Mining Culture Educational and Research Network

Introduction

The project will consist of some activities focusing on mining, and devoted to different cathegories of beneficiaries.

The subject of the project appears to have a significant historic and cultural value, under many points of view: social and economic phenomenons, technical and engineering evolution, geologic and naturalistic observation. The mining theme, like the wider theme of Industrial Archaeology, also refers to the debate on the use of industrial heritage for cultural, leisure or functional purposes.

The mining heritage is not enough exploited yet. Many mining museums and parks are small and isolated. An European project could be the chance for a better valorisation of these sites, and for the building of durable relationships and networks among them.

Objectives 

• Cultural supply: the main objective of the project is to carry out some products and events on cultural heritage, for a large audience and for some specific cathegories (schools, university).
• Research: the mining industry theme will be included in the academic activity and will be studied by some graduation thesis.
• Networking: building local, national and European networks, for further cultural and tourism initiatives.

Actions

1. Internet: The two mining museums/parks will become virtual museums on the Internet. Moreover, through the use of the World Wide Meta Museum (WWMM) tool, some transversal paths will be created with pictures and original texts (“stories through images ”). Pictures will come from the two museums, but also from other museums and collections (the digitalization of about 1.000 images is foreseen).
2. Educational activity into schools (in Italy and UK). Multi-disciplinar interventions, with both analysis of contents and ICT learning. This didactic interventions will be completed by visits in the mining parks/museums.
3. Research at a University level. Graduation thesis, stages into museums, text to be published on the Internet.
4. Networking activity, towards other European mining museums/parks/centers
5. Seminar, on mining parks and industrial archaeology, as a conclusion of the research activity. It will take place in Portugal, with the participation of Spanish, Italian and British experts.

Role of co-organizers

Co-organizers (including the project leader) are five.

Two of them (National Coal Mining Museum for England and “Suolo e Sottosuolo”) are mining museums or mining parks. They hold the cultural heritage the project is planned for. So they will provide on one hand the heritage for the Internet, School and University Activity, and on the othe hand the know how for all the actions (writing texts, participation in the seminar, etc.). They will also carry out some activities into schools (schools are one of their favourite audience).

Two other co-organizers (Università di Milano-Bicocca and Universidad Politecnica of Cataluña) are Universities. So they will work mainly on the research action, but also, with their know-how on the other actions (writing texts, participation in the seminar, etc.). They will mix their different competence: Università di Milano-Bicocca will participate with its Faculty of Sociology, while Universidad Politecnica of Cataluña will provide its specific technical and engineering know-how.

The last co-organizer (I-Museum) will work on techinical aspects (WWMM) and contents (writing texts, participation in the “School” action.

European added value

Promoting mining heritage and networking, both at European level, are the aims of the project. This will be ensured especially by some co-organizers and parntners, having a very significant role in the sector: the NationalCoalMiningMuseum for England and Scotland Heritage. Through these organizations, also the TICCIH (The International Committee for the Conservation of Industrial Heritage) will be involved. Transnational co-operation at an University and School level, is also an important aspect of the project.

Beneficiaries

First of all, the project aims to reach a wider audience for the mining heritage. The “World Wide Meta Museum” has a very important role in this process, by breaking space and time barriers (and this is also important for disabled people). Nevertheless, the presence in the WWMM of different kinds of museums, let the mining museums reach a more heterogeneous audience. Language barriers will be broken by translating the texts in Italian, English, Spanish and eventually Catalan.

Beside this first aim, the project also aims to carry out two paths for two specific cathegories. The first is Unversity, that will draw texts for other audience, but will also conduct an autonomous research activity. The second is School, i.e. one of the main cathegories of visitors of the mining parks/museums. Schools will be involved because of the important educational role of mining parks/museums in teaching the history and the nature of the places where pupils live.