from being a vessel for the display of third party collections to becoming a content creator and exhibitions innovator. To fully appreciate the complexity and breadth of Greek culture and history it cannot be viewed from a single perspective. Therefore the Hellenic Museum seeks to further build on the last three years of development by bringing together multiple artistic disciplines, historical objects, perspectives and ways of understanding in order to develop a holistic experience of Greece, Greek culture and the contribution it has made, and continues to make to contemporary society. The Gods, Myths & Mortals project was developed in collaboration with the Benaki Museum in Athens as a way to achieve these goals and enhance the cultural connection between Melbourne and Greece by developing an ongoing exchange of art and ideas. The main objective behind securing a loan of ten years was to enable the exhibition to grow and de-

velop within the context of the city as well as being a platform from which other exhibitions, events and artworks could evolve. The idea was proposed by the Hellenic Museum’s CEO and Creative Director John Tatoulis whose long association with the Benaki Museum and deep respect for their dedication to the exposition of Greek history in its infinite variety, caused him to approach them with the proposal of a long-term cultural partnership. This was supported, wholeheartedly, by the Hellenic Museum board, the Benaki Museum director and board, and by the Greek and Victorian Governments. Gods, Myths & Mortals is an important cultural resource for Australia. The education program supports the Australian education curriculum at both primary and secondary levels in areas of classics, art, civics and citizenship, ancient, medieval and modern history, visual arts and design. The Greek version of the education guide has enhanced the teaching of Modern Greek in Victoria giving educators another avenue of engagement. Introducing classics and history at a young age is a key feature of the Museum’s mission to inspire new generations and instilling them a respect for history, which will ensure the ongoing care and protection of cultural objects. The loan of an exhibition of this calibre is, in its self, a significant coup for Australia, which has nothing else of this style anywhere in the country. Additionally, Greece’s Ministry of Culture has never allowed a collection of this magnitude to leave Greece for more than a year, and even then only to the world’s major Museums, thus a ten-year loan to Australia’s developing Hellenic Museum is a significant achievement. The exhibition is housed in a heritage-listed building, which comes with a series of chalTHE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 125

lenges related to what can and cannot be changed and installed. One of the considerations of the Museums Award was the innovative way the exhibition was installed within the strict parameters maintained by the heritage department, while managing to create an exhibition layout which complemented both the building and the exhibition content and adhered to museum best practice. The resultant design is specific and sympathetic to both the magnificent building and to the exhibition. The Hellenic Museum had to face a number of hurdles to ensure the Benaki Museum’s collection could be housed and displayed in the Museum for a decade. Negotiations began between the Benaki Museum, Greece’s Ministry of Culture and the Hellenic Museum to decide whether the works would be allowed to leave Greece. Because Gods, Myths & Mortals is not a travelling exhibition, the Hellenic Museum had to curate, insure, transport, conserve and install the objects while maintaining museums best practice. The Hellenic Museum worked closely with 126 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

International Art Services for the safe delivery and installation of close to 200 items. The exhibition encapsulates 8000 years of Greek history from the Neolithic period to the War of Independence in approximately 200 works. The Gods, Myths & Mortals collection is divided into four chronological periods: Prehistoric, Greek and Roman; Byzantine; Ottoman; and the Neo-Hellenic Periods. The exhibition is large enough to cover all of the major themes and time periods while being intimate enough not to be overwhelming. The exhibition is particularly good for school groups as it allows students to actively trace the progression of Greek art, culture, technology and beliefs over a significant period while still being able to see the recurring themes which have allowed Greeks to maintain a powerful connection to their heritage despite internal and external struggles. The Hellenic Museum team worked closely with curators from the Benaki Museum carefully selecting items from the Benaki

collection that would best create a comprehensive picture of Greece through the ages. Working with design company Creative Visuals, the Hellenic Museum team developed a design concept inspired by the ancient Greek labyrinth. This enabled us to work within the confines of the existing rooms of the heritage listed former Royal Mint Building. Freestanding cabinetry was purpose built and installed in such a way as to create an intimate, chronological journey of discovery. Unique spaces within the building were also incorporated within the design helping to create a seamless experiential journey. Two examples include the subtle transformation of the former Royal Mint’s gold vault into a Byzantine treasury and the former gold surveyor’s room into a 20-seat theatrette. One of the key elements of executing a project of this complexity for a small-scale institution is the development of successful partnerships which have a basis in mutual respect and trust. It is also important to have a clear set of goals that are beneficial to each

party and further the core endeavours of respective institutions. Additionally, it is important to have a clear idea of where you want the project to take your institution. In the Hellenic Museum’s case we have used the exhibition as a vehicle not only to promote the Museum but also to create new and innovative events and exhibitions which relate to it. As an example, the Museum commissioned world renowned photographer Bill Henson to create a series of portraits incorporating objects from the collection. This series, titled ONEIROI, has created a cultural and artistic dialogue between the ancient past and the present and provides another unique level of engagement for Museum visitors. In other words, the exhibition Gods, Myths and Mortals has become the Hellenic Museum’s cultural locomotive to which we are creatively attaching interesting content carriages thus making the Museum’s visitors’ journey through Greek history more compelling, engaging and rewarding.

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22.

First Virtual Online Museum Devoted to Venice

Wonders Of Venice: Virtual Online Treasures In St. Mark’s Area VENICE, ITALY EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Grand Prix (Research and digitization))

Edda Battistella regione del veneto

Maria Teresa De Gregorio regione del veneto ≥ www.meravigliedivenezia.it www.regione.veneto.it ≥ interreg@regione.veneto.it ≥ Regione del Veneto Rio Novo, Dorsoduro 3494/A 30123 Venezia Italia

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Wonders of Venice: Virtual Online Treasures in the St. Marks Area is an initiative of the Veneto Region (Italy), developed over two years, in cooperation with Procuratoria di San Marco, Polo Museale del Veneto and the Marciana National Library. The total cost of Wonders of Venice was financed by the Strategic Project for the Knowledge and Availability of Shared Cultural Heritage - SHARED CULTURE - in the framework of the Cross Border Cooperation Programme Italy-Slovenia 2007-2013. The first aim of Wonders of Venice was to create the first ever virtual online museum devoted to Venice thanks to the large numbers of digitized works: it has made an important historical, cultural and artistic heritage available to a global audience through the application of new technologies to cultural heritage in innovative ways. The scientific basis lies in the cataloging and digitization campaign, realized with the project SHARED CULTURE, and in the will to turn information and knowledge generally reserved to specialists of the field into academic user-friendly content readily accessible to the general public. The administrative practice of cataloging is governed by regional and national regulatory frameworks and is preparatory to the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. But it’s not so simple to convert these contents into practice, because the cataloging is perceived as a technical activity for “insiders”, but not for a general audience. The aim was to turn an apparently arid activity into an involving activity to promote and support knowledge of cultural heritage. Wonders of Venice is a website www.meravigliedivenezia.it, accessible on smartphones, tablets and computers, responsive (the display modifies itself in real time, depending on the screen used) and translated into 10 languages. It allows users to access multi-

media contents related to prestigious historical and artistic works, symbols of the history and culture of the Republic of Venice (the “Repubblica Serenissima”), which are located in and around St. Mark's Square: works of art and rediscovered museums. As for works of art, there are 386 virtual objects, obtained from photographic reliefs, virtually represented in three dimensions and rotatable on an axis (for some objects the rotation is 360° on three axes). The objects are accompanied by a brief description and photo attachments. The cultural and artistic assets affected by the intervention consist of: • Jeweller’s pieces of work and liturgical objects and other Egyptian, Assyrian and Roman finds which compose the Treasure of St. Mark’s; • Greek and Roman sculptures, coming from the collection of Giovanni Grimani, Patriarch of Aquileia, now stored at the National Archaeological Museum of Venice; • "Special items": ancient art exhibits reused in medieval Venetian monuments of exceptional importance (i.e. the Lion of St. Mark). The rediscovered museums are the Tribuna of Palazzo Grimani and Public Statuary of the Republic of Venice (Statuario Pubblico della Serenissima). The Tribuna is an enchanting room of the Palazzo Grimani Museum, where Giovanni Grimani, a cultured and refined benefactor and patron of the arts, located his Greek and Roman sculptures, one of the richest and most famous collections of such items in the world. In 1587, Grimani donated his collection to the Republic of Venice, under the single condition that a suitable exhibition location be found for its enjoyment by the public. The site chosen was the Antechamber of the Marciana Library, where the THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 129

> the horses of st. mark

sculptures were transferred after Giovanni's death in 1593, creating what for over two hundred years became the Public Statuary of the Republic of Venice, admired by eminent people and intellectuals aware of the novelty of a museum open to all. Today the Tribuna and the Statuario are only “containers” and their “contents” are located in the National Archaeological Museum. The purpose of Wonders of Venice was to recreate these two unique moments through the help of sophisticated computer systems, giving new life to the Tribuna with the sculptures that once filled it and recomposing the Public Statuary as it appeared in the past. They were reconstructed with the sculptures of the Grimani Collection as they appeared originally in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries respectively. The two museums, visited as virtual tours, were realised on the basis of a 3D reconstruction and were populated with 237 3D-surface-model-objects corresponding to the virtual objects of the Grimani Collection. The objects were reconstructed on the basis of photos and after that, there 130 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

was additional manual work for the contour shaping of the images and for the realisation of the corresponding 3D (Mesh) of the objects (texture included). The reconstruction of the Tribuna is based on a drawing by Federico Zuccari, stored in the British Museum of London which is, to date, the most believable hypothesis of the palace's layout as it was in 1582, when Zuccari visited Palazzo Grimani. A section of the website is devoted to the 3D reconstruction of St. Mark’s Lion, the symbol of Venice. It was realised starting from photos and stock footage and by following the manual work of graphic reconstruction. This section is accompanied by some charts telling the Lion’s story from its origins. The story is also animated in a short clip and by an interactive game of the deconstruction/ reconstruction of the Lion itself. In 2013, Wonders of Venice was presented at the Digital Heritage International Congress during the workshop “Museums & Digital Heritage” with the speech “It is Unique, It is Fragile, but It is Open to All: Virtual 3D Valor-

aimed at attracting international public and young people”.

In 2015, Wonders of Venice won the Grand Prix of the UE Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2015 in the category “Research and Digitization” for the following reason: “The Awards’ Jury were most impressed with this digitization project. Through a multi-lingual platform, it is accessible on a wide range of media. It impacts on both promotional events and research, and will be useful to both expert and tourist alike. The challenges of complexity, the distinction between the real and the virtual, and a mix of academic disciplines and range of objects, are all successfully resolved in this highly commendable and valuable project”.

The success of Wonders of Venice has made proud all those people that have participated in its realization, both in the planning stage and in progress. The task was complex and made possible by collaboration among the several authorities involved, by the synergy among different Regional offices and by the participation of the various Institutions present on the territory: all those involved worked with a common perspective oriented towards the valorization and recovery of the cultural heritage related to Veneto. In particular, the different regional scientific and technical competences within Veneto’s regional structures have been precious resources: this has shown that it is possible to combine the administrative activity of a territorial public body with the need to transmit and to spread cultural contents to all the citizens and to increase public enjoyment of culture as much as possible.

In the same year Wonders of Venice also won the National Prize for Innovation, also known as the Prize of the Prizes, in the field “Public administration” because it was a “wide project of digitization of cultural goods which relates valorization and technology to an absolute scientific accuracy joined to a format

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> rediscovered museums tribuna

ization of The Archaeological Collections of the St. Mark Square, Venice”.

Stonehenge: Surrounding Landscape and Visitor Centre Wiltshire, United Kingdom EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015

Kate Davies

General Manager, StoNEHENGE ≥ www.english-heritage.org.uk ≥ customers@english-heritage.org.uk ≥ English Heritage, Stonehenge Visitor Centre Amesbury, Salisbury, SP4 7DE United Kingdom ≥ facebook.com/StonehengeEH twitter.com/eh_stonehenge

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In use between around 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC, the Stonehenge monument was constructed and reconstructed over a period of more than 1,000 years, culminating in what the World Heritage Committee has described as the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world. The site was given to the nation in 1918, and is managed by English Heritage. However – due to the proximity of two main roads, and the poor quality of ageing visitor facilities – the experience of visiting this major British attraction was often a disappointing one. People who were expecting to see one of the wonders

of the world left feeling disappointed at the poor quality of their experience, and the minimal interpretation. In addition, the site was severely compromised by nearby roads: the A303, and the even closer A344, which ran so near to the Stones it almost touched the Heel Stone, and whose construction had cut through the ancient Avenue linking the stone circle to the River Avon. This precious ancient landscape – and visitors’ appreciation of it – was compromised by both traffic noise, and the visual clutter of the old visitor facilities, in the form of 1960s prefabs attached to the car park. It was difficult to get a sense of this spectacular site in its natural setting. By careful and lengthy negotiation with landowners and those with a stake in the surrounding area, major improvements have now been made. Through the Stonehenge Environmental Improvement Project (SEIP) English Heritage has delivered a step-change in the way Stonehenge is presented and how people experience it.

