On 10 March 2022, as part of the international Mingei Day, we held an online seminar with invited experts from the Mingei project and peer organisations and projects, including the Europeana/Connecting Europe Facility project CRAFTED. The Mingei Platform was presented in the form of four short demonstrations that bookended four themed discussions. This article sets out the main themes discussed.

‘[Why do we preserve heritage?] …not only to protect… [but] to learn from the past and improve the future’. Marinos Ioannides (UNESCO chair of Digital Cultural Heritage at Cyprus University of Technology)

Mingei was set up to meet the challenge of digitising and representing crafts and should be seen in the context of a network of peers and experts in Europe (and of course, further afield) who are employing digital technologies – from motion tracking to geo-tagging – and ontologies to meaningfully share the ‘recipes’ of crafting processes and the stories that explain its social and historical significance, as described by Mingei project coordinator, Xenophon Zabulis (FORTH, Mingei) and Mingei Platform developer Carlo Meghini (CNR-ISTI, Mingei).

Eirini Kaldeli (NTUA, CRAFTED project) invoked the challenge of representing different types of crafts heritage and the knowledge and know-how that must be included to meaningfully represent this heritage digitally. She connected this to the standards required by the Europeana Data Model (EDM) while describing activities designed to strengthen existing ontologies (vocabularies) that explore and standardise the many existing crafts terminologies. Also reinforced was the need for collaborative learning in this area, to which the seminar was a contribution in this vein. 

Putting narrative at the centre of crafts representation

The Mingei project takes an innovative step in crafts preservation by putting narrative at the centre. It established a channel between the human and the digital assets through the formal representation of the stories and the meaningful management of the heritage data. This represents a significant change, according to Carlo Meghini, and reinforced by Marinos Ioannides (UNESCO Chair Digital Cultural Heritage, Cyprus University of Technology). He stated that the greatest challenge faced by those working in digital heritage crafts preservation is not only the digitisation of the tangible or intangible but both together with the memories that give this meaning, in a way that allows these memories to be understood by all audiences and so that anyone can learn from them.

There are challenges, however, to the EDM (to which Europe’s digitised heritage available on Europeana must conform to). Xenophon Zabulis argued that it does not yet adequately allow for the capture of diverse narratives and the representation of all of the vocabulary used and captured in Mingei and other projects. It also lacks the presentation of events. In the past, as Carlo Meghini explained, the data were not there to tell extensive crafts stories (often not in catalogues or even formally documented). Capturing stories provides richer representations but it also poses ongoing technical questions (many of which are now being addressed). Eirini Kaldeli explained that this need has been identified by the CRAFTED project and new formats (e.g. galleries) help to explore the narratives behind the crafts. 

‘…the craft is alive only if someone performs the craft’. Arnaud Dubois

Even with the most advanced digitisation and representation of heritage crafts loses the essence of the craft without performativity, according to Arnaud Dubois (CNAM, Mingei). While there is some fear that ‘digital’ might replace crafts practices (which Arnaud explained came from a confusion in some instances between digitisation and automation or robotisation), craftspeople nonetheless acknowledge the need for heritage digitisation for preservation and to gain a wider audience. Eirini Kaldeli suggested that organising hands-on workshops alongside digitisation efforts is key to creating impact for wider audiences, because, as Nikolaos Partarakis (FORTH) explained, there is no way (yet) to digitally transmit the pain, effort and feeling of craft practices. Digital knowledge cannot replace the practices needed to perfect the craft, but without preserving this knowledge, we might lose opportunities to train future generations. 

What about artificial intelligence?

Marinos Ioannides asked the panel the question of what artificial intelligence (AI) can be used for. Machine learning has pushed forward advances in crafts representation and preservation and, for example, in automating annotation. This technology can help those searching for knowledge find and filter appropriate knowledge sources. Eirini Kaldeli introduced the ‘human in the loop’ concept, which is the fruitful combination of human and artificial intelligence. Human intelligence can strengthen the results of AI algorithms and further train them, and AI can automate mundane tasks. Humans can annotate data and produce domain-relevant training data, further advancing AI. Carlo Meghini noted that AI can help with more error-prone human tasks, but that the definition of intelligence remains a question. Arnaud Dubois noted that AI brings new ways to document complex knowledge, but that this benefits from multidisciplinary (human) approaches to the complexity of human experience. Marinos Ioannides then reflected on the use of AI to support humans in managing complexity but that we shouldn’t forget the unlimited boundaries of human learning and the human drive for preservation.  

