Mission

As an international and inter/transdisciplinary research platform, Innovate Heritage fosters dialogue, promotes creative approaches to theoretical and practical issues, and enhances collaboration between arts and heritage.

Born out of the World Heritage Studies program at the Brandenburgische Technische Universität (BTU) Cottbus, Germany, our initiative utilizes the foundational knowledge and definitions of UNESCO World Heritage as a jumping off point to critically explore heritage studies in conjunction with artistic and creative practice.

While the arts and heritage are both connected within the cultural sector, a strong trans/interdisciplinary approach is needed in order to further examine the shared values and elements of each in imagination, innovation, and processes of constructing cultural identity as well as looking at the values and meanings of each in our lived environments.

Thematic Topics

• Connections between Arts and Heritage in Constructing Cultural Identity
• Making Art / Constructing Heritage / Heritage as Poetry
• Contemporary Arts and Sustainable Cultural Development
• Social Creativity and Authenticity, Industry and Capital
• Heritage, Aesthetics and Contemporary Visual Cultures

Goals

• Investigate the relationship between the arts and heritage
• Explore the limitations and current challenges within heritage theory and practice
• Foster cross-fertilization of the arts and heritage disciplines through explorative exchange of theories and methodologies
• Investigate ways in which arts and heritage collaboration contributes to successful heritage practice
• Anticipate ways in which contemporary arts becomes the future object of heritage preservation and studies