CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues
From the Greeks, to the Romans, the Ottomans to the Venetians, from the seafaring nations of Northern and Western Europe embarking on crusades and trade missions, Europeans have exploited, imposed and foraged cultures and communities to build their Empires. This legacy of colonisation, annexation and occupation presents a complex shared cultural heritage, too often untold, unknown and contested. A legacy of individuals, communities and nation states constructing their identities through a mosaic of cultural choices and desires.
The past years have seen a gathering of public momentum calling for equality for all citizens, for a reappraisal of the relationships we have with each other and for the way in which our histories are edited and our heritage is presented. These demands are neither new, nor confined to one country. From the removal of historic statues and proposals for new memorials, to demands for educational reform, the repatriation of looted artefacts and reparations; we are rightly calling into question the connection between the past and the present, interrogating the ways that national identities are crafted and that systems and structures of oppression are upheld. Against this landscape, the cultural and political meaning of artefacts acquired through empire and colonisation is increasingly contested. Indeed, there is a risk of historical cultures being instrumentalised as part of a ‘culture war’ by right-wing populist governments across the world: as an attack on heritage and national identity. Public scrutiny around our colonial past that emerged during the pandemic with movements such as Black Lives Matter, has been reignited by the traumatic Russian invasion of Ukraine and the legacies of occupation if left unchecked.
CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues (2024-26) engages contemporary artists to consider the problematic legacy of European colonialism that is held in museum collections and heritage sites. CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues will build bridges for conversations between artists, curators, researchers and museologists, to mindfully explore the inequalities and gaps within the current discourse, encouraging actors to adopt an intersectional lens. The multi-partner project explores how artists and arts organisations can work with communities to create dialogical exchanges, expositions, events, and other activities that can build shared understanding of the colonial past and what it can mean to different citizens of a multicultural Europe.
In full recognition of the complexities of heritage, and of the ways in which it can provide identity and rootedness for some, whilst generating alienation and distress for others, CDCD will co-create spaces for difficult conversations using a bottom-up and collaborative approach based on artistic processes and capacity building activities. To do this, heritage institutions and museums will work in equal partnership with arts organisations, communities and other partners to ask:
What kind of Stories are being told and by whom?
How is contemporary art included in alternative forms of storytelling?
Where are the examples of good practice in terms of impact evaluation?
As the lead partner for CONTESTED DESIRES (2019-22), D6: Culture in Transit is delighted to be a part of this ambitious project, which brings together global partners working across the arts, heritage and academic sectors: ECCOM (IT), BJCEM (Belgium), Creative Court (The Netherlands), D6:EU (Cyprus), European Capital of Culture Larnaka 2030 (Cyprus), H401 (The Netherlands), Interarts (Spain), La Bonne (Spain), La Fabrique (Tunisia), Museo Egizio (Italy), Museo della Civilta (Italy), MUHNAC - University of Lisbon (Portugal), Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Chile), Nubuke Foundation (Ghana), Pro Progressione (Hungary), RCMG - University of Leicester (UK), Technical University of Cyprus (Cyprus) and Xarkis (Cyprus)
Stay tuned for more information about the project.
The past years have seen a gathering of public momentum calling for equality for all citizens, for a reappraisal of the relationships we have with each other and for the way in which our histories are edited and our heritage is presented. These demands are neither new, nor confined to one country. From the removal of historic statues and proposals for new memorials, to demands for educational reform, the repatriation of looted artefacts and reparations; we are rightly calling into question the connection between the past and the present, interrogating the ways that national identities are crafted and that systems and structures of oppression are upheld. Against this landscape, the cultural and political meaning of artefacts acquired through empire and colonisation is increasingly contested. Indeed, there is a risk of historical cultures being instrumentalised as part of a ‘culture war’ by right-wing populist governments across the world: as an attack on heritage and national identity. Public scrutiny around our colonial past that emerged during the pandemic with movements such as Black Lives Matter, has been reignited by the traumatic Russian invasion of Ukraine and the legacies of occupation if left unchecked.
CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues (2024-26) engages contemporary artists to consider the problematic legacy of European colonialism that is held in museum collections and heritage sites. CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues will build bridges for conversations between artists, curators, researchers and museologists, to mindfully explore the inequalities and gaps within the current discourse, encouraging actors to adopt an intersectional lens. The multi-partner project explores how artists and arts organisations can work with communities to create dialogical exchanges, expositions, events, and other activities that can build shared understanding of the colonial past and what it can mean to different citizens of a multicultural Europe.
In full recognition of the complexities of heritage, and of the ways in which it can provide identity and rootedness for some, whilst generating alienation and distress for others, CDCD will co-create spaces for difficult conversations using a bottom-up and collaborative approach based on artistic processes and capacity building activities. To do this, heritage institutions and museums will work in equal partnership with arts organisations, communities and other partners to ask:
What kind of Stories are being told and by whom?
How is contemporary art included in alternative forms of storytelling?
Where are the examples of good practice in terms of impact evaluation?
As the lead partner for CONTESTED DESIRES (2019-22), D6: Culture in Transit is delighted to be a part of this ambitious project, which brings together global partners working across the arts, heritage and academic sectors: ECCOM (IT), BJCEM (Belgium), Creative Court (The Netherlands), D6:EU (Cyprus), European Capital of Culture Larnaka 2030 (Cyprus), H401 (The Netherlands), Interarts (Spain), La Bonne (Spain), La Fabrique (Tunisia), Museo Egizio (Italy), Museo della Civilta (Italy), MUHNAC - University of Lisbon (Portugal), Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Chile), Nubuke Foundation (Ghana), Pro Progressione (Hungary), RCMG - University of Leicester (UK), Technical University of Cyprus (Cyprus) and Xarkis (Cyprus)
Stay tuned for more information about the project.