The application of the Mingei protocol is also generic enough to be applied to other heritage contexts and in different disciplines, and the protocol guides those responsible for preservation to extract narratives from individual objects to uncover and present additional knowledge relating to both tangible and intangible elements. The Mingei protocol defines what is expected by all scientists involved in the documentation process, supporting much-needed multidisciplinary collaboration. 

It is still not possible to express or replicate the interaction of the craftspeople with their material because this changes in every instance and stage of the process of the craft. Yet what can be expressed is the need to emphasise performativity, the recreation of relationships between people and matter, as well as to acknowledge that there are some elements of the process of the craft that cannot be understood or captured. 

Conclusions

Learning from ancient history and philosophy, the seminar shared insights into the key questions and state of the art in digital heritage crafts preservation. Raising questions of the purpose and limitations of artificial intelligence and technological advancement, Mingei pushes forward the opportunities of digital heritage crafts preservation by reinforcing the role of the human story, of the narrative, in these processes, of balance and respect for craft as it is protected and preserved for future generations. Watch the full seminar below or on Vimeo!

Photo’s by Lotte Stekelenburg for Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.

In the spring of 2013, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam hosted the exhibition Hand Made – Long Live Crafts, a concept by Mienke Simon Thomas, who works as senior curator at the museum. She wanted to show and celebrate craft in contrast to industrial mass production. Showing the production processes of the various crafts, as well as the way contemporary design is being inspired by these traditional techniques, was pivotal for the exhibition. Equally important was the intangible element of crafts and knowledge exchange. How could a contemporary art museum create an exhibition of making within the limits of an exhibition space? We spoke with Catrien Schreuder, then Head of Education and Interpretation at the museum, to find out more.

Bringing craftspeople into an exhibition space

The exhibition team did not want to create an environment that would only focus on the step-by-step production process. Craft is about skill, experience, personal preference, tradition and creativity. The exhibition should capture all these elements, as well as showcasing examples of contemporary design inspired by craft. As the exhibition concept was being developed, Catrien suggested physically integrating craft demonstrations into the exhibition. It would be the best, and maybe the only, way to do the crafts justice and meet the exhibition’s goals. 

The exhibition curator had a large network within very diverse craft communities but finding craftspeople willing to work inside the gallery space was only one of many challenges the exhibition team faced. Work stations were integrated into the exhibition design, meaning there was no separate space to work in, but the physical work was done on the exhibition floor amongst museum objects and visitors. Craftspeople were invited to work in the gallery for a period of one week each during the opening hours of the exhibition, 11am – 5pm. A weekly changing schedule was made for six work stations, which proved to be a serious logistical challenge. The location of the workstations did not change. This meant that sometimes a craftsperson was doing work that was directly related to the objects surrounding them or relevant objects that were placed further away. As well as the demonstrations, some makers also gave workshops. During a crafts fair all kinds of craftspeople could sell their wares to museum visitors.

A few ground rules were identified when selecting makers. The craft process couldn’t be ‘wet’, meaning no liquids could be used in the gallery, and it couldn’t involve using gasses or flames. The use of sharp objects was considered out of bounds as well. These restrictions were challenging for both the exhibition team and the craftspeople. Some crafts are quite noisy, which also caused issues in the gallery space. Together with the makers involved, the exhibition team tried to find solutions to allow as many participants as possible to be part of the show. Sometimes this meant ‘pretend making’, leaving out any out of bounds tools, or a show-and-tell stall. However, the exhibition team preferred as authentic a craft experience as possible. Ideally, visitors would be able to join in, but in reality, this proved very hard to facilitate for most crafts. 

A wide range of craftspeople was selected for the exhibition. This included professionals making a living with their craft, but also amateurs and even a group of elderly people living in local care homes who knitted the products of Rotterdam-based knitwear label Granny’s Finest. Some makers were scheduled for multiple weeks, because they really liked the concept and were available. 

It quickly became clear that some makers had integrated giving demonstrations or workshops into their work practice. They felt comfortable engaging audience members, explaining their work and answering questions. Others had no such experience and at times found it challenging to be working in an environment where strangers would walk up to them and ask questions or comment on their work. This in return meant that visitors too would find it harder to approach these makers. Sometimes this meant that visitors didn’t quite understand what they were looking at or felt like they couldn’t ask any questions. Engaging a lay audience with your craft requires a very different skill set than performing the craft itself. Sometimes a craftsperson was particularly popular with visitors and their presence would be shared by word-of-mouth. Because each maker was usually only present for one week, this sometimes led to disappointment when visitors would come to see a specific craftsperson who had already left. 

