Working with Cultural Heritage. Achieving Active Participation by Means of Collective Drawing and Design Activities

Abstract

In this paper, we examine selected keys to the appreciation of cultural heritage: first, the use of different languages, and in particular drawing, in approaching heritage; and second, the importance of actively engaging audiences in heritage appreciation projects, right from the planning stages. In presenting and working with heritage, with audiences spanning school students to the general public, one strategy that has proven extremely successful is to explore the intentional design process underpinning artistic creations. Focusing on the conceptualization, creation and execution of works (from design to sculptures and paintings and from architecture to landscapes) has been shown to offer much scope for inquiry, allowing the individual consumer to connect more deeply with the cultural heritage being encountered. This exercise in discovering and closely observing the conceptual and material aspects of heritage works has also informed the design of a range of tools, in some cases co-designed with audiences; the practical aspect of this process has proven to be of particular value.