Research project COHERENT receives NWA grant

Sustainable and inclusive

COHERENT stands for 'COllaborative HEritage REsearch and iNTervention design: towards future oriented food traditions, garment collections and war sites'. In the project, the partners conduct transdisciplinary action research. Linking scientific and societal partners, it will design and implement interventions aimed at utilising the potential of heritage to envisage sustainable and inclusive futures.

Sub-projects

The project consists of the following sub-projects:

1. Rethinking the place of meat in religious traditions through ritual intervention

The aim of this project is to better understand the role of meat in festive food practices. Based on the idea that ritualised behavior can be a hindrance, but can also promote change, this project asks: What is the potential of ritual interventions in supporting a transition towards healthier and more sustainable food practices? After a series of preparatory workshops, the project team will conduct participatory research into festive occasions, including Christmas and the Feast of the Sacrifice, in which meat consumption plays a prominent role. One of the results from the project is a framework for heritage interventions in (semi-) private settings, aimed at a sustainable future for people and the planet.

2. Localising global garment biographies

This project investigates how the changing lifespan of clothing affects the relationships between consumers and producers. Using the collection of Museum Rotterdam, it aims to link histories of specific garments to stories of Indian textile producers. The project creates digital tools that show the relationship between garment biographies, users and producers. This methodology focuses on heritage objects in order to bring about behavioral changes that are necessary to achieve more fair, circular and sustainable clothing chains.

3. Citizens' perspective on the Atlantikwall

This project aims to explore how stories about the Atlantic Wall can be used to present, discuss and design future perspectives of these built relics in the urban landscape of The Hague. The research combines historical information about the Atlantic Wall with ideas from stakeholders and citizens for their living environment. The collected data will be processed in a landscape-biographical analysis of the Atlantic Wall, and will be used to arrive at a future-oriented design of the local living environment together with students.

Co-applicants and partners

• Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA)
• Delft University of Technology
• Delft University of Technology and Centre for Global Heritage and Development (CGHD)
• GITAM University
• Grameena Vikas Kendram
• IkEetCultuur
• LDE Centrefor Global Heritage and Development
• LDE-PortCityFutures
• Leiden University
• MBO Zadkine
• Modemuze
• Municipality The Hague
• Museum Rotterdam
• Protestant Theological University
• Utrecht University
• Wageningen University