Creating partnerships

For most makers, their key aim was to reach a new audience, educate people about their craft and get them excited. The exhibition created a good opportunity to do this. It was important for the museum to truly integrate the working craftspeople in the exhibition, which ideally also meant involving them in the run-up to the exhibition. This was something the museum hadn’t done before and looking back two clear challenges can be identified.

First, the production time for an exhibition is generally at least 12 months. To ask people from outside the organisation to be involved from the beginning means reaching out to them and establishing connections early on. It also means claiming quite a lot of time from these people. Often, the craftspeople’s diaries did not allow the level of involvement the museum would have desired. The museum wanted to be more flexible to facilitate personal planning requests, but within the existing organisational structures this proved challenging. Those makers who had been more involved from the beginning would become a more integrated part of the exhibition than those who were later added to complete the rota. 

Secondly, the conceptual and practical integration of the workstations needed safeguarding throughout the development of the exhibition. Once conversations with makers had started it soon became clear they needed more space to perform their craft than was initially planned. Simply providing a table to work at was not enough. Protecting this space for the craftspeople, both physically and conceptually, needed constant focus. How does one communicate about their presence and the fact that new people are at work every week? How can you best inform and guide visitors in an exhibition that allows for different kinds of behaviour than one is used to when visiting an art museum? The exhibition itself was more dynamic, but visitors too were invited to be more active. They were expected to engage with others in the gallery, something that’s unusual in most art exhibitions. Staff too had to adjust to this new gallery dynamic. Museum educators in particular had to respond to the everchanging presence of craftspeople and adjust their programme accordingly. 

In the end, the presence of the craftspeople in the gallery was seen as an important element of the exhibition. Although videos could in some cases have provided a better explanation, nothing compares to the ‘magic’ of seeing somebody physically doing the work in front of you. Seeing somebody perform the same movements for hours on end in order to produce something, you see the focus and attention that are needed. These are things that cannot be conveyed via text labels or instruction videos. 

Embedding what was learned 

The experience gained during the Hand Made exhibition was put to use in following exhibitions. A good example is the exhibition Fra Bartolommeo The Divine Renaissance in 2017. The museum wanted to focus on the work process and contemporary relevance of this 16^th century artist. The museum decided to invite a local artist, Iwan Smit, to set up his studio in the exhibition and work on a modern, contemporary altar piece, inspired by conversations with visitors. The museum now had a much better idea of the requirements and space that were necessary for a workable artist’s studio. They also knew that the artist they wanted to select not only had the artistic skills they were looking for in relation to the work of Fra Bartolommeo, but also needed a specific set of social skills to engage visitors. A stronger partnership was forged with the artist and his presence in the gallery was described by Schreuder like “an event, but spread out across three months,” rather than an element of a ‘traditional’ exhibition. The work Smit created during the exhibition was acquired by the museum and added to the collection. Schreuder further indicated that in her own practice, (she has since moved to Stedelijk Museum Schiedam) the idea of an exhibition as a dynamic space or workspace in addition to a space where people can look at objects, has become a recurring theme. 

Could Hand Made have been a successful exhibition without the presence of craftspeople? Probably. But nothing compares to the thrill of seeing somebody using their mind and body to create a unique product, to witness the process and to realise: people still make things.

Based on an interview with Catrien Schreuder, Head of Exhibitions and Collections at Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, former Head of Education and Interpretation at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, conducted on 7 June 2021.

Photo’s by Lotte Stekelenburg for Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.

International webinar Waag: Technology as a means of preservation

Online, four heritage experts along with moderator Nicole McNeilly conducted an international webinar focused on how technology can be utilised to preserve heritage crafts. During the presentation, the audience learned more about the three Mingei pilot projects, on glassblowing, silk weaving, and mastic growing, which will create tools for heritage craft presentation and guide future research.

The Mingei project platform and different technologies like 3D reconstructions, used to preserve and represent heritage craft, were also demonstrated. Following the presentation was a panel on various topics like the inclusion of AI in craft preservation, how the Mingei project can serve to pass on informal heritage craft knowledge to a broad audience, and how this knowledge of the past can serve to inform our future.

rewatch the webinar

Local session Waag: Fashion as a thread between past and present

At Waag, creative Director Dick van Dijk provided an overview of the Mingei project and introduced the attendees to keynote speaker and renowned fashion designer Antoine Peters’ work, saying that it ‘looks into the past and provides new context’ for the future. During the keynote, Peters discussed several of his projects including his collaboration with the Zeeuws Museum. For the museum, he reimagined a traditional nineteenth-century garment from Zeeland, the yak, as a modern garment: the Jaktrui. In creating the Jaktrui, Peters ‘wanted to communicate something from the past to the now and translate it in my own way’. The zero-waste folding technique was then used for economic reasons, but now is very relevant from a sustainability perspective.