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≥ photo Robert Smith

English Heritage became a charity on 1st April 2015 known as the English Heritage Trust which cares for sites held in guardianship for the nation. The charity is licensed by Department of Culture Media and Sport to conserve over 400 historic sites and their collections for the benefit of this and future generations. Stonehenge is the best-known prehistoric monument in the care of English Heritage (EH). It receives over one million visitors per year from all around the world.

The objectives of the project were to: • Improve the landscape setting of Stonehenge, by reducing noise and visual intrusion from inappropriate structures and roads • Significantly enhance the visitor experience through the provision of improved, environmentally sustainable, visitor facilities • Enhance the interpretation of the WHS and improve access to selected monuments • Enhance the education/ learning experience, thereby improving understanding of the WHS The Project was led by English Heritage and developed through partnership between English Heritage, the National Trust, The Highways Agency, Wiltshire Council, Salisbury Museum, Wiltshire Museum, Natural England and the Government within the framework provided by the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 20092015. The project was largely funded by the 134 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Heritage Lottery Fund, commercial income and philanthropic donations. It has involved the delivery of improvements to the landscape setting of the Stonehenge monument (including the stopping up of the A344, the removal of the old visitor centre, car park and underpass), the Avenue and other attributes of OUV including the Cursus Barrows, together with a new, sensitively designed and environmentally sustainable visitor centre to provide a gateway to the Stones and the wider World Heritage Site (WHS). The new visitor centre was opened at Airman’s Corner in December 2013 and a new transport service now connects the visitor centre with the Stones which are 2km away for those who prefer not to walk. Visitors have the opportunity to engage with Stonehenge and the landscape through our state-of-the-state exhibition and external interpretation. The exhibition allows visitors to stand inside the stones and watch the seasons pass whilst taking a trip through time as part of an audio-visual 360 degree experi-

new interpretation at the visitor centre and in the immediate landscape shows the context of Stonehenge in a continuous ritual and economic landscape, with exceptional survival of prehistoric features of many types. Alongside our partners within the World Heritage Site we are committed to presenting Stonehenge as part of this unique wider landscape now clearly defined as having outstanding universal value as redefined by UNESCO in 2013. We have restored a sense of dignity to the setting of one of the world’s most loved ancient monuments.

> photo Robert Smith

ence. In addition there are over 250 archaeological objects and treasures discovered in the landscape, on display together at Stonehenge for the first time. Ranging from jewellery, pottery and tools to ancient human remains, many of these items are on loan from our museum partners, Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum. Another highlight of the exhibition is the face of a man who from near Stonehenge from 5,500 years ago – it is a forensic reconstruction based on his bones found near Stonehenge. The visitor experience also includes a set of Neolithic houses which were built by a team of volunteers through experimental construction based on archaeological evidence found nearby. The houses tell the story (or what is known of it) of where people might have lived, what technologies they used, and the lives they led. Visitors to the Stonehenge visitor centre are also encouraged to explore the north side of the WHS during their visit. Alongside the monument of Stonehenge itself English Heritage Trust also has Woodhenge and part of Durrington Walls in guardianship and the

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Mataura Museum: Bigger on the Inside

Mataura Museum: “Reinventing the Mataura Museum” Mataura, New Zealand New Zealand Museum Awards / Best Museum Project 2015

David Luoni

Heritage Projects Officer, Gore District Council ≥ www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/4033 ≥ mataura.historical@xtra.co.nz ≥ Mataura Museum 68 Kana Street Mataura 9712 NEW ZEALAND ≥ facebook.com/MatauraMuseum

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The Mataura Museum’s 1880s cottage sits prettily next to its sadly dilapidating twin. The loved and the unloved. One the empty, deteriorating asset of an absentee owner, the other a home for a town full of stories and memories. It has long been a capacious cottage. Jim Spooner raised eight children here, refusing to allow his family to be split up after his wife Doris died in 1938. Nearly fifty years later, the volunteer run Mataura Historical Society purchased the cottage, ‘tidied it up’ and in 1993 opened it as a colonial era museum. The townsfolk hit their grand parents’ garages and came up with a host of items of uncertain provenance but a good age; stuff that looked the part. Enough to deck out the cottage with a strong Victorian theme. ‘You should have seen it’ says Mataura Historical Society president Lorena Turnbull, ‘with all that clutter…’ In 2006 the community reassessed its museum and concluded it was tired, small, off the main roadand in want of replacement. A plan to convert the town’s old library proved too expensive; NZ $400,000 indeed! Just another knockback to an industrial town that has weathered plenty of them, after losing its Paper Mill in 2000 and half its Meat Works in 2012.

A Redemptive Project So back to the wee cottage they went with a budget of NZ$250,000, a redemptive project co-ordinated by the Gore District Council who seconded one of its curators, David Luoni, to the redevelopment. And with him a group of nine women, one surviving husband among them, all volunteers united in their love of their town and a willingness to make themselves useful.

They teamed up in 2011, got the community on board, and after reopening in March 2015, jointly won the Best Museum Project at the 2015 New Zealand Museum Awards. Says Secretary Marie Wilkinson: ‘When we started we knew little about museum practice’. Well, all right, they knew about the district and its people, which is hardly a small thing. What the volunteers didn't know about was: museum systems, collection care, display and narrative techniques let alone the small matter of the new world of modern technology, from digital photography to online cataloguing and social media. Specialists were recruited to help up skill the volunteers. It didn’t always go sweetly and serenely. ‘Sometimes we wondered if, in all honesty, it was too much to cope with,’ says Marie Wilkinson, recalling frustrations of confounded computers, the challenges of packing objects to a high standard and working in a cold old library while the cottage was completely renovated. ‘We were a bit overwhelmed on occasions but we kept going. When things didn't go right we either had a cup of tea and started again, or just packed up, went home and came back another day.’A major satisfaction came from developing a cottage garden and heritage orchard to frame the Museum. Changes of thinking, not just up-skilling, were needed. Luoni is a perfectionist, the volunteers aren't pushovers. They had to come to accommodations.‘David invited us to think with curators' hats, not grandmas' hearts,’ Wilkinson says. He would repeat: ‘Does it relate to our community? Do we know its story? Is it significant, if so, can we care for it?There were numerous arm wrestles as to whether objects should remain in the collection.

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≥ Mataura Museum Volunteers - Marie (L) & Lorena (R)

Based on a feature written by Michael Fallow, courtesy of the Southland Times

> Mataura Museum Exterior

Old School, New School As for the tiny 50m2 footprint of the cottage, the team came to see it not as a limitation, but as a potential liberation. Luoni says ‘the size constraint forced us to be imaginative’. The cottage is small, but the new storage facility tucked behind it provides extra space, allowing a constant transfusion of items and the stories behind them. Interactive screens in the cottage offer a wide range of background narratives and they're popular - but not more so than the delight when you notice that some of the photographs have deceptive oak frames, holding surprises beneath.A 1920s oak wall phone also holds a surprise, when visitors pick up the receiver. The museum has been designed so that its content can be readily rotated by the volunteers in order to avoid stagnation. And let's not forget the human component. On the one hand you have the combined online resource of the digital museum community and on the other you have Edna. Edna 138 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

McKelvie, now in her 90s, is a fount of knowledge about Mataura. Perhaps more than anyone else, says Luoni, ‘Edna is our memory’. At the other end of the age spectrum is the input from the Mataura School, from the basket of paper lampreys made by the fiveyear-olds, to the older students' who selected anobject,filmedtheir stories and posted them on YouTube so visitors can use their smart devices to link to their stories. The effect of old and new technologies co-habiting in a building that feels so strikingly bigger on the inside than the outside, and is in its way capable of time travel, becomes faintly reminiscent of Dr Who's Tardis. Ultimately, people emerge from the museum with stories, not just about the town’s factories, many hard-case personalitiesalso surface. Like Constable Jim Brazier, an oldschool policeman who solved many a problem with a kick up the bum and a stern word to parents. During the 1950s he'd meet the train bringing seasonal meat workers south

address on the top. Aubrey responded and for five years they wrote to each other. When Aubrey died his papers were lost. Geoff was stunned to find so much information about his father from a tiny volunteer museum on the other side of the world.

Or meat worker Ted Gilder, who in the 1920s would cycle 12 kilometresfrom Gore, kill his quota of 100 lambs, and cycle home, all by 3pm. To save time washing, Ted would walk naked onto the slaughter board and get hosed down.If such cases are, classic blue collar Mataura, the museum has no less respect for Willie Martin, a cliché-busting local florist who also ran a dance school.

Relevance

By ensuring all its collection is online, the museum set up a thrilling, emotional discovery for an Englishman, Geoff Ledden, who found letters written between his late father Aubrey and Mataura's Stan White. They began in 1943 when Stan, as a 17-year-old meat worker packing lamb livers into billies for English butcher shops, put his contact

The project’s vision was to create a heritage asset that Mataura could be proud of, help arrest the perception of a community in decline and toconnect Mataura’s rich heritage to a much wider audience. New Zealand’s Museum Award judges commended the project on achieving its goal of helping a small volunteer community museumreinvent itself, toremain relevant in the 21st century. The project also serves as an exemplar of how current museum practice can be shared with and applied by volunteers,on a modest budget, to reinvigorate small community museums.

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> Mataura Museum Interactive

and if he didn't like the cut of their jib he'd tell them to get straight back on the train. At his side, oftentimes, was Waiti Waitaiki, a well-respected Maori meat worker who accompanied Brazier as his confidential cultural adviser.

25. When Your Lake Is Turning Green, Can YOU Save It? ”Lake Winnipeg: Shared Solutions” Manitoba Museum Winnipeg, Canada Canadian Museums Association 2015 Award of Outstanding Achievement in Exhibitions

Adèle Hempel

Director,Research, Collections and Exhibits ≥ www.manitobamuseum.ca ≥ info@manitobamuseum.ca ≥ Manitoba Museum 190 Rupert Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA R3B 0N2 ≥ facebook.com/pages/The-Manitoba-Museum/ twitter.com/ManitobaMuseum youtube.com/user/ManitobaMuseum instagram.com/manitobamuseum

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The Manitoba Museum, one of Canada’s nine provincial and two territorial museums, is Manitoba’s most visited heritage attraction. It comprises the main Museum Galleries (5,203 m2; 56,000 ft2), which tell the human and natural story of Manitoba; a separate Science Gallery (557 m2; 6,000 ft2); a digital Planetarium; and a travelling exhibition hall (905 m2; 9,740 ft2). The Museum plays host to over 300,000 visitors annually, including 90,000 students for curriculum-based programs. With a staff of 350 employees and volunteers, a team of about 17 is most regularly called upon to produce our new exhibits and programs. Lake Winnipeg is one of the largest lakes in the world. Its watershed extends from the Rocky Mountains to the Canadian Shield, including four Canadian provinces and four U.S. states. It is home to over six million people, 40 million livestock, and one of the largest agricultural production areas in North America. All of this means that many nutrients, especially phosphorus, find their way into the Lake – much more than the Lake can handle. In 2013, the Global Nature Fund declared Lake Winnipeg to be the most threatened lake in the world, based on the visible increase in algal blooms covering the water’s surface in thick, greenish-coloured slime. The Province of Manitoba identified the Lake’s health as a priority issue at this time, and was formulating a plan of action. The Manitoba Museum’s desire to communicate about water stewardship and the health of Lake Winnipeg began in 2009, during community consultations for the Museum’s Capital Renewal Project. The directors met with representatives from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), who had just opened their Water Innovation Centre focused on Lake Winnipeg. They soon realized that they had the makings of a natural partnership. IISD, as advisers to government

policymakers, had research data and expertise but lacked public outreach; the Museum delivered science programs to a large public but lacked research on Lake Winnipeg’s issues. They signed a memorandum of understanding and began making plans. Project management would be provided by the Museum’s Scott Young, Manager of Science Communication and Visitor Experiences, with direction from Adele Hempel, Director of Research, Collections and Exhibits. Dr. Hank Venema, IISD’s Director of the Water Innovation Centre, agreed to be the content specialist, representing a significant change in approach for the Museum as curatorial staff relinquished content development to an external partner. The project assumed the working title, The H2O Solution, and agreement was reached to locate the exhibit in the Science Gallery (74 m2; 800 ft2). The Museum and IISD formed a volunteer advisory committee of key stakeholders, all with a vested interest in Lake Winnipeg’s future: Environment Canada, Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning, Manitoba Hydro, Lake Winnipeg Foundation, Lake Friendly, Richardson International, Talking Water Project, Keystone Agricultural Producers, and the Manitoba Pork Council. Both partners contributed in-kind research and development support ($300K CAD), and the Museum raised the remainder ($700KCAD), obtaining support from stakeholders including some of the committee participants – all of whom were required to endorse strict terms of reference from the outset to ensure the integrity of the project. The Museum made all final content decisions with IISD, striving for balance in the between the differing viewpoints. The project was contracted in two phases: 1) conceptual design ($50K CAD) and 2) fabrication and installation, for a total actual cost of $887K (CAD). This allowed for more precise budgeting in Phase 2. The Museum issued a THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 141

> Simulator Flood Event

request for proposals and selected the Vancouver-based design team of AldrichPears Associates, NGX Interactive and The Taylor Group. The first step to conceptual planning was assembling the research: mapping out the scientific, political and social issues, prioritizing, and grouping content. This led to first-draft designs, where gaps in information were identified and content was assessed for a Grade 6-12 target audience. The Committee checked content for accuracy, and scored it in terms of environmental, economic and social impact on the Lake. The completed exhibit, which underwent prototyping in Vancouver and Winnipeg, was launched on March 22, 2014 - World Water Day. It includes multiple components surrounded by large infographic panels: a watershed simulator and interactive watershed model, a live ecosystem aquarium, preserved specimens, maps, satellite imagery, community-produced video content, and a Champions of Change action station.

