Katherine Wilson, Challenges & Opportunities of Reconstructing the Past for the Present

Mobility of Objects Across Boundaries 1000–1700  

Digital Approaches to Cultural Heritage: Panel 3 Reconstructing the Past 

The research project Mobility of Objects Across Boundaries 1000–1700 (MOB) is an interdisciplinary study of the changes in objects and their use in Western Europe between 1000 and 1700. The focus is on the mobility of objects to better understand both local and global exchange processes. The first part of the project used medieval everyday objects from the Grosvenor Museum in Chester to analyze the effects of economic and cultural upheavals on material culture. 

The second part of the project is dedicated to communicating these research findings to the public. It focuses on digital approaches such as virtual reconstructions of medieval buildings in Chester, VR models and a new museum database for research and crowdsourcing. Katherine Wilson (Chester) emphasized that digital methods not only enrich science but can also positively influence local cultures and economies. They contribute to making the past accessible, even tangible. Aligning with the principles of open education the project offers various resources such as education object boxes for schools and “handling workshops” in the museum, enabling pupils and visitors to feel and experience the physicality of historical objects and form their own ideas about them. 

Behind this is the desire to generate social impact with scientific research and change ideas of the public about the objects. Wilson underlined in her paper that research should not only be presented to the public but must be developed co-creatively with social actors from the outset. 

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Resources & Tools 

• Mobility of Objects across Boundaries 1000–1700
  

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Elisabeth Anna Tangerner, Tagungsbericht: Digital Approaches to Cultural Heritage: Perspectives and Challenges, in: H-Soz-Kult, 07.01.2025, https://www.hsozkult.de/conferencereport/id/fdkn-152044 (conference report). 

Karoline Döring: Digital Approaches to Cultural Heritage. Perspectives and Challenges. Projekttagung über den Einsatz digitaler Methoden zur Erschließung von europäischem Kulturerbe, 19.–20. September 2024 in Innsbruck, in: Mittelalter. Interdisziplinäre Forschung und Rezeptionsgeschichte, https://doi.org/10.58079/13fn7 (general review)

For further information see the conference website. 

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