Following his presentation was a workshop on the craft of repairing clothing. This workshop was designed based on the Reflow project aiming to share knowledge on how to rethink, repair, and revalue your wardrobe. During this workshop, attendees were encouraged to rethink items of their own clothing focusing on both aesthetic and technique in clothing repair.

• Rewatch the workshop
• Watch the instruction
• View the photos of the workshop (photo credit: Jimena Gauna)
• An impression of the local sessions from the European partners will be published on the Mingei website.
   

How heritage can shape the future

So how does the Mingei project serve to connect the past, present, and future? Inspired by the Mingei movement in Japan, which originally served as a response to Western mechanisation in the mid 1920s, the Mingei project today focuses on the digitalisation and accessibility of heritage craft, both tangible and intangible.

Through use of modern technologies like interactive Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality, Mingei seeks to tell stories not only about the craft objects themselves, but about the rituals, practice, and knowledge that accompany these objects. The application of modern technology to heritage craft can then serve to build a bridge between the past and present.

In regard to the connection between past and present, Antoine Peters notes that ‘a design or a translation now always has this reference captured in it. So you have these little bridges – in storytelling or in the visual part’. When Peters was researching the yak, he found that no documentation existed detailing its construction proces – namely, how to take one piece of fabric and fold it to create the jak. Instead, he learned the folding technique from 91-year-old craftswoman Mrs. Vos.

This mirrors a challenge that was discovered during the Mingei project: during a glassblowing pilot in Paris, there was no documentation that outlined the movements and rituals of past glassblowers. Similar to the work Peters did to understand the historical process of crafting the yak, those working on the glass pilot had to find alternate methods to learn craft heritage techniques and movements and were able to reverse-engineer steps required for glassblowing. Both Peters and the glass pilot help to further an understanding of the past while contributing valuable knowledge to the future.

Through work like the Mingei project and Peters’ collaboration with the Zeeuws Museum, modern concepts and technologies can be applied to the past in a way that creates bridges between the past and present. When talking about heritage, Peters noted that the past and present cannot be separated; that ‘it’s all connected’. Examining these connections allows us to see the thread that connects the present day with the past and tells us stories that can be leveraged to imagine the future.

Exhibition CNAM Paris

CNAM organised an exhibiton where the worlds of academics and professional activity come together. It is the only higher education establishment dedicated to life-long professional training. A dedicated space at the cathedral which is part of the museum invites you to experience the craft of glassblowing and use actual glassblowing tools.

Local webinar FORTH – Greece

FORTH organised two webinars for Mingei Day (videos are in Greek).

Mingei Day Geneva – Reenacting 3D craft people

But Mingei Day is not over yet. On 9 and 10 July MIRAlab is organising a local session for Mingei Day in Geneva during The Night of Science. The partners main goal is to assure the perennity of certain gestures and attitudes when former people were doing crafts. Through digital simulation, we can preserve the intangible heritage.

Miralab intend to present videos of the “making of” of the digital craft people who are reproducing the gestures of our 3 activities: Glass, Mastic and Silk. As well as the setup of the three pilots.

In the last four years, Waag and nine European partners and craftsmen have experimented in Mingei project by documenting and digitalising crafts, storytelling, interactive Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and motion capture.

During this webinar on Mingei Day we would like to share and discuss the results and knowledge we gained. In four online panel discussions, experts from all over Europe will discuss and share their views on how to preserve crafts and how we can keep improving this in the future. During the webinar, participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions online.

Join the conversation! The link to the meeting will be provided to you by email. This event will be recorded.

Programme

16.00 hrs – Welcome Mingei Day – host Nicole McNeilly (Impact Evaluation Advisor Waag)
16.05 hrs – Introduction to Mingei Project (Xenophon Zabulis – Project Coordinator Mingei)
16.15 hrs – Expert panel discussion will cover the following questions:

1. What is the urgency of preserving and documenting crafts?
2. What is the impact for the craft and heritage community, education and future generations?
3. What tech advances are helping us make steps in the preservation and documentation of crafts?
4. How could the Mingei platform be useful for future users to make the impact sustainable?

