ADVOCATING THE ROLE OF SILK ART AND CULTURAL HERITAGE AT NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN SCALE - ARACNE

Project Information

ARACNE

Grant agreement ID: 101095188

DOI

10.3030/101095188

Project closed

EC signature date 12 December 2022

Start date 1 March 2023

End date 28 February 2026

Funded under

• Culture, creativity and inclusive society

Total cost

€ 2 999 635,00

EU contribution

€ 2 999 634,50

Coordinated by

CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA E L'ANALISI DELL'ECONOMIA AGRARIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ARACNE (ADVOCATING THE ROLE OF SILK ART AND CULTURAL HERITAGE AT NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN SCALE - ARACNE)

Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ARACNE project aims to promote and preserve Europe's silk heritage through Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). The EU recognizes the importance of protecting cultural heritage as a valuable resource for social cohesion, economic growth, and promoting a common European identity. Despite the decline in raw silk production in the EU, silk textiles remain in demand globally and contribute to EU textile exports. On the other hand, there is a wide range of applications for silk other than textiles, which are currently the subject of research by many companies and organisations. ARACNE seeks to establish a Silk Innovation Ecosystem, involving academia, industry, and civil society to promote research and innovation, a ‘human networks that can generate extraordinary creativity and output on a sustainable bases’. Nowadays, the European silk industry is facing challenges due to dependence on Chinese silk production, rising international silk prices, as well as the risk of losing a significant cultural heritage associated with silk production and concerns about sustainability. Maintaining and enhancing the resilience of the European silk industry is crucial for the future. By integrating cultural heritage, scientific innovation and artistic creativity (social and humanities disciplines), ARACNE aims to revitalise the European silk agricultural self-production and industrial processing also through digital tools and non-traditional tourism experiences. The revitalisation of the European silk industry not only promotes economic growth, but also serves as a cultural rebalancing against the dominant narrative of modern Silk Road trade politics, potentially establishing a new cultural itinerary across the diverse European countries.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project focused on reconstructing a knowledge bank through an exploratory phase involving schools in partner countries identifying cultural and landscape heritage related to silk production. This also included the identification of ancient mulberry trees in the partners’ territories. The project aimed to connect younger generations with this heritage through a methodology for studying and reporting findings, as well as creating a mulberry database. Mulberry samples were collected for genetic analysis to preserve agrobiodiversity for silk production. Local silkworm breeds were identified, selected, and propagated for distribution to potential farmers. Cocoon samples from old European collections have also been gathered for laboratory analysis to determine the relationship of the current breeds to each other and to understand how they originated along the Silk Road in the past. Historical investigation resulted in a catalogue called 'Silk Unveiled', detailing European silk history and sericulture in partner countries. During the exploratory phase, the foundation for the co-creation and exploitation phase was established, which constitutes the second project component. The project team commenced with the construction of a virtual map. This involved the enumeration of the points of interest in the various countries, the description of these on the map, and the design of the icons representing the different point categories. Additionally, the team is developing a gamification tool for an Italian museum and constructing a Spanish museum’s exhibits and its virtual visit. The CCIs have been engaged in the development of innovations made available by the working group on actual applications of silk as a biomaterial, with contributions to fairs and exhibitions. A facial mask for cosmetic use has already been designed with the scope to best fit to the face characteristics of European populations' women. In addition, the transfer of a small silk reeling machine to a Venetian villa for the creation of a first pathway that links the practice of silk production to its historical-cultural tradition is at a very advanced stage. This facility can even serve as a training centre and a dissemination of the technique, thereby contributing to the preservation of valuable know-how. Furthermore, the project has initiated support for local stakeholders and communities in the development of circular business models, with a view to establishing the foundation for the construction of the touristic and cultural itinerary of the Silk Road. This is to be achieved by starting from the work of the French partner association, which is responsible for the French section of the itinerary in the Cevennes and is also attempting to integrate it into the UNESCO Silk Road itinerary.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The first results of the project (identification of ancient mulberry varieties and collection of genetic plant material for preservation and analysis; identification and multiplication of local silkworm strains; awareness of the silk heritage by young generations; new uses of silk proteins) are on the way of catalysing the interest around sericulture by different actors to reach some impacts that basically are:
1) to avoid the loss of biodiversity in the agriculture and technology and know-how in the industrial sector;
2) to re-establish the basic conditions for the sericulture production in Europe to cover at least a part of our import from China;
3) to innovate in the sector for the benefit of the CCIs;
4) to organize a Cultural Silk Route across Europe.
Of course, any support and coordination with other research projects on the matter and supportive regulatory and standardisation framework (especially to encourage natural fibre use, instead of synthetic ones and agricultural policies to support the silkworm farmers) would be of great help for reaching our final aims.

Imida museum - moth grinding machine - Spain

A school visiting the Vratza Station - Bulgaria

Local strain rearing - Slovenia

Mulberry germplasm collection - Italy