The teams will be focusing on three case studies which are facing similar challenges: the fascist mosaics of Collegio Aeronautico in Forlì, the Modelo Prison in Barcelona and one of the most striking dissonant sites in Europa, the Buzludzha monument, one symbol of Communism in Bulgaria. The aim is to organize events for experts to compare and exchange experiences, and events to spread the the message of the research work to as many citizens as possible. Focus group debates and story-asking campaign will be conducted to collect testimonies and work on the importance of oral history. The holistic attitude of the research will be fundamental to embrace the dissonance in order to create dialogue, education and remembrance by the use of participatory interpretation, multi-layered research and inclusive communication.
Specific objectives include:
- The Buzludzha monument: to face the lack of knowledge and interest that many citizens show regarding the undemocratic past of Bulgaria; 1) the aim is to develop a democratic process to create a narrative and educate and inform the public about the regime; 2) to promote civic engagement to take care of a serious national issue and heritage site 3) involve hundred of volunteers and international oganizations in the process inorder to create an active community
- The mosaics of Forlì: since the dominant interpretation of the mosaics amongst the citizens still tends to be an “aestethic” one, which conveniently neglects the more uncomfortable political dissonance, it is important to recover the potential of oral history, awareness raising, reactions and discussion eliciting through story-acting activities; it is also crucial to contextualise the 20th century mosaics in the history of the technique, since both in the mosaics and the architecture technological innovations were not lacking.
- The Modelo Prison in Barcelona: the transformation of the former prison into a space of memory and community uses led the general public to discover this heritage site. The aim here is to develop the museological project of the future memorial space and to organize new activities related to its democratic and historical memory within the framework of this European project and through the experiences shared between the partners involved.