17.35 hrs – Q&A from participants and recap lessons learned
17.45 hrs – Closing

Panelists

• Xenophon Zabulis – Research Director FORTH, project coordinator Mingei
• Carlo Meghini – Research Director at CNR-ISTI and developer Mingei platform
• Arnaud Dubois – Research Associate at CNAM, social anthropologist Mingei
• Eirini Kaldeli – Researcher and AI expert involved in the Crafted Europeana project
• Marinos Ioannides – UNESCO chair Digital Cultural Heritage at Cyprus University of Technology

Have a look at this episode of Euronews (Europe’s leading international news channel) dedicated to one of the many innovative ideas of Mingei that engage today’s youth with past traditions.  

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 822336.

Programme

19:15 – 19:30 hrs: Walk in
19:30 – 19:45 hrs: Introduction by Dick van Dijk (Creative Director at Waag)
19:45 – 20:15 hrs: Interview/presentation Antoine Peters
20:15 – 21:45 hrs: Workshop Reflow: Don’t let your textiles go to waste

Mingei Day

During the Mingei Day on March 10 we will provide insight into the research and applications of the Mingei project in an accessible manner. In the Mingei project, Waag works with European partners and craftsmen on ways to document traditional craft techniques. How can we use technology to preserve these crafts for the future? We do this, for example, by storytelling, interactive Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and motion capture. This way, the knowledge about the actions of traditional and industrial crafts can be preserved. During Mingei Day, passionate craftsmen show you what their craft is, and Waag shows you how you could document them.

Do you also want our crafts and clothing not to get lost? Come to Mingei Day on 10 March. Register if you want to be physically present in Waag’s Makers Guild (limited places available) and don’t forget your broken piece of clothing! You can also join the event from home. The link for the online live stream will be shared in the run-up to the event if you sign up.

Antoine Peters

The keynote of the evening is the worldwide famous fashion designer Antoine Peters. He has worked at Viktor & Rolf and worked with iconic brands such as Marcel Wanders, Moooi, United Nude, Quinze & Milan, Effio, Eastpak, Gsus Sindustries, EYE and Kidscase. Just like in Mingei, Antoine’s working method is characterised by his interest in traditional crafts.

In his work, Peters is concerned with the stories, historical development and conservation of these types of crafts. For example, he conducted intensive research into a nineteenth century yak for the Zeeuws Museum. He learned the craft of folding such a jacket, a technique that is more than two hundred years old, from a 92-year-old woman from Middelburg. She was one of the last wearers of the Walcheren regional dress. The uncomfortable fit of the yak gave the fashion designer the idea to use the traditional technique to make a sweater from soft recycled jersey.

Workshop

The necessity of preserving crafts, and the pleasure that these crafts can offer, are made clear in the workshop ‘Don’t let your textiles go to waste’. Did you know that in Amsterdam millions of kilos of textile end up in the wrong bin and are burned? And that people have an average of 170 pieces of clothing in their closet, 50 of which have not been used in the past year?

These workshops are designed to transfer knowledge on how to reuse, repair, reduce, rethink, recycle and revalue your wardrobe. During the workshops, developed within the Reflow project, you will learn how to repair holes in your clothing by rethinking the craft of clothing repair, and re-evaluating old garments.

Online streamers can already collect the following supplies:

An item of clothing you want to repair (socks, jumpers)
Wooden Embroidery Hoop
Wooden Darning Mushroom
Mixed colours of 100% Cotton Threads
Mixed colours of 100% wool Yarn
Chalk Pencil
A set of mixed needles and metal pins Darning needles
ruler and scissors

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DigiTraining is specifically targeted to benefit small or midsize museums, as well as other tangible or intangible cultural heritage organisations, which include structures and facilities accessible to the general public.

Mingei Online Platform 

Mingei Online Platform (MOP) is an online authoring platform developed in the Mingei H2020 IA, maintained and used in additional projects by FORTH, The Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas in Greece. The Mingei Online Platform facilitates the representation of the socio-historic context through narratives.

The purpose is to:

• Document, represent, and preserve intangible dimensions along with objects and sites
• Contextualise presentation of tangible heritage
• Systematise and facilitate the presentation of socio-historical context
• Explore and promote world heritage, stimulate interest through educational and fascinating content.