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The centrepiece is the Lake Winnipeg ecosystem Watershed of the Future game simulator, comprising a large table with eight touchscreen stations and synchronized overhead projection. The touchscreens can be played in stand-alone mode or facilitated group mode. The game prompts players, as “water stewards,” to select an “issue” threatening the Lake (e.g., agricultural innovations, tourism, and city waste management) and to make strategic decisions that will reduce the ecosystem’s phosphorus levels. Dynamic graphic representations of changes in algae bloom provide visual feedback at each decision. Random flood events are pre-programmed to add dramatic realism to the play experience. Manitoba is known for its spring floods, which can cover large areas of farmland and endanger cities and towns, so this topic is a common touchstone for many visitors when discussing the role of water in the province. Each issue has three potential “solutions” affecting the environmental, economic, and

Few innovative projects realize success without being challenged along the way. Staff found that they underestimated the cost, time and expertise required to develop new software for the simulator, for which they had no precedent; also the requirements to fit a large amount of content and multiple interpretation styles into a reduced budget and footprint. Funding for program development should have been budgeted for, and the Museum’s curators drawn in earlier to integrate the exhibit with other gallery content. The most difficult aspect of the project was

accurately simulating a complex ecosystem, when all of the data did not exist, such as the measure of societal contentment with choices. The Lake Winnipeg: Shared Solutions exhibit is a tool embedded with “soft power,” reaching into the minds of students and the public to incite positive action in dealing with the complex issues facing Lake Winnipeg. It demonstrates how societies, groups - even individuals - can make an ecological difference that will impact the health of a lake, or even a planet. For the Museum’s part, it has learned how to present a challenging topic, earning stakeholder trust through a position of fair play and neutrality. The Manitoba Museum is now monitoring the exhibit’s use and ultimate success, with hopes of capitalizing on this experience in its upcoming capital renewal, and is especially gratified by the public recognition its efforts to inspire visitors to “save” Lake Winnipeg have achieved.

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> Issue-detail

social health of the Lake. These result in scores from +5 (very good) to -5 (very bad), contributing to a final score at the end of the session. Players are encouraged to probe layers of information through on-demand prompts and “polls” before making decisions. To “win,” players must improve the Lake’s health; there is no single correct game path, and they must seek their own reasoned, long-term solutions to achieve a strong finish.

Live The Humanitarian Adventure

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum Geneva, Switzerland Europen Museum Forum / Kenneth Hudson Award 2015

Roger Mayou

Director ≥ www.redcrossmuseum.ch ≥ com@redcrossmuseum.ch ≥ International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum Avenue de la Paix 17 1202 Geneva ≥ facebook.com/redcrossmuseum instagram.com/redcrossmuseum

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Introduction

Museographic Principles

Twenty years since it first opened in 1988, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum needed to change in order to reflect today’s world. It closed in 2011 and reopened in May 2013.

The primary question that focused the team’s thinking was: what distinctive contribution can a museum make in the era of the internet and instantaneous information?

The Concept

We chose 3 topics: emotion, testimonies and visitors’ personal experiences.

The new permanent exhibition The Humanitarian Adventure is arranged around three themes: “Defending human dignity”, “Restoring family links” and “Reducing natural risks”. Beyond the troubled periods of history or present-day conflicts, these three topics concern each and every one of us today and, from a wider perspective, will affect our future for decades to come.

Emotion

In order to underline the universal spirit of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the three areas were designed by renowned and committed architects from different cultural horizons: Shigeru Ban, Japan, Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014 (“Reducing natural risks”), Gringo Cardia, Brazil, (“Defending human dignity”) and Diébédo Francis Kéré, Burkina Faso (“Restoring family links”). Overall coordination was conducted by Atelier Oi, Switzerland, which was in charge of creating the educational and service areas.

- An information stage, during which they receive explanations linked to the thematic area.

Each thematic area is radically different from the next. This difference is highlighted by the specific features of the materials that were chosen to reflect the subject (hempcrete for “Restoring family links”; cardboard for “Reducing natural risks”) and enhance the impact of the most important objects on display, which include, in particular, the initial Geneva Convention and the files of First World War prisoners of war (in Unesco’s Memory of the World Register), as well as objects made by detainees.

Emotion is intended to serve as an entry point to the information. Visitors pass through two stages, both visual and architectural: - A sensitization stage, during which they undergo a powerful emotional experience that leaves its mark on their memory;

The Chambers of Witnesses In the first room, visitors find themselves face to face with life-sized video projections of 12 men, women and children from all around the world. Victims, humanitarian workers, researchers … all stare at them in silence. This encounter seeks to awaken the sensitivity of visitors to the leitmotif of the new exhibition: that human relations lie at the heart of humanitarian action. Visitors meet the life-sized witnesses towards the end of each thematic area, where they illustrate the key elements of each topic by telling the story of their own experience. Visitors have to activate the witnesses’ testimonies – otherwise they remain silent. Each witness speaks his native language which is simultaneously translated into one THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 145

of the eight languages provided by the audio-guides. Visitors’ Personal Experiences In each of the areas, interactive devices encourage visitors to become actively involved in an exploration of humanitarian action. They can gain understanding about ways of reducing natural risks by taking part in a serious game, “Hurricane”, or can symbolically affect the course of events by changing the shapes and colours on an interactive wall. On the other hand, facsimiles of certain documents have been created, such as index cards of First World War prisoners, so that visitors can pick them up and thus gain a deeper understanding of how missing people were traced. They are literally holding someone’s destiny in their own hands.

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The Place of Art Some works of art have been included in the journey throughout the exhibition. The aim is to allow visitors to absorb the themes into their own experience by developing personal interpretations. The “théâtres optiques” created by Pierrick Sorin show a real sense of prevention, but with a welcome touch of humor.

On the Spot At the end of the exhibition, the area “On the Spot” presents current activities of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on computers and includes a huge interactive chronology that extends from 1863 to the present. The listings include: • armed conflicts which caused the death of more than 10,000 people and/or which affected more than one million people.

• epidemics and disasters that caused the death of more than 10,000 people and/or that affected more than one million people • significant events in the history of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement • cultural and scientific milestones.

New Buildings Parallel to the transformation of the permanent exhibition, two new buildings were constructed. One is immediately adjacent to the Museum’s original building and communicates directly with it. It hosts the temporary exhibition hall, the conference centre, The Humanitarium, and new offices. The second building houses a restaurant and has been constructed on the Museum’s roof. The new buildings created more extensive storage space to accommodate the

fast-growing collections that have accumulated since the initial opening of the Museum.

Funding The Museum’s Foundation is a non-profit institution. The entire enlargement and transformation project was funded from private sources together with donations from the City of Geneva and the Association of Geneva Municipalities.

Award In 2015, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum was rewarded with the European Museum of the Year’s Kenneth Hudson Award, “for the perfect balance it has found between the sharpness of its message and the multitude of nuanced ways it is expressed, and for the creation of a compelling case from selected stories which tell of humanitarian crises but also of hope and perseverance.” THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 147

27. Vietnamese Women’s Museum Hanoi, Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism “Best attraction in Vietnam” Award 2015

Nguyen Thi Bích Vân

Director ≥ www.baotangphunu.org.vn ≥ Vietnamese Women’s Museum 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Hoan Kiem district Hanoi Vietnam ≥ info@baotangphunu.org.vn ≥ twitter.com/VnWomensMuseum facebook.com/baotangphunu 148 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

The Vietnamese Women’s Museum – Not Only For Women

These achievements were gained after a long journey that all staff at the VWM had striven for. They focused on the following overall targets:

A range of activities have been held with the participation of NGOs and foreign embassies such as: •T he exhibition Smiling tears – a collaboration between the Vietnam Women’s Union, VWM and GENCOMNET, DEOVIPNET and NEW; • The exhibition Peaceful Place – a collaboration between the Vietnam Women’s Union, Aecid and VWM, in 2011; • The exhibition Singer Mother’s voice - sponsored by the Finnish Embassy, in 2012; • The exhibition Stories of market - sponsored by Health Bridge Vietnam, in 2014; • Theproject“HowtheInternetCanChangeRural Women’s Lives’” sponsored by the Finnish Department of Foreign Affairs, in 2014; • The contest and exhibition Gender equality: Picture it! hosted by the Belgium Embassy in Vietnam, with the UN Women Vietnam and VWM, in 2015

In order to reach those targets, VWM continues to work creatively in order to produce activities and outcomes. It is committed to working in the following areas:

These projects and exhibitions have engaged thousands of women in VWM’s work and helped to change the perceptions of hundreds of thousands of visitors. There have been many successes: the voices of women from different social groups have been heard, social issues discussed, a network established, and many job opportunities created for marginalized women. Most importantly, VWM has become a ‘home’ and a ‘forum’ for disadvantaged women to share, to exchange, and to tell their stories, and to make a contribution to preserving the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam.

• Applying a gender-specific approach; • Organizing community participatory exhibitions and events; • Focusingondisadvantagedgroupsofwomen; • Putting energy into engaging organizations and people with VWM’s work and into gaining access to resources in order to achieve the museum’s targets.

For any redevelopment or project, leadership is crucial. For VWM, the director and the directorial board are pioneers of new ideas and thinking. The director works with the strengths and abilities of the museum staff – who are all passionate about their work. The director and her staff rely on the support of the Vietnam Women’s Union and overseas

• Engage the community, especially women, to involve them in VWM’s activities; • Generate a public forum for the discussion of women’s issues; • Create a social agenda for representing contemporary topics.

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≥ Women's Fashion theme

The Vietnamese Women’s Museum (VWM) is located in the centre of Hanoi. It is dedicated to researching, collecting and exhibiting the life stories and experiences of Vietnamese women. It explores the roles of women in contemporary Vietnamese society, and the great contributions they have made throughout history. Recently, the museum has been ranked in the Top 10 of Vietnam’s museums and the Top 25 of Asian museums by TripAdvisor for five consecutive years. In 2015, the VWM was awarded the prestigious “Vietnamese Women Award” by Vietnam’s Vice President for its contribution to the country, in particular for its initiatives and achievements in promoting the country’s development. The award was also for the VWM’s promotion of gender equality and campaign for the advancement of Vietnamese women.

colleagues who make the VWM what it is today. Having strong connections with different communities working on redevelopments and projects, the museum maximizes the opportunity to gain financial support. Operational funding from the Government is used for staff salaries and core operations. This is not enough for redevelopments or special project work. However, being strategic and focused in defining important projects, as well as getting professional support for writing funding proposals, the VWM has successfully applied for sponsorship from different NGOs. Moreover, the VWM has received the support of private companies and organizations, not necessarily in terms of finance but in terms of research collaborations. Throughout our journey, the VWM has kept maintaining the philosophy of ‘making the most effort’ to promote the unique nature of a gender-based museum; to address gender equality; and to contribute to solving gen150 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

der issues in order to improve women and children’s lives in the community. The expectations and goals of the VWM are closely aligned with EFA (Education for All), MDGs No 3 (Millennium Developments Goals) and SDGs No 5 (Sustainable Development Goals), and national development goals in improving life quality for women. The museum has made significant contribution to the following aspects: • Contribute to the improvement of social awareness of gender equality; raise concerns about the gender gap, and the challenges women face in their current life aspirations; • Contribute to raising the voice of women in the community and getting them heard by the public; • Create jobs for women; • Preserve and promote national cultural heritages. The “Vietnamese Women Award” was awarded to the VWM for its achievement in engag-

ing communities and for the positive feedback received from the public regarding its social, cultural, and educational fields, and its work on gender equality. The museum is also highly regarded by international and domestic visitors.

therefore it is sometimes difficult to reach out to them and conduct research.

Obviously, VWM has its own advantages, in that gender museums or museums that focus on women’s issues are not widespread, nationally or internationally. As a result, the name and its brand, as well as the frame of its activities, are all different, making the VWM unique and appealing to visitors. However, it should be noted that our museum, despite its gender specific focus, is not exclusively about women and only for women; rather it is a museum for everyone, and that is one of the big successes that makes VWM different and worthy of its awards.

