H401 is delighted to announce its latest project cooperation “Contested Desires: Constructive Dialogues – Creative space for democratic conversations about the heritage of colonialism” (CDCD).
Led by our partner ECCOM, this EU-Funded project aims to discuss the problematic legacy of European colonisation found in museum collections and heritage sites. Via artistic research and residencies, Contested Desires strives to increase the access, participation and representation of diverse audiences to the conversation on the former European Empires.
CDCD will not shy away from difficult conversations, on the contrary, it will use a bottom-up and collaborative, as well as artistic, approach to address the complexities of heritage and its meaning for different audiences.
To realise this, heritage institutions and museums will work in tandem with arts organisations, communities and other partners to investigate the type of stories that are transmitted, the role of contemporary art in storytelling and where one can find good practices.
Together with our curatorial counterpart Creative Court, and Kunstfort Vijfhuizen, the other residency and exposition location of CDCD in The Netherlands, H401 will host joint residencies and expositions with selected artists.
CDCD Kick-Off Meeting | Rome, January 25th and 26th 2024 ©Mohamed Keita
Our consortium incldues ECCOM (IT), Museo Egizio (IT), Ministero della Cultura – Museo delle Civiltà (IT), BJCEM (BE), National Musuem of Natural History and Science (PT), Pro Progressione (HU), La Bonne (ES), D6:EU (CY) and Xarkis (CY).
Additional partners include D6:Culture in Transit (UK), Laboratory of History and Theory of Art of the Cyprus University of Technology (CY), Organization for the European Capital of Culture – Larnaka 2030 (CY), Casa Árabe (ES) and Fondazione Scuola dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali (IT) as associated partners. Subcontractors are Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (UK), Nubuke Foundation (GH) and Museum of Memory and Human Rights (CL).
CDCD builds on the existing project Contested Desires (January 2020-September 2021) which entailed a transnational capacity-building programme for artists and producers working with communities and heritage spaces.
CDCD Capacity Building Workshop | Rome, October 24th and 25th 2024
©Gabriele Orlandini
For updates and other opportunities, follow CDCD on Instagram and Facebook.