Nowadays, not only the treasures of culture but also the stories, the values, and the collective memories of European citizens can be preserved and enhanced through digitalisation. This platform is a useful tool for preserving both tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage, as users are able to add  information in such an easy way, by registering both texts (historical events, dates) and multimedia material, such as images, videos, 360^ο videos, 3d reconstructions, which are interconnected, creating relevant stories and narratives. In addition, the digitalisation of Cultural Heritage in combination with the creation of stories by using Mingei Online Platform (MOP) will stimulate visitors’ interest in tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage, making museums and cultural organisations more attractive.

Pilot

After its pilot evaluation, the Mingei Online Platform was utilised by more than 80 cultural Heritage Institutes in the DigiTraining Creative Europe project, to create representations for and on their own. This activity provided immensely valuable feedback in the optimisation of its User Interface. The Mingei Online Platform (MOP) implements a protocol for the advanced digitisation of Institutes Cultural Heritage and socio-historical context, through narratives and process schemas. 

Structure of capacity building programme

The programme is structured in 3 different levels; the General Programme will provide many organisations with a combined training on digital and audiovisual technology, as well as on digital-related management. The Specific Programme will provide up to 6 organisations with mentoring through a specific training programme resulting in a strongly increased capacity in digital skills as well as in strategy and management tools to deal with them. Finally, through the Qualified Programme a maximum of 3 selected organisations will benefit at no cost from the production of a virtual or augmented reality audiovisual project specifically adapted to their mission and narrative, together with the strategic and managerial advice to best integrate it in their activities.

Combining digital technology research, execution and training

DigiTraining’s consortium is composed by an experienced team from five different countries with complementary skills and competencies to respond to the urgent need for providing specific support to the cultural and creative heritage sector. This team merges tested expertise in digital technology research, execution and training; in direct support on management and innovation for start-ups and midsize organisations; in media, communication and audience development in the cultural sector; and in audio-visual & virtual reality production for the arts and cultural heritage.

Mingei Day

During the Mingei Day webinar on 10 March the the team of FORTH will give a demo of the Mingei Online Platform. Sign up for the webinar and join the discussion! For more contact about the Digitraining Project, please leave your contact details here.

‘The RISE IMET conference gathered researchers, academics and practitioners working on emerging technologies applied in museums and cultural heritage. In the presentation, I discussed the approach for evaluation and impact assessment of digital heritage projects, which we introduced in the project Mingei, together with Merel van der Vaart, on behalf of Waag.

Evaluation of technology-mediated experiences of users qualifies as one of the most important challenges in digital heritage. Most often, evaluation approaches focus on the final product or outcome of a project. Within Mingei, Waag advocated for an approach that monitors and examines what is being learned during the project. The process of collaborative learning that takes place in working with different partners, is complex and merits to be monitored and documented as well. It is for this reason that within Mingei we introduced the concept of institutional and organisational learning.

‘Within Mingei, Waag advocated for an approach that monitors and examines what is being learned during the project.’

This means that Waag will examine, monitor and document the institutional and organisational learning that take place in the project, in addition to monitoring all utility, usability and user experience (UX) studies. We put forward an approach that draws inspiration by the Generic Learning Outcomes framework (as applied in museums and heritage sites) and the method of Team Based Inquiry. The Generic Learning Outcomes model advocates that learning can manifest itself as enjoyment, inspiration, and creativity. At the same time, Team-Based Inquiry cycles carried out by heritage and technology partners, allow to identify a pertinent question, and investigate how a program, project or activity can be readily improved.

Our work was at the origin of various questions from the session participants around articulating, combining and presenting evidence from findings around learning. Learning which occurs both as a result of using Mingei project digital outcomes, as well as learning as a multidimensional and multi-experiential outcome from getting involved in a complex, multi-disciplinary digital heritage project. You can read the abstracts of other presentations and keynote speeches of the conference here.

What is next?

Mingei plans for reaching out to like-minded digital heritage and digital media, learning and education practitioners during the annual CECA (Committee for Cultural Education and Cultural Action) Conference. This event will be hybrid and take place in Belgium and online in October 2021. The conference theme is ‘Co-creation inside and outside the museum’.’

Written by Areti Damala, freelance academic heritage researcher for Waag.

From 9 to 13 September 2019, PIOP welcomed all partners to the Mingei Consortium Meeting onChios, Greece, where the Mingei pilot on mastic is deployed. With coordinated efforts, the valuable help of the Mastic Museum staff and PIOP’s excellent relations with the local community of Chios, we were able to organize a fruitful meeting.