The next step is to develop a focus on gender issues. The Vietnamese Government is committed to promoting and mainstreaming gender equality, however, the VWM still needs to improve this. In order to highlight the gender specific focus of the museum and to expand our success, the VWM intends to mainstream the concept of gender into some activities for the purpose of presenting Vietnamese women’s issues within a gender inequality context. Women’s issues cannot be solved by women alone and must be placed alongside men’s issues. The VWM will also focus on promoting the participation of women in gender equality activities. In preparation for the new goal, the VWM is making every effort to keep the same pace with its partners in regard to knowledge and skills, and maintain a thorough understanding between the museum and its partners.

≥ Worshipping Mother Goddess

In term of human resources, the success comes from both the effort of the museum and the effective support of its community. This ‘community’ is broad, and includes a range of partners such as: foreign embassies in Vietnam, NGOs and governmental organizations, consultants, colleagues and especially cultural/historical value bearers who are willing to share their knowledge with the museum. What we have learnt is: keep listening and sharing, keep being eager to learn new things, keep being open to change but keep mastering knowledge together, and then the success and the happiness will be shared and spread to all.

• The human and financial resources to undertake activities, especially in terms of competence and capacity.

On the journey, the difficulties that we always face are: • Research methodologies and approaches. This obstacle is especially obvious when the VWM works with marginalized groups because they are very sensitive. They lack information and often feel undervalued in society; THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 151

2014 / 2015 The Whitworth as A ‘Closed’ and ‘Open’ Gallery

The Whitworth University of Manchester, United Kingdom Art Fund Prize / Museum of the Year 2015 Museums and Heritage Awards for Excellence 2014, Best of the Best

Nicola Walker

head, collection care & access ≥ www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth ≥ whitworth@manchester.ac.uk ≥ The Whitworth University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M15 6ER United Kingdom ≥ facebook.com/thewhitworth twitter.com/whitworthart instagram.com/whitworthart youtube.com/whitworthartgallery flickr.com/whitworthartgallery

28. 152 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

The Whitworth, part of The University of Manchester, is home to internationally renowned collections of modern art, textiles, watercolours, prints, drawings and sculpture. Created in 1889, and sited within a public park, the Whitworth is developing a new vision for the role of a university gallery. A creative laboratory within an ambitious university, the Whitworth is serious in intent but playful in execution. During 2014 the Whitworth underwent the largest transformation in its history with a £15 million development project by MUMA (McInnes Usher McKnight Architects). The redevelopment, supported by major Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England grants, by The University of Manchester and other funders, doubled public space and created state-of-the-art new facilities including expanded gallery spaces, a study centre, a learning studio, and a collections centre.

2014: The Whitworth as an ‘Open’ Closed Gallery In 2014, as well as transforming our building, we were the most open ‘closed’ museum ever encountered, with pop-ups across Manchester and beyond, staying connected to established audiences and building new ones. Our most ambitious project saw a pop-up gallery in Selfridges department store, Manchester, seen by their 200,000+ customers as part of a Festival of the Imagination. Including Epstein’s ‘Genesis’, Freud’s ‘Man’s Head’, and prints by Dürer, Picasso and Emin, the exhibition was central to a programme of workshops, talks and debates. Our Learning & Engagement Team ran extensive off-site activities at 30 sites across the city, directly engaging 6,900 people of

all ages, many of whom had never visited the gallery. The team worked in new environments, making lots of friends, including partnerships with Greater Manchester hospitals, developing creative work supporting rehabilitation from stroke, and programmes for people living with dementia. Staff spent extended time in schools and colleges focusing on areas of low cultural participation; we recruited a team of young reporters who documented our capital project, meeting the design team, visiting the site and blogging about progress, while a collaboration with the University Students’ Union saw a range of student-curated programmes and cultural activities across campus. ‘After Hours’, our art and social programme, has been one of the great successes of the past few years, bringing a younger adult audience to the gallery for the first time. While the gallery was closed, this took place in local pubs as The Whitworth Pub Crawl. Including live music with projected collection images, drawing, photography, quizzes and textile workshops, it attracted our regular audience and lots of new faces amongst 800+ attendees. A placement in a residential care home, exploring how older people want to connect with the gallery, saw an increasing focus on age friendly work and recognition for our national contribution and leadership in this area. The Whitworth has been a leading advocate for an age-inclusive approach to the arts in Manchester for many years and has been rightly recognized nationally as innovative, original and inspirational. Despite limited access to our collections in 2014, we facilitated the loan of 200 objects to 40 worldwide venues, including Tate Britain, the National Gallery of Canada, Moscow’s Pushkin Museum, and an exhibition of Turner watercolours in London. This all kept our THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 153

≥ photo: Alan Williams

Introduction

national and international profile high and the sense of excitement around our re-opening demonstrated just how much the Whitworth had been missed.

2015: The new Whitworth

≥ photo: Alan Williams

Our new building finally realizes the Whitworth’s potential as a gallery in a park, with our founding mission: to be “for the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester”. MUMA have created a beautiful yet practical gallery where collections are celebrated. 100% more public space accommodates growing audiences, allows us to show more of our collection and create more ambitious exhibitions. There are new spaces for all types of activity – from up-close object study to messy workshops for families. We have an elegant extension: a brick wing has a Landscape Gallery and Study Centre, while a translucent glass and steel wing for the Café and Learning Studio sits lightly in the trees; they are joined by an airy promenade overlooking an Art Garden. Four huge gallery spaces – three extensively refurbished, revealing 19th century barrel vault ceilings, and one completely new – are visible from outside, enticing park users into the gallery. 154 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Access to our own collection (over 60,000 works) was also central to the project. We’ve created a new environmentally sustainable collection store and public Collections Centre. Visitors can drop in to see anything from our collections, assisted by curators and volunteers, while a large, light-filled Study Centre accommodates student groups allowing collections to be integrated into undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, informal adult learning programmes and individual research. Work like this typifies our identity as a university art gallery committed to connecting with the widest possible public audience. We are very proud to say that this could happen “only in Manchester”. Our newly restored relationship with our surrounding park has extended exhibitions beyond our walls with outdoor sculptures located in the Art Garden, Sculpture Terrace and park. Presiding over the Art Garden is Nathan Coley’s “Gathering of Strangers” (2007), a new acquisition articulating our aspiration for the Whitworth – a place where strangers meet and feel welcomed. For the first time, our expanded building allows us to provide extensive volunteering opportunities for people from neighbouring communities. We have recruited 135 volun-

We have introduced art walks, health walks and kids’ ‘welly’ walks, to help visitors enjoy the art inside and out, and actively support well-being. A three year Esmée Fairbairn Foundation grant has funded a Cultural Park Keeper – tasked to bring nature, culture and people together in the park and gallery, with participatory activities for families including a ‘lads and dads’ outdoor art club and mass bio-blitzes. We’ve established an accredited volunteer horticultural therapy programme supported by mental health charities.

Sustainability Despite increasing the building’s footprint by 30% and public space by 100%, the design of our new building will see a 10% reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions. Infrastructural improvements, including ground source heat pumps, earth tubes, photovoltaics, and reclaimed materials, and challenging BS:5454 environmental parameters in order to replace air conditioning, have created the UK’s first passively controlled

temporary exhibition galleries. Collection Care staff are leading sectoral change around broader environmental parameters for collections and loans. It is an approach now being adopted by other museums and one of the project’s most significant achievements. Architectural critics have praised the expanded building’s elegance and thoughtfulness and highlighted how our pioneering approach to sustainability is changing international museum practice.

Conclusion In February 2015 we reopened to the public to great acclaim and have been rewarded with soaring visitor figures - 440,000 in our first year. MUMA’s building is, in the words of Hugh Pearman (Sunday Times, UK): “a great new public facility that deserves to command respect from its community”. The Whitworth has finally realized its full potential as a major UK cultural destination. Our building matches the international reputation of our collections and our aim is to bring these together with the very best work by contemporary artists, and our diverse audiences, offering new and exciting ways for people to engage with art.

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 155

> Opening night, The Whitworth, Photographer David Levene

teers: Art Gardeners help maintain outdoor areas, Collections Centre volunteers offer assistance to visitors accessing collections, Event Volunteers support activities, and Art Walk Volunteers help people get active.

presenters

Presenters

.... In order of appearance in the programme

Canadian Museum For Human Rights, winnipeg, canada

As the Vice President in Exhibition, Research, and Design at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Corey Timpson leads the direction and oversight of all exhibition programs, research and curation, design and production across all media, digital platforms and transmedia storytelling, and collections-based initiatives. Corey's primary museological focus is to facilitate interactive and dialogic experiences between and among visitors (on-site and online) through the use of mixed media, digital technology, and immersive environmental design, relying on sustainable, scalable, and efficient data and interaction models.

Centre d’Estudis Dalinians - Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres Spain

is the Director of the Dalí Museums and the Centre for Dalinian Studies at the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation. Graduated in Catalan Philology at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and Ph.D in Contemporary Art. She has a long experience as a curator for exhibitions about Salvador Dalí and is the author of many articles. Laura Bartolomé Roviras is junior curator at the Centre for Dalinian Studies. She holds a Ph.D in Art History from the Universitat de Barcelona. For several years she has been teaching at the Photography and Digital Media Degree of the CITM-UPC. . Montse Aguer Teixidor

Surface Impression Ltd., Brighton, United Kingdom

Peter Pavement is the director of Surface Impression, a digital design and development agency (based in Brighton, UK) that specializes in work for the cultural sector. Peter has been working with museums and heritage organizations for over 15 years, helping them to createengaging digital interfaces to collections, venues and histories. He is also a doctoral researcher at the University of Leicester’s Department of Museum Studies.

Tinker Imagineers, Utrecht, The Netherlands Erik Bär,

partner/founder of Tinker imagineers Erik studied Cognitive Psychology and Computer Science and co-founded Tinker imagineers with Stan Boshouwers. In their hands, Tinker grew to be the leading experience design agency in the Netherlands, with a growing number of international assignments. His DOMunder has received several international design awards, including the Museums + Heritage Award 2015, the Heritage in Motion Best of Achievement Award 2015, Spark Experience Award 2015 and a nomination at the European Museum of the Year Award 2016

presenters Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne, Australia

Russell Briggs leads the team responsible for development of the permanent galleries, the temporary exhibition programme, touring exhibitions, and the ACMI Collection, a large archive representing both Victorian and international moving image history. A native of California, Russell moved to New Zealand in 2002 and worked at Auckland Museum from 2007-2012, where he was the Director of Exhibitions and Programmes, and Director of the War Memorial. Previously he worked as Executive VP and Creative Director of a high-end multimedia company in California, specializing in rich-media and interactive technology, user engagement strategy, and audio/video production.

Europeana, Den Haag , THE Netherlands

Originally an archaeologist, David Haskiya has long since left his trowel in the trenches to work with product management. He is currently the Director of Products and Services at Europeana.

CUT Arch., Limassol, CYPRUS

s a post-doc Marie Curie Fellow Researcher at the renowned Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology. Head of Planning and IT at Syros Municipality (Aegean Island) for 14 years and managing director of the Syros Institute (NGO), he organised and taught several seminars & courses in Architecture, Urban Planning and Digital Heritage. With a PhD and two MScs in Architecture, he researches on the digital management of Cultural Heritage. He is the developer of the innovative HERitage Management e System (HERMeS) and he was honoured with the prestigious European Union Cultural Heritage Prize / Europa Nostra Award in 2015. Pavlos Chatzigrigorious

museum of peasant revolts, Gornja Stubica, Croatia

Head of the Museum of Peasant Revolts Vlatka FilipÄ?iÄ&#x2021; Maligec graduated in history. He is doing a postgraduate doctoral study of Croatian culture, and is the author of many exhibitions and catalogs, and co-creator of the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Peasant Revolts. He has published several works in the areas of culture, history, museology and cultural tourism. His areas of interest are particularly Croatian national revival, womens' history, the history of museums and the relationship between museology and the history

presenters

on behalf of National Palace Museum, Taiwan, china

holds a PhD in visual anthropology, a degree in ethnography and sociology, and has worked as a documentary nonfiction director and cameraman. For 35 years he was chief curator at the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography. As head of the Film Studio and Archive department there, he has produced documentary films for television, exhibitions and cooperated in editing digital multimedia and internet film catalogues. He is an Associate Professor, head of the video studió of the Károli Gáspár at University of the Reformed Church and at the Faculty of Humanities – Institute of Social and Communication Science in Budapest.He is also chair of the ICOM/AVICOM International Committee for Audiovisual and New Technologies of Image and Sound János Tari

Framework Knitters Museum, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Paul Baker is an experienced, award-winning heritage professional with a track record in site and exhibition development. Paul is currently the Manager of the Framework Knitters Museum in Nottingham, England and also a successful freelance consultant. His initiative and creativity have transformed a number of heritage sites throughout England. In 2015, an interactive film which Paul conceived and produced with a team of consultants, as part of a redevelopment programme at the Framework Knitters Museum, was the only British winner at the Heritage in Motion Awards.

Château de Chambord, Chambord, France

Virginie Berdal is a researcher at the conservation and education department of the Domaine national de Chambord. In charge of producing new tools of mediation, she actively collaborates in the implementation of the “HistoPad Chambord” application as a scientific committee member.

Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France

Joachim Monegier du Sorbier joined the Foundation in 2011, 3 years before its opening to public. He started being involved with culture and museums in 2002, working at the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art center in Paris. Then he spent 3 years at the Musée du Louvre, organizing events for young audiences. In 2006, he joined the Musée du quai Branly, which had barely been opened to the public. Three years later, and before arriving at the Foundation, he was in charge of marketing for the art shipper André Chenue.

Thomas Sagory is an archaeologist and digital project manager at the French Ministry of Culture and Communication - Musée d’Archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He studied Egyptian archaeology, and specialized in photogrammetry and aerial survey using kite aerial photography. He’s working on excavations in France and abroad, including in Egypt, Yemen, UAE, and Ethiopia. As a multimedia project manager trained at Gobelins - École de l’image, he has been working for the French Ministry of Culture and Communication since 2005 to promote heritage and archaeology online through the multimedia websites collection “Great archaeological sites” archeologie. culture.fr. Latest publications from the collection include Great War Archaeology archeologie1418.culture.fr, and Prehistoric Sculpted Rock Shelters.

Museum Victoria, Victoria 3000, Australia

Dr Elycia Wallis is the Manager of Online Collections at Museum Victoria, a role which involves publishing information about the museum’s collections to websites, apps and into exhibition interactives. Dr Wallis holds a PhD in Zoology and, since broadening her role into digital and online, has also gained a Masters in Knowledge Management. Dr Wallis is also the Project Lead in Australia for the Biodiversity Heritage Library, a project that aims to provide free and open access to full text digitized literature.

MUSÉES DE LA CIVILISATION, Québec, Canada

Since taking the helm of Musée de la civilisation in October 2015, Stéphan

La Roche has built upon the institution’s inherent strengths while allowing

significant space for new ideas and innovation. Thisopenness and a passion for cultureare the cornerstones of his management style, shaped by the challenges encountered inthe course of his career withvarious cultural institutions, including Québec’s Ministere de la Culture et des Communications, the Conseil des Arts et des lettres du Québec, the Québec Government Office in Paris, and the Palais Montcalm in Québec City. MuCEM: Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations, Marseille, France

With Literature degree and master in political sciences Mikael Mohamad was head of cultural programming and communication at the French institute in Riga, Latvia from 2004 to 2007 where he took part in the institute lauching and French cultural season. Fundraiser for several philanthropic entities in Paris in social & medical field, he has been director of a French institute in Tetouan, Morroco 2008-2012. Since 2013 he is today head of international relations at Mucem in Marseille

presenters

Musée d’Archéologie nationale, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

presenters

Centro di Conservazione Archeologica, Roma, Italia

received a degree in archaeology from the University of Rome and in conservation at the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome. In 1982 he founded the Centro di Conservazione Archeologica where he has directed more than 50 projects and training courses in 14 countries, including work at the Arch of Septimus Severus in the Roman Forum, the town of Zeugma in Turkey and the mosaic of the Transfiguration in the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai. In 2015 he received an EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 for the conservation of the prehistoric sculptures of Mont’e Prama. He is the President of the ICCM Foundation. Roberto Nardi

Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Trust, Carlisle, United Kingdom

Anna Smalley graduated from the University of Manchester in 2008 with a first class Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters in History. After an internship at the Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere, she became Learning Assistant at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle. Four and a half years later she is now Head of Learning at the Museum. Anna is co-chair of the Women Leaders in Heritage Network North West, and an alumni of the Extend leadership programme, run by Engage – the national association for gallery education..

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, United States

As an award-winning historian of the African Diaspora, Sylviane A. Diouf PhD has curated several exhibitions including In Motion: The African American Migration Experience; The Abolition of the Slave Trade; The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World; Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers etc. Diouf is the author of Slavery’s Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons; Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas and the editor of Fighting the Slave Trade: West African Strategies and In Motion. She is a recipient of the Rosa Parks Award, the Pen and Brush Achievement Award, and the Dr. Betty Shabazz Achievement Award. She serves as the Director of the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at The New York Public Library.

Centre for Norwegian language and literature, Hovdebygda, Norway

Ottar Grepstad has been the General Director at the Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature since 1999. He has published 30 books about language, literature, history and intangible cultural heritage, among them Historia om Ivar Aasen (The story of Ivar Aasen) and Spraksansen (The sense of language), both in 2013. In 2015, he published Sprakfakta 2015 (Language facts 2015), a digital story about language in Norway and the world in 867 tables. Extracts in English will be published in 2016.

is Director General of the Kyoto National Museum and President of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage. Previously, he served as Professor of Kyoto University, Director of the Kyoto University Libraries, and Director of the Kyoto University Archives. His research speciality is Japanese early modern painting. For his two-volume publication Maruyama Okyo kenkyu (A Study of Maruyama Okyo, 1996, co-authored with Sasaki Masako), he was awarded the 1997 Kokka Prize, the 1999 Japan Academy Prize, and the 2000 Humboldt Prize. In 2013 he was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit by the City of Kyoto. Dr. Sasaki Johei

Bright White Ltd., York, United Kingdom

is a founding director of Bright White Ltd. Chris has a passion for driving innovation in learning and museum interpretation. He has been lead designer on many international projects, and helped win awards for both innovation and recognition of excellence in heritage interpretation. Chris is also a founding director of Virtual Case Systems Ltd, and a founding member of the Guild of Media Arts in his home city of York, UK. The Guild is the first new guild in the city for 700 years. Chris Walker

magma, follonica, Italy

Initially graduating with a degree Architecture in Florence, Barbara Catobtained a Masters degree with the Scuola Normale of Pisa on Cultural Heritage Management and the History of Art in Siena. She has worked with leading figures in the worlds of art, architecture and urbanism, and has curated exhibitions of contemporary art in New York, Florence, Siena. In 2007 she was Project manager in the construction of the Iron Museum of Follonica, known as MAGMA today, a project that won the DASA World of Work Award 2015. Today she is alderman for culture and education in her city. alani

Fujian Museum, Fujian, China

Professor Wu Zhiyue, besides his post as the museum director, is the Deputy Director of Fujian Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage and a National Advanced Cultural Intellectual Prize winner. He is a skilled exhibition designer and producer, has distinctive ideas in administrative management and museum social service promotion, and believes in the concept of innovative museum brand-building. In 2015, Fujian Museum, led by Prof. Wu, was the only state-owned museum to win the Chinese Museum Association Award for the most innovative museum 2015.

presenters

Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan

presenters

Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman, Australia

John Cheeseman is the Director of Mosman Art Gallery and President of the Regional and Public Galleries of New South Wales (RPGNSW). He was previously the Director of Blacktown Arts Centre and in previous positions has been a cultural planner, cultural development officer, curator and practicing artist. John maintains a strong interest in supporting interpretive projects, cross-artform practices, social engagement and new technologies and is currently pursuing a range of projects focussed on East Asia and international exchange. .

Rundling Association, Jameln, germany

Committee member Adrian Greenwood lives in retirement with his partner in a Lower German hallhouse in one of the very last remaining 96 Rundling villages in Europe. All 96 are situated in Wendland, a deeply rural part of northern Germany near the river Elbe. His wish is for these unique villages to attain World Heritage status. He is a British citizen who moved to Germany 18 years ago after a career in social work in the UK, the USA and Ethiopia. He has three children and six grandchildren, all living in the UK.

Fundación Valle Salado de Anana, Álava. Spain

Andoni Erkiaga Agirre has a Masters degree in Agricultural Engineering, Project Management and Business Administration. He has over 30 years of experience in agriculture, rural development, environmental management, integrated water cycle management and waste management related matters. Andoni has held various technical positions in the Basque Public Administration (Basque Government, Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and various Public Companies), as well as positions of political representation, such as the Deputy for Environment in Álava, the President of Álava Water Agency, and a Counsellor to various Public Companies.

DD Architects, Kerala, India

Vinod Kumar is an architect and has worked for more than 10 years as the Project co-ordinator for the Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple Conservation Project. He runs an independent architectural studio, dd Architects, in Thrissur, Kerala, which focuses primarily on urban revitalization projects, the documentation of vernacular architecture and new designs inspired by the traditions of the area. He has been involved in organizing many international seminars and is currently the co–convener of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), in Thrissur. His other interests include indigenous knowledge systems and the connection between the human body and architecture..

has been director of the Fries Museum since August 2015. Trained as an art historian, he started his career making international exhibitions in Belgium. From 2006 to 2009 he was curator of exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Between 2009 and 2015 he was responsible for the collections and the exhibitions of the Zuiderzee Museum, a maritime open air museum incorporating the coast of Friesland. At the Fries Museum, he continues his focus on connecting people and collections, material and intangible heritage, past and future. Kris Callens

Estonian Open Air Museum, Tallin, Estonia

is a historian with a Masters degree in art history. She has specialized in studying Estonian vernacular architecture. Starting from 2007, she has been Head of the Centre of Rural Architecture at the Estonian Open Air Museum, which was established to realize the development plan of the Estonian Ministry of Culture, Rural Architecture and Rural Landscape: Research and Maintenance. Since 2010, she has been a member of ICOMOS Estonia and ICOMOS CIAV. She has given presentations at international seminars and conferences, and published several articles both in Estonian and specialist foreign publications. Elo Lutsepp

Jianvhuan Museum, Chengdu, China

is founder and president of Chengdu Jianchuan Industrial Group Co., Ltd. It is an integrated enterprise group engaged in cultural tourism, creative design, real estate development, property management, trade, finance and other industries. He invested more than 1 billion Yuan in the construction of Jianchuan Museum Cluster, which has already become a banner of the cultural tourism industry of China. Fan Jianchuan has been honoured as one of the Top 10 Outstanding People in the Cultural Heritage Protection field, Top 10 Influential People in the Tourist Industry, and China's Top 10 Collector. Fan Jianchuan

Le Familistere de Guise, GUISE, France

Frédéric Panni studied philosophy and history of art at the University of Marseille / Aix-en-Provence. He graduated in 1991 from the École du patrimoine in Paris (today Institut national du patrimoine) as a heritage curator. He then worked in several French museums. Since 2000, Frédéric Panni has managed the "Utopia" project for the architectural, urban, cultural, economic and social development of the Familistere at Guise, and is the director of heritage and museums for the Familistere..

presenters

Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

presenters

Art UK, London, United Kingdom

Andrew Ellis has been Director of Art UK since its launch in 2003 when it was called the ‘Public Catalogue Foundation’. Over this period he oversaw the project to digitize the UK’s collection of oil paintings in public ownership, developed the charity’s Your Paintings partnership with the BBC and led its subsequent evolution into Art UK. In the distant past he read Economics at Cambridge before joining the investment bank Robert Fleming (subsequently part of JP Morgan Chase), working for it in London and Tokyo. He is a Trustee of the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association.

POMURJE MUSEUM, Murska Sobota, Slovenia

Since 1983 Metka Fujs has worked as a curator in the regional Pomurje Museum, and has been its director since 2003. Metka is the author of several articles on the topic of local history with an emphasis on the development of the Slovene cultural identity in a multinational and multicultural environment. She is also the author and co-author of several permanent and temporary exhibitions and catalogues. Three of these exhibitions have received the highest national award in the field of museums; one of those was also rewarded with a special commendation by EMYA..

Yasnaya polyana, tula oblast, russia

Fekla Tolstoy, the great-great granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy, began her career as a journalist, working as a presenter on television and radio, as well as writing for a number of newspapers and magazines. She has written and produced a number of documentary films, predominantly on culture. Since 2012 Fekla has been working at the Leo Tolstoy State Museum in Moscow as Head of Development. She was the creator and producer of a number of projects relating to literature and the internet, including Tolstoy in One Click, Karenina: Live Edition and War and Peace: Big Read Marathon.

Hellenic Museum, Melbourne, Australia

John Tatoulis was appointed CEO of Australia’s Hellenic Museum in 2013. He brought with him significant experience in arts management and creative projects development, having worked in Arts, Media and Communications, predominantly in the field of Film and Television, for the last 30 years. As a result, over the past three years the Hellenic Museum’s direction has changed dramatically from being predominantly a vessel for the display of third party collections to becoming a content creator and exhibitions innovator with a strong narrative focus.

worked as an English teacher in Italian high schools from 1986 to 2008, and since then she has been working in the Veneto Region dealing with different matters, including Tourism, Agriculture, Culture and Sport, as chief secretary for several regional Assessors. Maria Teresa De Gregorio is head of Regional Cultural Department in the Veneto Region and oversees cultural and entertainment activities, cultural heritage, museums, archives and libraries. She coordinates the “cultural system” by networking cultural and economic resources with the landscape. Edda Battistella

English Heritage, Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Salisbury, United Kingdom

Kate Davies was appointed General Manager of Stonehenge in September 2013 to oversee the launch of the new visitor centre and overnight transition of the business. As General Manager she is responsible for all aspects of Stonehenge’s management and stewardship, managing a large team of staff and volunteers. Kate joined English Heritage in July 2006, and developed and implemented English Heritage’s first volunteering strategy, establishing a new department to deliver an exemplary national volunteering programme in the heritage sector. Kate read history at the University Of Leicester and is a Trustee for a small environmental charity, Cleanup UK.