Visit at the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association

On Monday morning of 9 September 2019 , the consortium visited the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association – which represents the entire community of Mastic cultivators on Chios – and had an interesting meeting with the president Mr G. Toumpos.  One of the main aims of the Association is  with respect of growers-associates labour and efforts, to stand by them as an assistant, by contributing to the upgrade of mastiha cultivation, to the improvement of its producing procedure and of course to the guarantee of the highest possible profits. The consortium received input on the needs of mastic growers, ranging from practical issues to strategical goals.

Visit at the Mediterra S.A.

In the afternoon, the consortium visited the Mediterra S.A. Company and had a meeting with Ms Marialena Kavoura. Mediterra was founded by Chios Mastiha Growers Association, with the main objective to develop, product, promote, and sale mastiha products worldwide. Mediterra is a company initiated by the Association and it has the role of a marketing tool for mastic products. Today, they are also building a research centre for pharmaceutical and medical uses of mastic.

The main concern of Mediterra today is to promote mastic in the markets of U.S.A. and Australia, among others, where mastic is not known. Mastic is nowadays considered a super food, thus the main marketing strategy for those new markets is the pharmaceutical and medical use of mastic. Major export countries include those where mastic is used in their daily routine, such as in Saudi Arabia.

Mastic cultivation and agritourism

On Tuesday morning of 10 September 2019, the consortium met with thematic tourism stakeholders and with Ms Boura, who is the owner of the tourist Agency named Mastic Culture, in order to provide the experiential presentation in the field, at the Mastic Museum.At the open air exhibition of the Mastic Museum, where pathways have been developed, as an itinerary through the mastic field, participants became acquainted with the special characteristics of mastic cultivation and the agricultural landscape of southern Chios.

Mastic cultivation steps, processes and practices were demonstrated to and performed by the participants, providing a first-hand experience of the labour, the dexterity and the required practical difficulties, as well as the consideration of efficient use.

Plenary meeting

On the first day of the official consortium meeting, Wednesday 11 September, all partners and guests from the advisory board (Ms Stavroula – Villy K. Fotopoulou and Mr David Fajolles) attended presentations of the progress of the project and discussed with the consortium. During the day, all participants viewed the motion capture process that was taking place at the mastiha trees of the museum.

A guided tour of the exhibition space provided the opportunity to become acquainted with the history of mastic, the process of the mastic cultivation and the architecture of the settlements. Everyone became familiar with the history of the cooperatives, the Chios Mastiha Growers Association, the steps in the mastic production Line, its uses and the products.

Keynote talk by Villy Fotopoulou

Intangible Cultural Heritage, Local Knowledge and Sustainable Management of Cultural Assets and Environmental Recourses

During her talk, Ms Fotopoulou provided insights in Intangible Cultural Heritage, Local Knowledge, and Sustainable Management of Cultural Assets and Environmental Recourses. Ms Fotopoulou provided guidelines on the policies for the preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage as acquired from the collaboration of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, of the Ministry of Culture and Sports – Hellenic Republic with UNESCO, regarding the inscription of elements of Greek Cultural Heritage in the Representative List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Keynote talk and guided tour by Manolis Vournous

The architecture of the Mastiha villages

In the afternoon of the first day of the meeting, PIOP had planned two architectural guided tours in the Olympoi and Pyrgi villages, by Mr Manolis Vournous, architect and former mayor of Chios. Mr Vournous presented his talk in the context of two guided tours at these villages. Mr Vournous elaborated on the architecture of the Mastiha villages and the way it supported the cultivation of mastic during the last 10 centuries, as well as the protection of threats to the local communities due to piracy and weather conditions. The group ended up at the central square in Olympoi, where we had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the dinner provided by PIOP.

Co-creation activities

On Thursday  of 12 September, we started the day with an update on the technological progress of the project by the technical partners. After that, we continued with the co-creation sessions organized by WAAG, which focused on the creation of mastic stories oriented to the museum’s spaces, both indoor and outdoor. All participants were divided into three groups and created stories that linked the history of mastic, its social implications, the chewing gum production line and the external pathways of the natural landscape with the potential needs of different group visitors. The great participation, the fantasy and the ideas of all partners showcased the charm and the impact of this unique product on everyone.

Keynote talk by David Fajoles

Why does the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage matter?

On the final day of the plenary meeting, Friday 13 September, we had the chance to attend the speech of Mr Fajoles, on the importance of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. During his talk, Mr Fajoles provided insights on the organisation and operation of UNESCO Culture Conventions and in particular the 2003 convention on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, as well as the ways in which heritage is inscribed in the representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity or the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Mr Fajoles presented in detail the function of Heritage Inventories, awareness-raising on international and national level, as well as the function and value of the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices of UNESCO.

The planning of the next steps and issues of the council put the epilogue to a productive but intense 3-day meeting. The next consortium meeting will take place in Paris, involving the glass pilot, upcoming December. Until then, the scent of mastic has remained strong in everyone.

Short bios of invited presenters

Stavroula – Villy K. Fotopoulou is a graduate of the Department of Archeology and History of the Athens School of Philosophy. She has been working in the Ministry Of Culture since 1996, where she was appointed as a graduate of the National School of Public Administration. She holds postgraduate degrees in Modern History (NCSR, 2008) and in Social Folklore (NCSR, 2011). She is the Director of Modern Cultural Heritage in the Ministry of Culture since 2014. She has represented the Ministry of Culture in International Organizations (UNESCO, EU), on matters of its competence.

David Fajolles is a Professor at Sciences Po – C-factor.tech Paris, in Cultural Policies and International Relations. He is a Former Secretary General of the French National Commission for UNESCO and has worked for the French Ministry of Culture as an advisor to the Minister and as a head of the department studies. He is the founder of Manufacturing of Curiosity, a European initiative for smart innovation in cultural and creative industries.

Manolis Vournous graduated in 1996 from the School of Architectural Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, and in 2000 with a scholarship from the Institute of State Scholarships he completed postgraduate studies in monument restoration at York University, graduating with distinction. His research interests relate to the architecture of Chios during the period of the Genoese and the Ottomans. With his publications and conferences he has dealt with issues, such as the vigils and fortifying architecture of Chios, the evolution of the post-Byzantine church in Chios and the creation and evolution of its settlements. From 1996 to 2003 he worked in Athens focusing mainly on studies and supervision of the restoration of buildings and the incorporation of new architecture into a historical setting. In 2014 he was elected Mayor of Chios.

Written by PIOP and FORTH

Man is constantly striving to seek beauty and incorporate it into his everyday life. Beauty is represented in works of art, ornaments and implements of daily use. This ongoing search for beauty is on show at “The Countless Aspects of Beauty” as of Wednesday June 18, 2019 at the Chios Mastic Museum in Greece, which will be the last stop of this touring exhibition.

Visitors will have the opportunity to admire fifty antiquities from the collections of the National Archaeological Museum, dating from prehistoric times to the Roman era. Several items, referring to some of the aspects of Beauty, are being exhibited for the first time.

A separate section, which however is not unrelated to the collection of antiquities, highlights the beauty of the women of Chios as seen through the eyes of travellers (16th-19th century), with exhibits and photographic material derived from the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece / National Historical Museum and the Travelogues section of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, respectively. Also on display are the multiple properties and uses of the unique product mastic, which is one of Mingei’s pilots.

Exhibition on tour

The major exhibition “The Countless Aspects of Beauty” of the National Archaeological Museum (NAM), was designed in collaboration with the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) to tour its thematic museums. It has been presented since May 2018 in the venues of the National Archaeological Museum’s touring exhibitions, a smaller version with the same title, presenting antiquities from the top museum of the country. The exhibition was presented successively at the Museum of the Olive and Olive-Oil in Sparta, the Silversmithing Museum in Ioannina, and the Museum of Marble Crafts in Tinos; it was visited by approx. 46,000 people.

The selection of the ancient artefacts was based on the themes of the PIOP museums to which they travelled. Thus, in the Museum of the Olive and Olive-Oil the focus was on body-care items such as oils and perfumes, in the Silversmithing Museum on fine jewellery, and in the Museum of Marble Crafts on marble figurines representative of the Cycladic culture.

The touring exhibition “The Countless Aspects of Beauty” is part of the policy of the National Archaeological Museum to create, in Greece and beyond, parallel versions, linked thematically to its central touring exhibitions. The ultimate aim of the collaboration between the two entities is that these exhibitions will function as satellites of the top museum in Greece in the various regions of the country, offering to local communities the opportunity to examine at first hand fine artefacts of great historical value derived from the unique collections of the National Archaeological Museum. Another aim of this two-year collaboration (2018-2019) is to link the cultural imprint of modern times with that of the past, showcasing the vitality of Greek culture in all of its expressions across time.

The exhibition runs from June 19 to September 8, 2019 at the Chios Mastic Museum, Rachi site (Tepeki), Chios 821 02. 
Opening hours: Daily except Tuesdays, 10:00-18:00
Closed on July 22 (local fair) and August 15

With the kind support of the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association. 

Written by PIOP