Mataura Museum, Mataura, NEW ZEALAND

After 20 years as a litigation and commercial lawyer, David Luoni ‘saw the light’ and retrained as a curator. He has a Masters of Museum and Heritage Studies from Victoria University of Wellington, where his research focused on museum leadership. After graduating, David returned to his home town of Gore, where he works with local heritage organizations undertaking development projects

Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, Canada

Adele Hempel is Director of Research, Collections and Exhibits at The Manitoba Museum (2008-the present). Previously, she was the director of two museums in Atlantic Canada. Hempel obtained her Masters of Art Conservation at Queen’s University and Masters of Museum Studies at the University of Toronto. She also teaches part-time at the University of Winnipeg (Canadian Arts & Cultural Policy) and serves on several boards, including the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada. Fluent in French and German, Hempel is an advocate of community involvement in exhibit planning and interpretation.

presenters

Regione del Veneto, Venezia , Italia

presenters

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva, switzerland

After studying History of Art, German and Linguistics in Geneva and Munich, Roger Mayou obtained a Master of Arts in Geneva. He was a museum curator and artistic advisor for a major bank. Since 1998 he has been Director of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. He is also a member of the Strategic Council of the University of Geneva. Centered in the cultural field, his career has allowed him to develop his skills in the artistic, economic and humanitarian fields.

Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam

Nguyen Thi Bích Vân, Director of the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, began her career at VWM in 1987. She worked in several different positions there before becoming Director in 2009. Van has been one of the dynamic pioneers behind the renovation of the museum, developing it as a socially interactive museum and a popular place for women. The museum has been listed as one of the top 25 museums in Asia and the top 10 museums of Vietnam. Involving community - especially disadvantaged women – in the museum’s work is her first priority, giving the museum a special and unique focus.

The Whitworth, University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Nicola Walker currently manages the Collection Care and the Facilities teams for both the Whitworth and Manchester Museum, University of Manchester - overseeing the day-to-day operational requirements of the buildings and the collections housed and exhibited within them. She has long experience of working on collection care, storage projects, and exhibition preparation andinstallation, and is an advocate for environmental and collections sustainability. Between 2009-2016 she worked alongside the Whitworth’s design team as Client Coordinator on the development and delivery of the £15m capital development project to extend and refurbish the gallery.

Speakers and Moderators In order of appearance in the programme

wolter Braamhorst, The Netherlands

Wolter Braamhorst is a broadcaster, documentary director and communication advisor. Originally trained as a cultural historian, he started working for the Dutch national broadcaster AVRO in 1989, first as a radio journalist and interviewer, later as television producer, international commissioning editor and manager. In 2007 he started his own company TVCulture which focusses on cultural projects and offers communication advice, mostly for the not-for-profit sector. In this capacity he functions as communication advisor of Europa Nostra and jury chairman of the Heritage in Motion Awards.

Alex has more than 20 years of experience in ICT, where he was involved in various innovative ventures. As a Business Developer at izi.TRAVEL, Alex is responsible for sales, communications and marketing in Northern Europe. He participated in more than 50 international conferences dedicated to museums and cultural heritage and has lead many workshops. With 20 million uses per year, izi.TRAVEL is the world’s number one storytelling platform for location-based audio and multimedia guides.

ad geerdink, the netherlands

Dr Ad Geerdink studied History at the University of Groningen. Since 1990 he has been working in several Dutch museums. In 2007 he became director of the Westfries Museum in Hoorn, a museum dedicated to the Golden Age of Dutch culture, the seventeenth century. The Westfries Museum won several awards for its public approach and innovative presentations. Since 2013 he is chairman of the Historical Section of the Dutch Museum Association. His passion is to find new and creative means to make cultural heritage relevant to a contemporary public.

Carl Depauw, Belgium

Carl Depauw is General Manager of Art Museums Antwerp. Working in the 1980's at Museum Plantin-Moretus and the Stedelijk Prenten-kabinet, he published numerous articles, catalogues and books. Since 2000 Carl became Director at the Rubens House and from 2004 -2015 was the director of the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS). The museum received several awards and nominations in the field of architecture, design, museology and innovative communication and marketing. Carl takes part as member in several international institutions and organisations occupied in the fields of research in Art History and Museology, and acts often as advisor.

Gael de Guichen, italy

Chemical engineer by training, Gaël de Guichen began his professional career as a scientific officer at the Cave of Lascaux. In 1969 he was called to Rome at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), where he has made his career. Besides other duties he was director of "collections" unit, and assistant to four consecutive directors-generals of ICCROM. He launched four major programs: "Preventive Conservation”; “Prema”; "Media Save Art" and “Re-org”. For more than four decades he was actively participating in the work of ICOM. He has made more than five hundred missions, most of them for teaching in the 133 ICCROM member countries. He is currently Advisor to the Director-General of ICCROM.

moderators

alex palin, sweden

moderators

claude faubert, canada

Claude Faubert is a museum consultant specialising in science and technology museums and exhibitions, cultural heritage as well as in museum training. Claude was director general of the Canada Science and Technology Museum, from 2001 to 2011, and its Vice-President of Collection and Research from 2011 to 2015. He was a member of ICOM’s Executive Council from 2007 to 2013 and is a current member of the board of the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM) and a voting member of Cimuset. Since 2013, he has been the coordinator for the ICOM International Training Centre housed in the Palace Museum, Beijing.

viv golding, united kingdom

Dr Viv Golding was elected President of the International Council of Museums of Ethnography (ICME) for a second term at the triennial conference in Milan (2016-19). She is Senior Lecturer and Programme Director of Learning and Visitor Studies at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester. Prior to joining the University of Leicester (UoL) in 2002 Dr Golding had a varied professional career in London, organizing art and design courses for further education students (1980-1992) and formal education provision at the Horniman Museum (1992-2002).

goranka horjan, croatia

Goranka is currently CEO of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb. Since 2012 she is the Chair of the European Museum Forum, which runs the European Museum of the Year Award programme. She is active in ICOM and was a member of the Executive Council from 2010 to 2016. She served two terms as the Chair of the International Committee for Regional Museums. For two years she was the Assistant Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and for 12 years she was the general director of the Museums of Hrvatsko zagorje and formed the new Museum of Krapina Neanderthals.

Professor Tomislav Sladojević Šola, CROATIA

He finished Art History in Zagreb, Museology in Paris and Zagreb, and made his PhD in Ljubljana. Starting the career as a museum curator he then became director of Museum documentation centre in Zagreb. He has been Chairman of the National Committee and later on a member of Executive council of ICOM. Professor Sola occupied the position of Head of Department of Information Sciences, held the Chair of Museology at the University of Zagreb and was temporarily teaching at seven universities abroad. He was a member of jury of EMYA and head of a Jury at Europa Nostra and is actual Council member. Professor Sola lectured about 330 hours internationally and wrote eight books, chapters in nine books and about 250 articles. He is a founder and director of "The Best in Heritage" conference, consultant and author of several projects.

european heritage association ÂŠ

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 â&#x20AC;ş 169

Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921. photo: ferdinand schmutzer.

E = excellence m= museums, memory c = communication

In paraphrasing the famous formula that changed the world, we will use it here to create a different interpretation that will provoke a change in the domain of (public) memory, museums, monuments. Only through the insistence of communicating the values we stand for, can we create momentum in the heritage movement.

the excellence club

The Excellence Club

Listed below are museums, heritage and conservation projects which have been presented in Dubrovnik over the past fourteen years, joined by the new members - the projects presented this September. To be invited for the presentation in Dubrovnik they must have received an award for the outstanding quality of their achievements in the previous year. To qualify for The Best in Heritage Award, they are supposed to beat the cutting edge of what the heritage profession(s) can offer. The accumulation of such positive, constructive efforts, so evidently recognized by fellow professionals and the wider public, has achieved such coherence that it deserved a name. Therefore, we named this collection The Excellence Club, - some 280 projects strong. It is an informal, but real club of projects of influence – those that create and inspire change. The Best in Heritage Excellence Club will further grow to become an indispensable search engine for all those who wish to explore the changing ideas of what constitutes excellence in museums, heritage and conservation in practice.

170 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2015

...being present at EXPONATEC Fair in Cologne in 2017 Every odd year we present the club and show a choice of four at the EXPONATEC Fair.This is probably the most important international fair for Museums, Conservation and Heritage in the world, held biannually at Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany. We have accomplished a decade of successful partnership. Good equipment, excellent tools and technical solutions are essential to our professional success. The suppliers can be astonishingly well informed about our profession, but they still learn from us and are also inspired by our ambitions. In odd years EXPONATEC provides a stand of 140 sq. m. at which we present our four best projects and the conference itself. Our partners and supporters regularly join our efforts, which we mention with recognition and gratitude. The Fair has been an excellent platform for our contacts and further partnerships. In November 2017 it will be the seventh time we join forces. Save the date: 22-24 November 2017

...and at MPT-Expo, China In 2014 The Best in Heritage was offered a stand and conference contribution at the International Exposition of Museum and Relevant Products and Technologies” (MPT-Expo2014, Xiamen), a biennial fair started in 2004 for museums and suppliers in China. This event is organized by the Chinese Museums Association (CMA). This cooperation and recognition we earned during the years, led in 2015 to signing a Memorandum of Understanding that would assure regular cooperation with CMA. This year’s edition of the fair almost coincided with our conference and we regrettably had to refrain from participation. CMA generously helps us to affirm our global reach by forging better visibility of our conference in Asia.

>> Baksi Museum, Bayburt, Turkey >> From a Rusty City to a New Miskolc, Hungary >> Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, United States >> Natural History Museum Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia >> MUSE - Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy >> Ningbo Museum, Ningbo, China >> Horta Museum, Bruxelles, Belgium >> Ilon’s Wonderland “I am always here. Ilon”, Haapsalu, Estonia >> Teatro Sociale, Bergamo, Italy >> Les Musées de la civilisation, Québec, Canada >> Little Museum of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland >> Dragomirna Church's 17th Century Frescoes, Suceava, Romania >> National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark >> Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), Tokyo, Japan >> Museum of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden >> Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, Nagoya, Japan >> Žanis Lipke Memorial, Riga, Latvia >> Historical Route of the Lines of Torres Vedras, Lisbon, Portugal >> Textile Centre Haslach and the Museum of Weaving, Haslach, Austria >> Museum of Innocence, Istanbul, Turkey >> Restoration of the Saryazd Citadel, Yazd, Islamic Republic of Iran >> National Archives, The Memory Palace - with your head in the archives, The Netherlands >> Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, China >> Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, United States >> Saurer Museum, Arbon, Switzerland >> State museum-reserve "Rostov Kremlin", Yaroslavl Region, Russia >> Westfries Museum, Hoorn, The Netherlands >> Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom >> Improve a Heritage Site - Norwegian Heritage Foundation, Vaga, Norway >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2012 - Education, training and awareness-raising (Grand Prix) >> Hunan Provincial Museum, ChangSha, China >> Estonian Maritime Museum: Seaplane Harbour, Tallinn, Estonia >> Natuurmuseum Fryslân, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands >> Number 2 Blast Furnace, Sagunto, Spain >> Immigration Museum "Identity: yours, mine, ours", Melbourne, Australia >> Riverside Museum, Glasgow, Scotland >> Magritte Museum, Bruxelles, Belgium >> Children’s Centre for Civilisation & Creativity, Cairo, Egypt >> Leighton House Museum, London, United Kingdom >> State A.S. Pushkin Museum, Moscow, Russia >> Municipal Museum of Penafiel, Penafiel, Portugal >> "Driving America" - The Henry Ford, Dearborn, United States

>> Crossing Cultures: Transforming the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, United Kingdom >> “Human Library” - Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada >> Glasnevin Museum, Dublin, Ireland >> Tropenmuseum Junior, Amsterdam, The Netherlands >> Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments, Hamamatsu-City, Japan >> The Seaweed Bank, Laæsø, Denmark >> Mbaru Niang, Flores Island, Indonesia >> Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum – Kulturen der Welt, Cologne, Germany >> National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland >> Windmills of the Monastery of St.John the Theologian, Patmos, Greece >> TOPIC: the International Puppet Museum Centre, Tolosa, Spain >> Gallo-Romeins Museum, Tongeren, Belgium >> Historic Building Conservation Programme – Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Chichester, UK >> The State Textile and Industry Museum (TIM), Augsburg, Germany >> The Kizhi State Open-Air Museum of Cultural History and Architecture, Petrozavodsk, Russia >> New Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece >> 4 grada Dragodid.org, Komiža, Croatia >> The Intan, Singapore >> Antwerp Central Station, Antwerp, Belgium >> Norwegian Museum of Science, Technology and Medicine, Oslo, Norway >> Museu do Papel, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal >> Baojiatun Watermill in Guizhou Province, China >> Watersnoodmuseum, Owerkerk, Netherlands >> MuseoTorino, Torino, Italy >> Swedish Air Force Museum, Linköping, Sweden >> Heart for People's Cafes, in Flanders and Brussels, Ghent, Belgium >> Martello Media Ltd, Dublin, Ireland >> Sumda Chun Gonpa, Leh, India >> Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany >> “Brothers and Sisters”- Streetmuseum, Museum of London, London, UK >> Church of St. George, Shipcka, Albania >> National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia >> "In Search of the Canadian Car" Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa, Canada >> Artzuid – Sculptures and Architecture in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands >> Museum of Portimao, Portimao, Portugal >> The Workshops Rail Museum, North Ipswich, Australia >> Tarbat Discovery Programme, Ross-shire, Scotland >> Hôpital Notre-Dame a la Rose", Lessines, Belgium >> The NTNU Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Trondheim, Norway >> Science Center NEMO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands >> Museu Agbar de les Aigües, Cornella de Llobregat, Spain >> Ozeaneum, Stralsund, Germany >> The Medical Museion, Copenhagen, Denmark) >> UNESCO Bangkok / Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, Asia - Pacific >> Museum of Contraception and Abortion, Vienna, Austria >> Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland >> Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 171

the excellence club

Excellence Club Members:

the excellence club

>> Discovering the Museum – Brukenthal National Museum, Sibiu, Romania >> Faith in Maintainance- SPAB, London, UK >> The Letters Project, Amsterdam, The Netherlands >> The Baerwaldbad - Conservation through Vocational Training, Berlin, Germany >> The Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam, The Netherlands >> Technical Museum in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic >> NUKU Museum of Puppet Arts, Tallinn, Estonia >> Museum of Natural History - Neuchâtel, Switzerland >> Zeeuws Museum - Middelburg, Netherlands >> Museum of the Jaeren Region - Narbo, Norway >> The Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre - Nuneaton, Leicestershire UK >> Open Air Museum - Arnhem, Nederlands >> Idrija Municipal Museum - Idrija, Slovenia >> Salzburg Museum - Salzburg, Austria >> D.D. Studio - Riga, Latvia >> Kerry County Museum - Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland >> Craftattract project - Museums of Hrvatsko zagorje Gornja Stubica, Croatia >> BELvue Museum - Brussels, Belgium >> Mátra Museum - Gyöngyös, Hungary >> The Pier Arts Centre - Orkney, UK >> Sustainable Aegean Programme - Crete and the Aegean Islands, Greece >> Maison du patrimoine médiéval mosan - Bouvignes, Belgium >> Culture Ants project - Istanbul, Turkey >> Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Washington, United States >> Robbers’ Paradise or "The European Museum of Overseas Stolen Treasures - Amsterdam, Netherlands >> A Mediated Window to the Stockholm Art and Industry Fair of 1897 - Stockholm, Sweden >> Art Museum of Estonia - Talinn, Estonia >> Children's Museum of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh, United States >> Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience - Moher, Ireland >> Europa Nostra - The Hague, Netherlands >> Cultural Tourism Development Center “City-Museum” Kolomna, Russia >> Fondation des Clefs de St-Pierre - Geneve, Switzerland >> Hunebedcentrum - Borger, The Netherlands >> IMTAL Europe Board of Directors - Paris, France >> Liebermann-Villa am Wannsee - Berlin, Germany >> Manx National Heritage - Isle of Mann, British Isles >> Museum of History of Catalonia - Barcelona, Spain >> Svalbard Museum – Norway >> The Museum of Communication - Bern, Switzerland >> The National Institute for the Protection and Conservation of Monuments and Sites - Praha, Czech Republic >> The Science Museum at the University of Coimbra Coimbra, Portugal >> Transylvania Trust - Romania >> XXI Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquites of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism - Athens, Greece >> German Emigration Center / Deutsches Auswandererhaus, Bremerhaven, Germany >> Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, United Kingdom >> International Museum of the Reformation, Geneva, Switzerland >> Sarica Church, Cappadocia, Turkey

172 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2015

>> Mourne Homesteads - Mourne Heritage Trust, Newcastle, Co. Down, Northern Ireland >> Biskupin Archaeological Museum, Biskupin, Poland >> The Abbey of Klosterneuburg, Klosterneuburg, Austria >> Triglav National Park - The Pocar Farmhouse, Slovenia >> The Workshops Rail Museum / Queensland Museum, North Ipswich, Australia >> State Borodino War and History Museum-Reserve, Borodino, Russia >> Museum Centre of Hordaland, Salhus, Norway >> Royal Museums of Art and History, Cinquantenaire Museum, Brussels, Belgium >> National Museums Liverpool, World Museum, Liverpool, United Kingdom >> Museum the Menkemaborg, Uithuizen, Netherlands >> Archeological Museum Narona, Vid - Metkovic, Croatia >> National Library of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland >> Professor Amareswar Galla: Ha Long Ecomuseum, Australia / Vietnam >> CosmoCaixa / Fundació "la Caixa", Barcelona, Spain >> ss Great Britain Trust, Bristol, UK >> UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards, UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand >> Tom Tits Experiment, Södertälje, Sweden >> Omeriye Ottoman Baths, Nicosia, Cyprus >> Juminkeko Foundation, Kuhmo, Finland >> Hat Industry Museum, Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal >> Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, London, United Kingdom >> International Cultural Center and Museum - IKM, Oslo, Norway >> Museum of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium >> Kew Bridge Steam Museum, Brentford - London, United Kingdom >> Fremantle Prison - The Convict Establishment, Fremantle, Western Australia >> University of Art & Design Helsinki (UIAH), Media Lab, Helsinki, Finland >> Museum of Literature Petofi, Budapest, Hungary >> National Museum of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland >> Mr. Tjebbe van Tijen / Imaginary Museum Projects, Amsterdam, Netherlands >> Netherlands Open Air Museum, Arnhem, Netherlands >> Big Pit, National Mining Museum of Wales, Blaenafon, UK >> Museum of Byzantine Culture, Thessaloniki, Greece >> The National Library of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic >> Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL, London, UK >> Tr�ndelag Folkemuseum, Sverresborg, Trondheim, Norway >> Casa Batlló - A. Gaudí, Barcelona, Spain >> Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land - Museum und Park Kalkriese, Kalkriese, Germany >> The Heathland Centre, Lygra, Norway >> Bauska Castle Museum, Bauska, Latvia >> Värmlands Museum, Karlstad, Sweden >> The M. A. Sholokhov State Museum-Reserve, Veshenskaya, Russia >> Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon, Shildon, UK >> Technical Museum, Brno, Czech Republic >> No 1 Pump Station, Mundaring Weir, Western Australia

>> Michael Pinsky: "Exhibition PONTIS at Segedunum museum" >> The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland >> Duna Museum - Danube Museum, Esztergom, Hungary >> Almond Valley Heritage Trust, West Lothian, Scotland, UK >> Buddenbrook-House, Lübeck, Germany >> Museum of Recent History Celje, Celje, Slovenia >> Museum of Ceramics of Sacavém, Loures, Portugal >> Het Huis van Alijn, Gent, Belgium >> Musée de la civilisation, Québec, Canada >> Rotorua Museum of Art and History, Rotorua, New Zeland >> Museum Rhein-Schauen, Lustenau, Austria >> The Kierikki Stone Age Centre, Yli-Ii, Finland >> The Karl Ernst Osthaus Museum Hagen, Hagen, Germany >> Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK >> Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia >> Museu Paulista da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brasil >> Svendborg & Omegns Museum, Svendborg, Denmark >> Alimentarium Food Museum, Vevey, Switzerland >> >> James Putnam (the author of the book "The Museum as Medium"), London, UK >> Hellenic Cosmos, Athens, Greece >> National Railway Museum, York, United Kingdom >> Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, Netherlands >> Zagreb City Museum, Zagreb, Croatia >> Segedunum Roman Fort /Tyne and Wear Museums/, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK >> Krasnoyarsk Regional Museum, Krasnoyarsk, Russia >> Lions Home, Nicosia, Cyprus >> Theatre Museum, Helsinki, Finland >> Rushean Abbey - Manx National Heritage, Isle of Man >> Coal Mine Museum, Velenje, Slovenia >> Hungarian Open Air Museum, Szentendre, Hungary >> Science Museum, London, UK >> NS Dokumentationszentrum, Koeln, Germany >> J.M. Humbert: Review of the world's awarded projects by AVICOM >> National Palace web site, Taipei, Taiwan >> L.N.Tolstoy Museum, Yasnaya Polyana, Russia >> Space City, Toulouse, France >> La Piscine, Museum of Art and Industry, Roubaix, France >> Haus der Musik, Wienna, Austria >> Runkelstein Castle, Bozen /Bolzano, Italy >> Liverpool Football Club Museum and Tour Centre, Liverpool, UK >> Visions form museums, Stockholm, Sweden >> Gernika Peace Museum, Basque Country, Spain >> Damir Fabijanić: Dubrovnik before and after - a photographer's view >> Julian Walker (presentation of art projects)

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 173

the excellence club

>> Stichting Monumentenzorg Curaçao, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles >> Museum of Nature of Buryatiya, Ulan-Ude, Russia >> Continuum Group, York, UK >> Caesarea development corp. ltd., Caesarea old city, Israel >> Landesmuseum Joanneum / Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria >> Vapaavuori Architects / Pekka Vapaavuori >> The James Putnam Organization >> Archaeological Museum of Alicante, Alicante, Spain >> Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Scotland >> Trakya University Sultan Bayazid II Kulliye Health Care Museum, Edirne, Turkey >> The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland >> Joe Alon Center - The Museum of Bedouin Culture, Israel >> The House of Terror Museum, Budapest, Hungary >> Old Paper Mill Complex, Warsaw, Poland >> L'Arno Racconta, Florence, Italy >> Landscape Park of the Secovlje Salt-Pans, Piran, Slovenia >> Midt-Troms Museum, Norway >> Museum of Folkart and Tradition, Spittal / Drau, Austria >> Museums to Discover, Société des Musées Québécois, Canada >> The Avesta Works, Sweden >> Varazdin City Museum : CD ROM Insects, Varazdin, Croatia >> Zagreb City Museum : CD ROM The Dictates of the Time, Zagreb, Croatia >> Desht-i-Art Centre - Minus Six. Exhibition about GULAG, Karaganda, Kazakhstan >> Museum of P.V. Kuznetsov - The Trace of the Garden, Russia >> The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL,USA >> Domvs Romana project - Heritage Malta, Rabat, Malta >> The Worker's Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark >> Andrew Hunter: 11 Fishermen - Lalla Rookh: A poetic Archive >> Antenna Audio International >> Victoria and Albert Museum >> Moderna Museet ( Stockholm, Sweden) >> Canadian Museum of Nature >> National Centre for Citizenship and the Law, Galleries of Justice, Nottingham >> The Goulandris Natural History Museum - Greece >> Laténium, Park and Museum of Archaeology (Hauterive, Switzerland) >> Ær�sk�bing, ÆR� >> Museo del Aceite "El Lagar del Mudo" en San Felices de los Gallegos. >> National Museum of Ireland - Museum of Country Life (Mayo, Ireland) >> Slovenski verski muzej >> Western Australian Maritime Museum (Australia) >> Museum of Textil And Clothing Industry (Textilmuseum) >> The Karelian State Regional Museum (Karelia, Russia) >> Etnografski muzej Split >> Buryat Historical Museum, Ulan-Ude, Buryatia >> Shetland Amenity Trust >> Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (Marseille, France)

the excellence club

Congratulations to the new members, projects presented at The Best in Heritage 2016 conference!

>> AVICOM FIAMP Award 2015 for Long film / Gold Fundation Gala-Salvator Dali: Dali’s last masterpiece >> MW2015 Best of the Web Award 2015 for Digital Exhibition and People’s Choice winner VanGoYourself >> Heritage in Motion Best Achievement Award 2015 DOMunder - Tinker Imagineers >> MAPDA 2015 Institution Website Award Australian Centre for the Moving Image >> 2015 MUSE Award for Open / Gold winner Europeana Foundation, GLAMwiki Toolset >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 for Research and Digitization HERMeS: HERitage Management e-System >> Heritage in Motion Film and video Award 2015 Gubec Teater by the Museum of Peasant Uprisings in Gornja Stubica >> AVICOM FIAMP 2015 Medium Film Gold Award >> National Palace Museum “Adventure in the NPM: the Formosa odyssey” >> Heritage in Motion Websites and online content Award 2015 Breaking the Frame - Framework Knitters Museum >> AVICOM FIAMP 2015 Grand Prix HistoPad Chambord >> MAPDA 2015 Multimedia Award Australian Centre for the Moving Image "China Up Close" >> AVICOM FIAMP Award 2015 for Multimedia Art Innovative / Gold

174 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2015

>> Fondation Louis Vuitton: Archi-Moi AVICOM FIAMP 2015 Web Art Gold Award La grotte Chauvet Pont d’Arc >> MW2015 Best of the Web Award 2015 for Mobile Field Guides to Australian Fauna – a suite of eight apps >> AVICOM / FIAMP 2015 Multimedia Art Innovative / Gold Musée de la Civilisation: Danser Joe >> Europen Museum Forum / Council of Europe Museum Prize 2015 MuCEM: Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Nuragic Sculptures of Monte Prama >> Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award 2015 Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery >> National Medal for Museum and Library Service 2015 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture >> Norwegian Museum Of The Year 2015 Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature >> Mayor Award, Construction Category, the Kyoto Landscape Award 2015 Kyoto National Museum >> Museums + Heritage / Innovation Award 2015 Battle of Bannockburn by National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland & Bright White Ltd >> European Museum Academy / DASA Award 2015 Museum of Arts in Iron in the Maremma >> Chinese Museums Association Most Innovative Museums Award 2015 Fujian Museum (Fuzhou, PR China) >> MAGNA Awards / National Winner 2015 Mosman Art Gallery: Bungaree’s Farm >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Rundling Association >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Salt Valley of Anana >> UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence 2015

Conservation of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple >> BankGiro Loterij Museumprijs 2015 Fries Museum >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Programme for Owners of Rural Buildings in Estonia >> Chinese Museums Association Most Innovative Museums Award 2015 Jianchuan Museum >> Europen Museum Forum / Silletto Prize 2015 Familistere at Guise >> MW Museum Professional Award 2015 Art UK: Art Detective ( >> Valvasor Award 2015 Pomurje Museum: Radgona Bridges >> ICOM Russia award "The best project on work with the community" "Karenina Live" Leo Tolstoy Museum and Estate Yasnaya Polyana >> Museums Australia (Victoria) Award for Medium Museums 2015 Hellenic Museum (Melbourne, Australia) >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Wonders Of Venice: Virtual Online Treasures In St. Mark’s Area >> EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015 Stonehenge: Surrounding Landscape and Visitor Centre >> New Zealand Museum Awards / Best Museum Project 2015 Mataura Museum "Reinventing the Mataura Museum" >> Canadian Museums Association 2015 Award of Outstanding Achievement in Exhibitions ”Lake Winnipeg: Shared Solutions” Manitoba Museum >> Europen Museum Forum / Kenneth Hudson Award 2015 International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum >> Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism “Best attraction in Vietnam” Award in 2015 Vietnamese Women's Museum >> Art Fund Prize / Museum of the Year 2015 The Whitworth, University of Manchester

As a part of the programme in Dubrovnik, the conference exhibition is organised and displayed in Dubrovnik Museums throughout September. It features posters of the 44 projects that are being presented at the conference this year. The venue is the Rector's Palace, highly frequent and visited location, with approximately 22.000 international visitors expected during September of 2016. Thus we share the conference contents with the motivated visitors of Dubrovnik. The informational texts are bilingual: in this case English and Croatian. All posters have QR codes leading to the web-page with articles and images of featured laureates. Those pages are equipped with website, contact and social media hyper-links.

THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 175 THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 175

a word from our partner

EUROPA NOSTRA Europe’s leading heritage organisation

and cohesive force between communities and citizens in Europe; and have advocated that the Year should mark the beginning of a renewed commitment by European Institutions and European citizens to care for our heritage, and share it both within and outside of Europe. Campaigns

Europa Nostra is the pan-European federation of heritage NGO’s which is also supported by a wide network of public bodies, private companies and individuals. Covering 40 countries in Europe, the organisation is the voice of civil society committed to safeguarding and promoting Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. Founded in 1963, it is today recognised as the most representative heritage network in Europe. Our Work Our activities are centred on celebrating, protecting and lobbying for cultural heritage – which are all intertwined. Policy Europa Nostra contributes to the formulation and implementation of European strategies and policies related to heritage, through a structured dialogue with European Institutions and the coordination of the European Heritage Alliance 3.3. In May 2016, during the European Heritage Congress in Madrid, the wide membership of the organisation enthusiastically welcomed the European Commission’s announcement to propose a European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018 and extensively discussed the main actions that could be developed during the Year. Europa Nostra and its President Maestro Plácido Domingo have championed the potential of the Year to generate the much needed positive energy 176 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Europa Nostra campaigns to save Europe's threatened monuments, sites and landscapes, in particular through ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ programme, developed in collaboration with the European Investment Bank Institute. In March 2016, the third list of 7 Most Endangered, which features heritage landmarks in Armenia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain and Turkey, was published. In addition, the Venice Lagoon in Italy was declared the most threatened heritage gem in Europe, given its paramount importance to Europe and the world, as well as the complexity and magnitude of the challenges posed. Joint expert missionsto thesiteshave beenundertaken since June. The key findings and recommendations of these missions will be presented by the end of the year. Awards In partnership with the European Commission, Europa Nostra runs Europe’s most prestigious heritage awards scheme. The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards celebrates and promotes best practices in conservation, research, dedicated service, and education, training and awareness-raising. Since its launch in 2002, a total of 426 exemplary heritage projects and initiativesfrom 34 countries have been recognised. The European Heritage Awards have been widely promoted at the ‘The Best in Heritage’ conference since 2009. Seven winners of the 2015 edition, including four Grand Prix laureates (Spain, Italy, Germany and Estonia)

a word from our partner ≥ Around 1,000 people welcomed the powerful policy messages conveyed by Europa Nostra’s President Plácido Domingo and European Commissioner Tibor Navracsics at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony held at the Zarzuela Theatre in Madrid on 24 May 2016. Photo: Felix Quaedvlieg

and the Public Choice Award winner (Italy), will present and discuss their outstanding achievements at this year’s event. Join Europa Nostra wants to strongly engage and further enlarge its network of members, associates, benefactors, partners and supports all over Europe and beyond. Become a Member/Associate > If you are a heritage NGO based in Europe (e.g. association, foundation or museum), you can become a Member Organisation: min. annual contribution of 250 Euro; > If you are a heritage NGO based outside Europe or a public body(e.g. regional or local authority, governmental agency, education or tourism body), you can become an Associate Organisation: min. annual contribution of 250 Euro; > If you are an individual from Europe or beyond, you can become an Individual Member: min. annual contribution of 90 Euro.

more info: www.europanostra.org

CREATIVE EUROPE Creative Europe is the new EU programme to support the cultural and creative sectors, enabling them to increase their contribution to jobs and growth. With a budget of 1.46 billion Euro for 20142020, it supports organisations in the fields of heritage, performing arts, fine arts, interdisciplinary arts, publishing, film, TV, music, and video games as well as tens of thousands of artists, cultural and audiovisual professionals. The funding allows them to operate across Europe, to reach new audiences and to develop the skills required in the digital age. The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards and Europa Nostra’s network project ‘Mainstreaming Heritage’ are supported by Creative Europe.

More info: ec.europa.eu/programmes/creativeeurope

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ICOM

ICOM, Speaking The Language Of Museums

tive ways to educate the public about developing a sustainable society during IMD. Museums and cultural landscapes has been this year’s 2016 IMD theme , as well as the main thread of ICOM’s 24th General Conference in Milan, which took place from 3 to 9 July, 2016 with 3500 participants from 130 countries.

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is the world’s leading organisation in the museum and heritage fields, counting over 36,700 members in 137 countries. A unique network of museum professionals and experts, ICOM has established standards of excellence and developed a number of tools and programmes to benefit the global heritage community.

ICOM worked closely with UNESCO to draft a recommendation on the protection and promotion of museums and collections, placing museums more explicitly at the heart of the exchanges between peoples and societies, and being adopted at the UNESCO General Conference during its 38th session in September 2015.

As the culmination of the annual cultural agenda worldwide, International Museum Day (IMD) continues to demonstrate the dynamism and involvement of the museum community. This year, more than 35,000 museums in 130 different countries found crea178 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

The organisation’s longstanding commitment to protecting cultural heritage at risk and to fighting the illegal trade in art and antiquities was supported this year with the enhancement of its series of Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk and the publication of the book “Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural

ICOM

Goods: the Global Challenge of Protecting the World’s Heritage”. In contributing to building capacities of museum professionals, ICOM runs training programmes in different parts of the world, in partnership with the European Union for the training of museum professionals in Algeria as well as through its International Training Center in China. In 2016, ICOM has pursued its ambition to act on a worldwide level, to coordinate actions to enhance the role of museums in society, to cooperate with international bodies, and to develop standards and reference tools for museum ethics and training.

ICOM Endowment Fund The ICOM Endowment Fund seeks to support initiatives shaping 21st century museums. The Fund provides financial and operational support for activities which address the global community of museums, promoting the social role of the museums and their contribution to intellectual, artistic and heritage life. The ICOM Endowment Fund’s actions meet the following objectives: enhancement of the social value of museums; support for innovation in museums; preservation of heritage and implementation of risk reduction measures; and strengthening of professional skills and capacity-building. In supporting The Best in Heritage, the ICOM Endowment Fund endorses the development of standards of excellence for museums of the 21st century. The conference provides a space for inspiration and highlights innovative efforts in the museum and heritage sector, contributing to the broader aim of ICOM: to develop a worldwide network of museum professionals.

ICOM Representation at Best in Heritage 2016 Peter Keller is Treasurer of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) since 2014. Before, he was Secretary and Chair of the International Committee of House Museums (DEMHIST), and member of the Executive Council of ICOM Austria. Since 2002, he is director of the Dommuseum Salzburg. In 2014, the museum became part of the DomQuartier Salzburg, an alliance of five museums, with common management, programmes and marketing. Until 2000, Peter Keller worked as curator for the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and for several exhibitions in Germany. He studied art history in Vienna, Cologne and Bonn as well as museology in Paris. He’s member of the Austrian Advisory Council for Museums since 2015.

For further information: www.icom.museum Contact: secretariat@icom.museum THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016 › 179

WWW.MEYVAERTMUSEUM.BE DOK NOORD 3

9000 GENT BELGIUM

180 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

CONTACT : FRANK BOOT +32 477 331 717

INFO@MEYVAERT.BE

CELEBRATING

C R A F T S M A N S HIP

190 YEARS

E N GINE E RIN G

D IS P L AY

S O LU T I O N S

Meyvaert is synonymous with display solutions: we help museums and art collectors present, preserve and protect their collections by providing sustainable and easy to use exhibition showcases. Not only did we receive ISO14001 accreditation this year, we are also celebrating our 190th anniversary. All the more reason to reflect on our recent collaborations. To name but a few, in 2015 we collaborated with the British Science Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, the Belgian Musée Grand Curtius in Liège, Fort Thüngen in Luxembourg and the French Musée Rodin. The success of these collaborations is confirmed by the fact that many of our clients have gone on to receive prestigious awards after project completion. For instance, the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, with whom Meyvaert worked in 2014, won two international prizes that same year and was recently awarded the European Museum of the Year Award 2016. Last year, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Marseille’s MuCEM were each bestowed with a prize: the EMYA 2015 and the Council of Europe Museum Prize respectively.

Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw PL

By continually fulfilling and exceeding expectations, Meyvaert enables museums to achieve the display, security and conservation needs of their collections.

We are proud to be the sponsor of the Best in Heritage IMAGINES event. For additional information on our current and concluded museum installations, please feel free to contact us.

EXPONATEC cologne

The Future of Exhibiting: EXPONATEC COLOGNE 2017

Interesting information, best practices, exciting visions as well as the possibility of international exchange of experience are making the EXPONATEC COLOGNE Europe’s leading communication platform for the museum, preservation and restoration sectors. On 8,200 square meters gross, about 190 exhibitors from different industries sectors will present solutions and concepts related to the themes exhibition presentation, restoration and cultural heritage. Additionally, about 4,000 visitors can participate in the conference program including lectures and discussion forums and exchange information and new ideas with experts. In 2017, EXPONATEC COLOGNE introduces a new platform for start-up companies, who are not older than five years, which gives them the opportunity to present their innovative products and services. Moreover, the close partnership with Best in Heritage will be continued next year. Thus, as part of the 182 › THE BEST IN HERITAGE 2016

Best in Heritage Excellence Club, the best exhibition projects of the Dubrovnik event in 2016 and 2017 will be presented at EXPONATEC next year. With regard to the “European Heritage Year 2018”, our partners have already started their preparation for this event. With the motto “Sharing Heritage”, the awareness of protecting the European cultural heritage should be increased by education programs in this field. In this context, the EXPONATEC COLOGNE will present interesting topics, trends and new concepts in the exhibition area “Cultural Heritage”.

EXPONATEC COLOGNE 22-24 september 2017 www.exponatec.com

The Maritime Silk Road was a Road of Peace, which connected the ancient civilizations of the East and the West in the ways of trade and commerce, culture and art exchange. It stretches out as far as Eastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia, Eastern Africa and finally reaching Europe via the Red Sea, linking up numerous ports along the road. This exhibition presents pictures of cultural objects and historical materials that witness the significant contribution to the human civilization made by China. Rooted deep in the history, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outstanding achievements in art, science, philosophy and etc., can still be traced back from these old roads. In this sense, the exibition presents the imperishable splendor of Chinese ancient civilization. More information: www.fjbwy.com

Contact: fjmuseum@126.com

Dubrovnik Exhibition 21. - 25.9.2016 in "Lazaretti", Frana Supila 8

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